Scott Hanko
E-2 Hawkeye Cockpit
In United States service, the Hawkeye provides all-weather airborne early warning and command and control functions for the carrier battle group. Additional missions include surface surveillance coordination, strike and interceptor control, search and rescue guidance and communications relay. An integral component of the carrier air wing, the E-2C uses computerized sensors to provide early warning, threat analysis and control of counteraction against air and surface targets. It is a high-wing aircraft with stacked antennae elements contained in a 24-foot (7.3 m) rotating dome above the fuselage.
The continuous improvements in early airborne radars by 1956 led to the concept of an airborne early warning and command and control aircraft. The first aircraft to perform this mission was the Grumman E-1 Tracer (a variant of the S-2 Tracker anti-submarine aircraft), which saw service from 1958 to 1977. The E-1's successor, the E-2 Hawkeye, was the first carrier-based aircraft designed from the outset for the all-weather airborne early warning and command and control function. The first production version, the E-2A, entered service in January 1964.
The original E-2C, known as the Group 0, became operational in 1973 and has been through several upgrade programs since then. The first of these was the E-2C Group I which replaced the older APS-125 radar and T56-A-425 engines with the improved APS-139 and T56-A-427. This version was soon followed by the further improved Group II which now featured the APS-145 radar. The Group II has been incrementally upgraded with new navigation systems, displays and computers culminating in the E-2C Hawkeye 2000 variant (sometimes referred to as Group III, although the term is no longer used as an official designation).
.The Hawkeye 2000 features the APS-145 radar with a new mission computer and CIC (Combat Information Center) workstations (Advanced Control Indicator Set or ACIS), and carries the U.S. Navy’s new CEC (cooperative engagement capability) data-link system. It is also fitted with a larger capacity vapor cycle avionics cooling system. A variant of the Group II with the upgrades to the mission computer and CIC workstations is referred to as the MCU/ACIS. All Group II aircraft have had their 1960s vintage computer-processors replaced by a mission computer with the same functionality but built using more modern computer technology. This is referred to as the GrIIM RePr (Group II Mission Computer Replacement Program, pronounced "grim reaper"). In 2007 and 2008 a hardware and software upgrade package is being added to Hawkeye 2000 aircraft that allows faster processing, double current trackfile capacity, and access to satellite information networks. Hawkeye 2000 cockpits are also being upgraded to include solid-state glass displays, upgraded weather detection systems, and GPS-approach capability. Testing for in-flight refueling modifications is also being conducted.
Cradle of Aviation Museum Long Island NY
E-2 Hawkeye Cockpit
In United States service, the Hawkeye provides all-weather airborne early warning and command and control functions for the carrier battle group. Additional missions include surface surveillance coordination, strike and interceptor control, search and rescue guidance and communications relay. An integral component of the carrier air wing, the E-2C uses computerized sensors to provide early warning, threat analysis and control of counteraction against air and surface targets. It is a high-wing aircraft with stacked antennae elements contained in a 24-foot (7.3 m) rotating dome above the fuselage.
The continuous improvements in early airborne radars by 1956 led to the concept of an airborne early warning and command and control aircraft. The first aircraft to perform this mission was the Grumman E-1 Tracer (a variant of the S-2 Tracker anti-submarine aircraft), which saw service from 1958 to 1977. The E-1's successor, the E-2 Hawkeye, was the first carrier-based aircraft designed from the outset for the all-weather airborne early warning and command and control function. The first production version, the E-2A, entered service in January 1964.
The original E-2C, known as the Group 0, became operational in 1973 and has been through several upgrade programs since then. The first of these was the E-2C Group I which replaced the older APS-125 radar and T56-A-425 engines with the improved APS-139 and T56-A-427. This version was soon followed by the further improved Group II which now featured the APS-145 radar. The Group II has been incrementally upgraded with new navigation systems, displays and computers culminating in the E-2C Hawkeye 2000 variant (sometimes referred to as Group III, although the term is no longer used as an official designation).
.The Hawkeye 2000 features the APS-145 radar with a new mission computer and CIC (Combat Information Center) workstations (Advanced Control Indicator Set or ACIS), and carries the U.S. Navy’s new CEC (cooperative engagement capability) data-link system. It is also fitted with a larger capacity vapor cycle avionics cooling system. A variant of the Group II with the upgrades to the mission computer and CIC workstations is referred to as the MCU/ACIS. All Group II aircraft have had their 1960s vintage computer-processors replaced by a mission computer with the same functionality but built using more modern computer technology. This is referred to as the GrIIM RePr (Group II Mission Computer Replacement Program, pronounced "grim reaper"). In 2007 and 2008 a hardware and software upgrade package is being added to Hawkeye 2000 aircraft that allows faster processing, double current trackfile capacity, and access to satellite information networks. Hawkeye 2000 cockpits are also being upgraded to include solid-state glass displays, upgraded weather detection systems, and GPS-approach capability. Testing for in-flight refueling modifications is also being conducted.
Cradle of Aviation Museum Long Island NY