PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - The U.S. Navy is moving to equip its fleet of E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning and battle management aircraft with the Second Generation Anti-jam Tactical Ultra High Frequency Radio (SATURN) waveform, awarding Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Melbourne, Fla., a $21.1 million contract for engineering, software development, avionics modifications, and production retrofit kits.
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, Md., announced a $21,081,363 order to Northrop Grumman under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement to integrate SATURN capability into the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft.
The contract calls for non-recurring engineering, including software development, modifications to the aircraft's avionics flight management computer, systems engineering, integration, and testing required to incorporate the NATO-standard anti-jam communications capability. The award also includes production and delivery of 94 SATURN modification kits for the E-2D fleet.
Related: Northrop Grumman to continue work on upgrade to cockpit avionics and mission computer of E-2D aircraft
SATURN, or Second Generation Anti-jam Tactical Ultra High Frequency Radio, is a NATO tactical communications waveform designed to improve resistance to electronic attack while enhancing secure interoperability among allied forces. The waveform succeeds the legacy HAVE QUICK anti-jam system and is intended to provide more resilient communications in contested electromagnetic environments.
Advanced Hawkeye
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye serves as the Navy's carrier-based airborne command-and-control and battle management aircraft, providing long-range surveillance, target tracking, and command-and-control capabilities for carrier strike groups and joint operations. As an airborne networking node, the platform plays a central role in coordinating aircraft, ships, and other military assets across the battlespace.
Rather than representing a standalone radio procurement, the contract focuses on integrating the communications capability into the aircraft's avionics architecture. The engineering effort includes software development, modifications to the flight management computer, systems integration, and testing needed to field the capability across the operational fleet.
Work will be performed primarily in Melbourne, Fla., which accounts for 99.1 percent of the effort. Additional work will take place in West Chester, Ohio; Ronkonkoma, N.Y.; and Laval, Quebec, Canada. The project is expected to be completed by April 2028.
Fiscal 2026 Navy aircraft procurement funds totaling $21,081,363 were obligated at the time of award. The order was awarded without competition under a previously established basic ordering agreement.
