E-2D Advanced Hawkeye

Navy Plans Upgrades to Fly E-2Ds into the 2040s

An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with VAW-120 is refueled in the air. US Navy Photo

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — With production coming to an end in four years, the Navy is working out a plan to sustain the E-2D Advanced Hawk command-and-control aircraft for at least another 30.

Upgrades include cockpit avionics and enhancements to mission systems, communication capabilities and cybersecurity to keep the “eyes of the fleet” open well into 2040 beyond, according to Capt. Pete Arrobio, who heads the Airborne...

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/03/navy-plans-upgrades-to-fly-e-2ds-into-the-2040s

Navy Adjusts F-35C Squadron Size to End Fighter Shortfall by 2025

An F-35C Lighting II from the ‘Argonauts’ Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, left, a F/A-18F Super Hornet from the ‘Bounty Hunters’ VFA 2, center, and F/A-18E Super Hornets from the ‘Stingers’ VFA 113, right, sit on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on Jan 30, 2021. US Navy Photo

Navy officials told a key House panel this week that by creating a different mix of aircraft in the future carrier air wing, the service could shave five years off the timetable to close the shortfall in...

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/14/navy-adjusts-f-35c-squadron-size-to-end-fighter-shortfall-by-2025

Vinson Carrier Strike Group Drilling Near Hawaii Ahead of First Deployment With F-35Cs

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) transits the Pacific Ocean, June 13. US Navy Photo

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is drilling near Hawaii this week as it prepares for an upcoming deployment later this summer.
After a maintenance period in which the Navy updated the carrier so it could accommodate the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter and the CMV-22B Osprey, USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is expected to deploy later this summer to the Indo-Pacific region, USNI News understands.

“In...

https://news.usni.org/2021/06/18/vinson-carrier-strike-group-drilling-near-hawaii-ahead-of-first-deployment-with-f-35cs

Navy Keeps Next-Generation Fighter Research Costs Classified

An F/A-18F Super Hornet lands on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) on June 25, 2018. US Navy Photo

The Navy is keeping classified the amount of Fiscal Year 2022 money it wants to develop the next-generation fighter aircraft set to replace the fleet of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, according to service budget documents.

The Navy’s FY 2022 budget justification documents withhold the amount of dollars the service is putting toward the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD)...

https://news.usni.org/2021/06/01/navy-keeps-next-generation-fighter-research-costs-classified

First F-35C Air Wing Ready to Bring 5th-Gen Fighters to Carrier Strike Group

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 30, 2021) An F-35C Lighting II from the “Argonauts” Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 sits on the flight deck on Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson is currently underway conducting routine maritime operations. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Erin. C. Zorich)

As the Navy approaches the first-ever deployment of its advanced carrier air wing – with the fifth-generation F-35C Joint Strike Fighter paired with the...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/29/first-f-35c-air-wing-ready-to-bring-5th-gen-fighters-to-carrier-strike-group

Navy: NGAD Will be Family of Systems, Super Hornet Replacement Likely a Manned Fighter

An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the Argonauts of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 prepares to land on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68). US Navy Photo

The Navy is leaning toward replacing its fleet of Super Hornets with another manned fighter that will work with emerging unmanned aircraft concepts under the umbrella of the service’s Next Generation Air Dominance program.

Rear Adm. Gregory Harris, who leads the chief of naval operation’s air warfare directorate...

France Finalizes Purchase of 3 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Aircraft

An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with VAW-120 is refueled in the air. US Navy Photo

France will begin upgrading its E-2C Hawkeye fleet with the purchase of three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, paving the way to a more capable carrier aviation fleet that’s more interoperable with the U.S. Navy.

Naval Air Systems Command announced this week that France became the second foreign customer for the E-2D when it signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance last month to procure three E-2Ds from the U.S. Navy, for a maximum...

https://news.usni.org/2021/01/06/france-finalizes-purchase-of-3-e-2d-advanced-hawkeye-aircraft

VIDEO: USS Carl Vinson Preparing for First F-35C, ‘Advanced Carrier Air Wing’ Deployment

An F-35C from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 lands on USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on Sept. 17, 2020. Vinson was sailing off the coast of California and conducting the first at-sea operations with its air wing since a 17-month maintenance availability meant to prepare the ship to operate the new F-35C. USNI News photo.

ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CARL VINSON, OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA – Next year, the most advanced carrier air wing in history will sail to the Pacific aboard USS Carl Vinson...

https://news.usni.org/2020/09/24/video-uss-carl-vinson-preparing-for-first-f-35c-advanced-carrier-air-wing-deployment

VIDEO: Aerial Refueling for E-2Ds Will Expand Reach of Carrier Strike Groups

An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with VAW-126 is refueled in the air. US Navy Photo

The Navy is bringing an aerial refueling capability to its E-2D Advanced Hawkeye command and control fleet, with the first operational squadron certifying its pilots to refuel with Air Force tankers.

The airborne command and control planes have been in operation in the carrier air wing since 2015 but have, until now, not been able to refuel in the air. When the planes get low on fuel, regardless of what targets they’re...

https://news.usni.org/2020/09/01/video-aerial-refueling-for-e-2ds-will-expand-reach-of-carrier-strike-groups

State Department Approves E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Sale to France

Sailors perform pre-flight checks on an E-2D Hawkeye from Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 on the flight deck aboard the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) during flight operations on Aug. 16, 2019. US Navy Photo

The State Department approved a possible sale of three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to France, in a deal that would bring the U.S. and French carrier air wings even closer together.

If finalized, France would become the third country to operate...

https://news.usni.org/2020/07/06/state-department-approves-e-2d-advanced-hawkeye-sale-to-france

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