An artist's impression of the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye in French Navy markings. France is to receive three such aircraft by 2030. (Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman has begun the build of the first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for France.
Announced on 10 December, the milestone was marked by a ceremony at the company's St Augustine manufacturing facility in Florida that brought together representatives from the French Navy, Northrop Grumman, Naval Air Systems Command, and Navy International Programs Office.
The French Navy contracted three of the carrier-based AEW&C aircraft in November 2020. These latest-variant E-2Ds will replace three E-2Cs operated by the French Navy's Flotille 4F based at Lann-Bihoué Naval Air Station in Brittany, and be deployed on the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle and eventually on its successor.
As previously noted by Janes , France's Loi de Programmation Militaire (LPM) 2019–25 military funding programme said the delivery of the three aircraft to the French Navy will be complete by 2030.
As the latest variant of the Hawkeye carrier-based E-2 AEW&C aircraft, which has been in US naval service since the mid-1960s, the E-2D features the more powerful AN/APY-9 radar that is designed to provide 360° coverage against hostile aircraft and cruise missiles, as well as the in-flight refuelling capability. The aircraft is also to be fitted with an aerial refuelling probe to greatly enhance its range, which will be useful for the vast maritime domain of the Pacific region (the E-2D is currently claimed to have six hours unrefuelled endurance).
Besides France, the E-2D has also been acquired by Japan.
For more information on the E-2D, please see Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye/E-2C Hawkeye 2000/E-2D Advanced HawkEye (AHE)/E-2T .
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