Posted by John Keller

PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md., 25 Jan. 2012. U.S. Navy leaders are buying five models of the Navy's most advanced carrier-based maritime patrol aircraft, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye from the Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) Aerospace Systems segment in Bethpage, N.Y., under terms of a $781.5 million contract modification announced Tuesday. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., are ordering the advanced radar aircraft surveillance as part of Lot 4 of the E-2D low-rate initial production program.

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye has a completely new radar with mechanical and electronic scanning; integrated all glass cockpit; advanced identification friend or foe system; new mission computer and tactical workstations; electronic support measures enhancements; and modernized communications and data link suite.

The E-2D is designed to be the Navy carrier battle group's "digital quarterback" to sweep ahead of attacking aircraft, manage the mission, and protect aircraft carriers and their support vessels by providing expanded battlespace awareness, and multi-sensor fusion. The E-2D made its first carrier landing in February 2011.

The sophisticated surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft has true 360-degree radar coverage, all-weather tracking; open-architecture, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based hardware and software; network enabled capability; multi-mission flexibility ranging from command and control through missile defense to border security.

The Northrop Grumman Corp. Aerospace Systems segment in Bethpage, N.Y., will build the advanced E-2D Hawkeye aircraft with partners BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, L3 Communications, and Rolls Royce.

Aircraft designers also will do work on the new aircraft in Syracuse, N.Y.; St. Augustine, Fla.; El Segundo, Calif.; Indianapolis; Menlo Park, Calif.; and Rolling Meadows, Ill., and should be finished by May 2015.

For more information contact Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems online at www.as.northropgrumman.com, or Naval Air Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil.