Navy asks Northrop Grumman for avionics upgrade to E-2D surveillance radar plane for secure communications

Summary points:

• The U.S. Navy seeks to enhance the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with NATO-standard SATURN secure communications to improve military voice and data transmission.
• Northrop Grumman will update the E-2D’s avionics flight management system to integrate fast frequency hopping and digital modulation for better resilience against jamming.
• SATURN replaces the outdated HAVE QUICK II system, providing NATO forces with a more secure and reliable communications platform across air, sea, and ground units.

PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. – U.S. Navy airborne communications experts are asking Northrop Grumman Corp. for an avionics upgrade to the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye for the latest in NATO-standard secure communications.

Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., announced plans earlier this month to award a sole-source contract to the Northrop Grumman Aeronautics segment in Melbourne, Fla., to update the E-2D's flight management computer to accept the Second Generation Anti-Jam Tactical UHF Radio for NATO (SATURN) secure radio.

The E-2D is the newest model in the E-2 Hawkeye carrier-based airborne early warning and command and control aircraft. It has the AN/APY-9 advanced surveillance radar for 360-degree all-weather surveillance, and can track more than 3,000 aircraft and missiles simultaneously.

Airborne battle management

Its main role includes airborne command, tactical battle management, surveillance, air defense coordination, and multi-mission command and control for carrier strike groups and joint operations.

SATURN is NATO's next-generation standard UHF communications system for designed for secure, reliable military voice and data transmission. SATURN can resist jamming and interference, and is the successor to the HAVEQUICK radio waveform, which was the previous NATO standard for secure military communications.

The avionics upgrade to accommodate SATURN will give the E-2D fast frequency hopping and digital modulation to resist the effects of electronic warfare (EW) jamming and improve communication clarity and reliability. The SATURN radio is compatible with military cryptographic units for enhanced communication security.

Replacement for HAVE QUICK II

SATURN is widely adopted within NATO and allied forces, replacing older systems like HAVE QUICK II, and is implemented across various platforms including naval, air, and selected ground units. The waveform complies with NATO STANAG 4372. Radio manufacturers like Rohde & Schwarz and BAE Systems are key players in developing and deploying SATURN radios.

The Northrop-Grumman E-2D avionics flight management computer (AFMC) is undergoing continual upgrades, including a cockpit technical refresh that replaces and modernizes the current integrated navigation, controls, display, and tactical mission computer systems with newer, more capable technology.

The value of the Navy's upcoming contract to Northrop Grumman has yet to be negotiated. For more information contact Northrop Grumman Aeronautics online at www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/aircraft/e-2d-advanced-hawkeye, or Naval Air Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil.