BAE to Provide IFF Technology for E-2D Hawkeye
The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $26 million contract for
Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) spares for the E-2D Advanced
Hawkeye aircraft. Under the contract, BAE Systems will provide
Beamforming Networks (BFNs), an integral part of antenna control for
the AN/APX-122A IFF Interrogator system, onboard the carrier-capable
tactical aircraft.
“These sets will provide situational awareness and early warning for
U.S. Navy sailors and warfighters,” said Donna Linke-Klein, director
of Tactical Systems at BAE Systems. “The Advanced Hawkeye is essential
for battle management command and control, and our interrogator
systems enable operators to identify friendly forces and make informed
decisions in a variety of threat environments.”
The AN/APX-122A IFF Interrogator system provides positive
identification of friendly aircraft, giving E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
operators the situational awareness they need to safely complete their
missions. These missions include command and control, border security,
search and rescue, and missile defense. The AN/APX-122A IFF
Interrogator system is produced exclusively for the E-2D, due to the
extraordinary requirements for this aircraft.
Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) spares for the E-2D Advanced
Hawkeye aircraft. Under the contract, BAE Systems will provide
Beamforming Networks (BFNs), an integral part of antenna control for
the AN/APX-122A IFF Interrogator system, onboard the carrier-capable
tactical aircraft.
“These sets will provide situational awareness and early warning for
U.S. Navy sailors and warfighters,” said Donna Linke-Klein, director
of Tactical Systems at BAE Systems. “The Advanced Hawkeye is essential
for battle management command and control, and our interrogator
systems enable operators to identify friendly forces and make informed
decisions in a variety of threat environments.”
The AN/APX-122A IFF Interrogator system provides positive
identification of friendly aircraft, giving E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
operators the situational awareness they need to safely complete their
missions. These missions include command and control, border security,
search and rescue, and missile defense. The AN/APX-122A IFF
Interrogator system is produced exclusively for the E-2D, due to the
extraordinary requirements for this aircraft.
Collins Aerospace helps maximize performance for Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with NP
Collins has been awarded a second multi-year contract to supply Northrop Grumman with NP2000 propeller systems for 39 E-2D aircraft
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (May 19, 2021) – With its advanced NP2000 propeller and digital Electronic Propeller Control System, Collins Aerospace continues to provide E-2D Advanced Hawkeye operators withreduced maintenance time and cost, and enhanced crew comfort and safety. The company, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE:RTX), announced today that it has begun shipping parts following a second multi-year contract it received in November to supply NorthropGrumman with NP2000 propeller systems for 39 E-2D aircraft.
NP2000 offers operators the ability to replace individual blades on-wing for reduced maintenance time and increased aircraft availability. By improving
speed holding and blade synchronization, NP2000’s digital Electronic Propeller Control System also enhances crew comfort and safety by reducing vibration and noise inside the cockpit.
“The E-2D plays a critical part in battle management command and control,” said Quinlan Lyte, senior director, Propeller Systems for Collins Aerospace “Through the multiple benefits it provides, our intelligent, innovative NP2000 helps support the E-2D mission by increasing operational efficiency, maximizing performance and boosting readiness.”
NP2000 has been in service with the U.S. Navy and international customers on the Northrop Grumman E-2 and C-2 since 2004, and with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force on Lockheed Martin C-130 variants since 2008. Over that time, the NP2000 has accumulated more than 1 million flight hours.
About Collins Aerospace
Collins Aerospace, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE: RTX), is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global. aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the extensive capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and broad expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. For more information, visit
CollinsAerospace.com.
About Raytheon Technologies
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military,
and government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence
& Space, and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
May 19, 202
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (May 19, 2021) – With its advanced NP2000 propeller and digital Electronic Propeller Control System, Collins Aerospace continues to provide E-2D Advanced Hawkeye operators withreduced maintenance time and cost, and enhanced crew comfort and safety. The company, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE:RTX), announced today that it has begun shipping parts following a second multi-year contract it received in November to supply NorthropGrumman with NP2000 propeller systems for 39 E-2D aircraft.
NP2000 offers operators the ability to replace individual blades on-wing for reduced maintenance time and increased aircraft availability. By improving
speed holding and blade synchronization, NP2000’s digital Electronic Propeller Control System also enhances crew comfort and safety by reducing vibration and noise inside the cockpit.
“The E-2D plays a critical part in battle management command and control,” said Quinlan Lyte, senior director, Propeller Systems for Collins Aerospace “Through the multiple benefits it provides, our intelligent, innovative NP2000 helps support the E-2D mission by increasing operational efficiency, maximizing performance and boosting readiness.”
NP2000 has been in service with the U.S. Navy and international customers on the Northrop Grumman E-2 and C-2 since 2004, and with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force on Lockheed Martin C-130 variants since 2008. Over that time, the NP2000 has accumulated more than 1 million flight hours.
About Collins Aerospace
Collins Aerospace, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE: RTX), is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global. aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the extensive capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and broad expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. For more information, visit
CollinsAerospace.com.
About Raytheon Technologies
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military,
and government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence
& Space, and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
May 19, 202
UESA Revival Offers Dual-Band Radar For Future Early Warning Aircraft Steve Trimble November 10, 2020
A small, Hawaii-based company hopes to support the next generation of airborne early warning aircraft by demonstrating an active, electronically scanned array with instantaneous, 360-deg. coverage inside a radome with a unique dual-band antenna.
North Star Scientific has demonstrated radar that shows 3-dB improvement compared to a first-generation ultra-high-frequency (UHF) band (400 MHz-1 GHz) electronically scanned array (UESA) tested by the U.S. Navy nearly 20 years ago, says co-founder Jim Stamm.
- Dual-band UESA shows 3-dB improvement
- U.S. Navy awards transceiver assembly contract
“A 3-dB change means you’ve basically doubled the radiated power,” Stamm says. “It doesn’t mean that you can see things twice as far away, because radar is a little more complicated than that, but it’s a substantial increase.”
A combination of the UESA with an S-band antenna could further improve performance. The UHF-band elements—supported by a 2D filtering technique called space-time adaptive processing—would provide early warning detection of even low-flying, stealthy aircraft against dense background clutter over land. Targets detected by the UHF-band element could then cue the shorter-wavelength S-band antenna to provide precise targeting at long range.
North Star has demonstrated an improvement in radiated power, but the company is still working on the integration of the interleaved, dual-band antennas.
“It has evolved into dual polarization for the S-Band, which is challenging to kind of shoot through the UHF band, so there’s still some work to be done,” Stamm says. “But the antenna, I would say, is 90% there.”
To support a potential retrofit program, North Star has designed the dual-band array to be compatible with the Lockheed Martin APY-9 radar on the E-2D. The Navy has been funding North Star’s work for a decade under a program called the High-Gain UESA radar, but Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) officials say they are not ready to commit to a retrofit program for the E-2D fleet or for a potential follow-on program.
“While the effort is making progress toward identifying improvements in performance over the existing antenna array, it is too early to project whether the technology will mature on a timeline that supports the incorporation onto the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye’s APY-9 radar, or as part of a follow-on sensor or platform,” Navair says in a statement.
After recently completing a contract to mature the UHF design while testing the multiband elements, North Star is now working on a $13.2 million contract to focus on refining the design of an integrated radar transceiver assembly.
At the core of the new technology is a second-generation UESA that has been in development for over 10 years.
The Navy experimented with UESA technology in the late 1990s and early 2000s for an E-2C radar modernization program that evolved into the E-2D configuration. But the Navy deemed the first-generation UESA radar too risky.
Instead, the Navy equipped the E-2D with the APY-9 radar, which includes the 7.3-m-dia. (24-ft.), 18-channel ADS-18 antenna with hybrid mechanical and electronic scanning.
The existing APY-9 operates the antenna in three modes within the UHF band: full mechanical scanning while turning at 6 rpm, a reduced rotation speed with electronic beam steering and a nonrotating radome with full electronic scanning in a 120-deg. section of airspace.
By comparison, the North Star radar would enable full electronic scanning across 360 deg. with twice the radiated power in two different bands of the spectrum. The North Star UESA is comprised of 54 transmit-receiver elements. The company is still deciding whether to feed the power through a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio coupler switch, allowing the radar to use either half or one-third of the elements at any one time. A 4,000-element S-band antenna also would be integrated within the circular array for dual-band coverage.
US Navy looks at manned-unmanned teaming role for E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
By Garrett Reim 19 March 2021
The US Navy (USN) is planning to award Northrop Grumman a sole-source contract to modify the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye’s mission computer and display software so that the early warning aircraft could control unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).
The manned-unmanned teaming experiment was announced online on 17 March. It came a few days before the service said it wants to move some command-and-control activities of future carrier-based UAVs, such as the Boeing MQ-25A Stingray in-flight refuelling tanker, off-ship via manned-unmanned teaming technologies.
“There is going to be a control centre on the carrier for our unmanned air vehicles,” said Vice Admiral James Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities, in testimony before the US House Armed Services Committee on 18 March. “But, ultimately, in the future, let’s say there’s a fuelling area for a strike [aircraft] or some other mission area, it’d be great if a manned pilot saw weather and we could divert and move that [UAV] and not have to go to the carrier to do that control.”
The unmanned MQ-25A tanker is intended to extend the reach of the Lockheed Martin F-35C, which has an unrefuelled range of about 1,200nm (2,200km) – not long enough to keep US aircraft carriers outside of the striking distance of China’s land-based ballistic and cruise missiles.
The USN plans to examine using the MQ-25A also for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic attack and strike missions after it figures out how to handle the UAV’s operations from a carrier deck, says Kilby.
The MQ-25A might be able to jam radar or provide another form of electronic attack in coordination with a manned aircraft, while within an adversary’s anti-access and area denial zone, a contested airspace where aircraft are within range of missile and electronic attack, he says.
“Perhaps I can provide some surveillance [using the MQ-25A] and I can save deck space where I don’t have to have five E-2Ds on the carrier,” says Kilby. The twin-turboprop E-2D is the largest aircraft aboard USN aircraft carriers, so the removal of one or more examples could free up substantial space for other aircraft.
The E-2D carries an APY-9, a disc-shaped rotating radar dome, on its back that is used for early detection and tracking of aircraft and cruise missiles. It also has identification friend or foe capabilities, electronic support measures and sensors for target identification. The USN calls the five-crew aircraft a “digital quarterback” because of its role as a command-and-control station, as well as its ability to collect and pass information.
As part of the E-2D manned-unmanned teaming experiment, Northrop is “to support an end-to-end lab demonstration of manned and unmanned teaming, along with technical support to develop and verify radar calibration files for a VX-20 aircraft,” the USN notice says. VX-20 is short for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20.
In congressional testimony, Kilby says manned-unmanned teaming for the MQ-25A would be enabled by the USN’s Project Overmatch, an effort to develop a fleet communications network that would use artificial intelligence to coordinate spread-out operations for aircraft, surface ships and submarines, as well as US Marine Corps vehicles and equipment.
The service has taken a conservative approach to developing, testing and integrating the MQ-25A into its carrier operations.
“What we’re focusing on is launching, landings, moving it around on the deck, bringing it up [and] taking it down in the hangar bay,” says Kilby. “How do we position those assets and how can we support the air wings?”
The MQ-25A is still in the testing phase. The USN wants the UAV to achieve initial operational capability by 2024. It plans to buy as many as 76 examples of the aircraft as part of its programme of record.
The service wants the MQ-25A to serve as a pathfinder for how to operate future UAVs aboard the limited deck space of an aircraft carrier. The USN believes its future aircraft carrier-based fleet could be made of more than 40% UAVs, says Kilby.
Still, the service’s “crawl-walk-run” approach toward development of the MQ-25A and other UAVs, as well as its “Unmanned Campaign Framework”, a plan released on 16 March, has frustrated members of the US House Armed Services Committee who want to see a more aggressive and detailed roadmap for the future.
“I was really disappointed in what I saw as a lack of substance in the [Unmanned Campaign Framework] plan,” said Representative Elaine Luria on 18 March. “I thought it was full of buzzwords and platitude, but really short on details. With the recent acquisition programme failures that we’ve had on the last several ship classes, rightly those of us on this committee are skeptical of the navy’s ability to shepherd this new technology.”
The manned-unmanned teaming experiment was announced online on 17 March. It came a few days before the service said it wants to move some command-and-control activities of future carrier-based UAVs, such as the Boeing MQ-25A Stingray in-flight refuelling tanker, off-ship via manned-unmanned teaming technologies.
“There is going to be a control centre on the carrier for our unmanned air vehicles,” said Vice Admiral James Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities, in testimony before the US House Armed Services Committee on 18 March. “But, ultimately, in the future, let’s say there’s a fuelling area for a strike [aircraft] or some other mission area, it’d be great if a manned pilot saw weather and we could divert and move that [UAV] and not have to go to the carrier to do that control.”
The unmanned MQ-25A tanker is intended to extend the reach of the Lockheed Martin F-35C, which has an unrefuelled range of about 1,200nm (2,200km) – not long enough to keep US aircraft carriers outside of the striking distance of China’s land-based ballistic and cruise missiles.
The USN plans to examine using the MQ-25A also for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic attack and strike missions after it figures out how to handle the UAV’s operations from a carrier deck, says Kilby.
The MQ-25A might be able to jam radar or provide another form of electronic attack in coordination with a manned aircraft, while within an adversary’s anti-access and area denial zone, a contested airspace where aircraft are within range of missile and electronic attack, he says.
“Perhaps I can provide some surveillance [using the MQ-25A] and I can save deck space where I don’t have to have five E-2Ds on the carrier,” says Kilby. The twin-turboprop E-2D is the largest aircraft aboard USN aircraft carriers, so the removal of one or more examples could free up substantial space for other aircraft.
The E-2D carries an APY-9, a disc-shaped rotating radar dome, on its back that is used for early detection and tracking of aircraft and cruise missiles. It also has identification friend or foe capabilities, electronic support measures and sensors for target identification. The USN calls the five-crew aircraft a “digital quarterback” because of its role as a command-and-control station, as well as its ability to collect and pass information.
As part of the E-2D manned-unmanned teaming experiment, Northrop is “to support an end-to-end lab demonstration of manned and unmanned teaming, along with technical support to develop and verify radar calibration files for a VX-20 aircraft,” the USN notice says. VX-20 is short for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20.
In congressional testimony, Kilby says manned-unmanned teaming for the MQ-25A would be enabled by the USN’s Project Overmatch, an effort to develop a fleet communications network that would use artificial intelligence to coordinate spread-out operations for aircraft, surface ships and submarines, as well as US Marine Corps vehicles and equipment.
The service has taken a conservative approach to developing, testing and integrating the MQ-25A into its carrier operations.
“What we’re focusing on is launching, landings, moving it around on the deck, bringing it up [and] taking it down in the hangar bay,” says Kilby. “How do we position those assets and how can we support the air wings?”
The MQ-25A is still in the testing phase. The USN wants the UAV to achieve initial operational capability by 2024. It plans to buy as many as 76 examples of the aircraft as part of its programme of record.
The service wants the MQ-25A to serve as a pathfinder for how to operate future UAVs aboard the limited deck space of an aircraft carrier. The USN believes its future aircraft carrier-based fleet could be made of more than 40% UAVs, says Kilby.
Still, the service’s “crawl-walk-run” approach toward development of the MQ-25A and other UAVs, as well as its “Unmanned Campaign Framework”, a plan released on 16 March, has frustrated members of the US House Armed Services Committee who want to see a more aggressive and detailed roadmap for the future.
“I was really disappointed in what I saw as a lack of substance in the [Unmanned Campaign Framework] plan,” said Representative Elaine Luria on 18 March. “I thought it was full of buzzwords and platitude, but really short on details. With the recent acquisition programme failures that we’ve had on the last several ship classes, rightly those of us on this committee are skeptical of the navy’s ability to shepherd this new technology.”
First aircrew E-2D DSSC-3 configuration training devices ready for fleet by NAVAIR News April 15, 2021
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md.– The first two E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Distributed Readiness Trainers (D-DRT) successfully completed Fleet Mission Testing at NAS Norfolk, Virginia, and officially deemed Ready for Training (RFT) Feb. 26. Delivered five months ahead of schedule, these are the first Delta System Software Configuration 3 (DSSC-3) aircrew trainers for the fleet.
The trainers provide carrier airborne early warning pilots and naval flight officers the ability to train on a low cost, medium fidelity device that enables a full E-2D crew of two pilots and three flight officers to practice executing an entire suite of intermediate and advanced tactics including mission-critical coordination skills. The two D-DRT devices are also able to connect and operate together, simulating dual E-2D training scenarios that require such battlespace management to simulate tactics and procedures in complex scenarios.
According to Capt. Chris “Mullet” Hulitt, Airborne Command, Control and Logistics Wing (ACCLOGWING) deputy commodore, “The D-DRT provides a unique capability above other E-2D training devices to support ‘reps and sets’ in execution-based advanced integrated tactical skills, where a medium fidelity device meets the training need. The improved operating system gives instructors the ability to push aircrew through more advanced and complex tactical scenarios.”
The devices utilize touch screen technology to simulate weapons system controls, and have the added advantage of using mostly commercial-off-the shelf hardware and software to provide a less complex system that is easier and less expensive to maintain, thereby greatly improving reliability and reducing lifecycle costs.
The trainers allow the fleet to meet growing demands of increased complex tactics, as well as the augmented need to train in a distributed environment with other type model series aircraft in the Air Wing as part of the Carrier Strike Group. This also allows E-2D crews to train with U.S. Joint Forces and participate in fleet exercises such as Fleet Synthetic Training and Virtual Flag. The devices are scheduled to be connected to the Navy Continuous Training Environment Network in fiscal year 2024, when a new training building is scheduled to be complete at NAS Norfolk.
During the D-DRT production, various fleet representatives from the Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Weapons School, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School/Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, the Fleet Replacement Squadron (VAW) 120 and test community were brought in for demonstrations to provide feedback on performance. The initial production contract was awarded in fiscal year 2018 for five full D-DRT systems, which included two at NAS Norfolk, two at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan in support of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 and Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 125.
“These devices prove that with exceptional government-industry cooperation, coordination and communication, these types of efforts can be accomplished in a fraction of normal acquisition time from contract award to delivery,” said David Adams, E-2/C-2 Training Systems Integrated Product Team Lead with the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office (PMA-231).
The next two D-DRT systems have already been shipped to MCAS Iwakuni and are currently in the build phase by industry partner’s on-site assembly teams inside the E-2D Training Wing of the CVW-5 training complex.
“Bottom line, it is the right training aid for E-2D warfighters to become highly proficient in the skills that are necessary for us to have to win in the high end fight, in a complementary role with our other training devices,” said Hulitt.
PMA-231’s mission is to develop, acquire and sustain unmatched carrier-based airborne command, control, and logistics aircraft with the E-2C Hawkeye, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and C-2A Greyhound.
The trainers provide carrier airborne early warning pilots and naval flight officers the ability to train on a low cost, medium fidelity device that enables a full E-2D crew of two pilots and three flight officers to practice executing an entire suite of intermediate and advanced tactics including mission-critical coordination skills. The two D-DRT devices are also able to connect and operate together, simulating dual E-2D training scenarios that require such battlespace management to simulate tactics and procedures in complex scenarios.
According to Capt. Chris “Mullet” Hulitt, Airborne Command, Control and Logistics Wing (ACCLOGWING) deputy commodore, “The D-DRT provides a unique capability above other E-2D training devices to support ‘reps and sets’ in execution-based advanced integrated tactical skills, where a medium fidelity device meets the training need. The improved operating system gives instructors the ability to push aircrew through more advanced and complex tactical scenarios.”
The devices utilize touch screen technology to simulate weapons system controls, and have the added advantage of using mostly commercial-off-the shelf hardware and software to provide a less complex system that is easier and less expensive to maintain, thereby greatly improving reliability and reducing lifecycle costs.
The trainers allow the fleet to meet growing demands of increased complex tactics, as well as the augmented need to train in a distributed environment with other type model series aircraft in the Air Wing as part of the Carrier Strike Group. This also allows E-2D crews to train with U.S. Joint Forces and participate in fleet exercises such as Fleet Synthetic Training and Virtual Flag. The devices are scheduled to be connected to the Navy Continuous Training Environment Network in fiscal year 2024, when a new training building is scheduled to be complete at NAS Norfolk.
During the D-DRT production, various fleet representatives from the Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Weapons School, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School/Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, the Fleet Replacement Squadron (VAW) 120 and test community were brought in for demonstrations to provide feedback on performance. The initial production contract was awarded in fiscal year 2018 for five full D-DRT systems, which included two at NAS Norfolk, two at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan in support of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 and Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 125.
“These devices prove that with exceptional government-industry cooperation, coordination and communication, these types of efforts can be accomplished in a fraction of normal acquisition time from contract award to delivery,” said David Adams, E-2/C-2 Training Systems Integrated Product Team Lead with the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office (PMA-231).
The next two D-DRT systems have already been shipped to MCAS Iwakuni and are currently in the build phase by industry partner’s on-site assembly teams inside the E-2D Training Wing of the CVW-5 training complex.
“Bottom line, it is the right training aid for E-2D warfighters to become highly proficient in the skills that are necessary for us to have to win in the high end fight, in a complementary role with our other training devices,” said Hulitt.
PMA-231’s mission is to develop, acquire and sustain unmatched carrier-based airborne command, control, and logistics aircraft with the E-2C Hawkeye, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and C-2A Greyhound.
United States confirms the procurement of three Hawkeye E-2D tactical airborne early warning aircraft by France
Naval News January 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry
POSTED ON TUESDAY, 05 JANUARY 2021 18:42
POSTED ON TUESDAY, 05 JANUARY 2021 18:42
“The E-2/C-2 program office is looking forward to continuing a longstanding partnership with France and beginning a new chapter with the E-2D,” said Capt. Pete Arrobio, program manager of the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office (PMA-231). “This procurement will increase interoperability among the U.S. Fleet and international partners.”
The three E-2Ds are scheduled to be delivered by 2028 and will replace the three existing E-2C Hawkeyes of the French Navy, Marine Nationale.
The E-2D AHE, produced by Northrop Grumman, represents a two-generation leap in technology compared to its predecessor, the E-2C Hawkeye. The aircraft features a state-of-the-art radar and upgraded aircraft systems that improve supportability and increase readiness. The centerpiece of the E-2D AHE is the APY-9 radar system, designed specifically to provide enhanced surveillance detection and tracking capability against advanced threat aircraft and cruise missile systems in the overland, littoral, and open ocean environments. With the addition of aerial refueling capabilities, the E-2D remains the most advanced command and control platform in the world.
The French Navy becomes the second international customer of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. The Japan Air Self Defense Force has purchased 13 E-2D aircraft to date.
The three E-2Ds are scheduled to be delivered by 2028 and will replace the three existing E-2C Hawkeyes of the French Navy, Marine Nationale.
The E-2D AHE, produced by Northrop Grumman, represents a two-generation leap in technology compared to its predecessor, the E-2C Hawkeye. The aircraft features a state-of-the-art radar and upgraded aircraft systems that improve supportability and increase readiness. The centerpiece of the E-2D AHE is the APY-9 radar system, designed specifically to provide enhanced surveillance detection and tracking capability against advanced threat aircraft and cruise missile systems in the overland, littoral, and open ocean environments. With the addition of aerial refueling capabilities, the E-2D remains the most advanced command and control platform in the world.
The French Navy becomes the second international customer of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. The Japan Air Self Defense Force has purchased 13 E-2D aircraft to date.
AI Copilot: Air Force Achieves First Military Flight With Artificial Intelligence
Signaling a major leap forward for national defense in the digital age, the Air Force flew with artificial intelligence as a working aircrew member onboard a military aircraft for the first time Dec. 15.
The AI algorithm, known as ARTUµ, flew with the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. “Vudu”, on a U-2 Dragon Lady assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base. Air Combat Command’s U-2 Federal Laboratory researchers developed ARTUµ and trained it to execute specific in-flight tasks that otherwise would be done by the pilot.
The test flight was the result of years of concerted effort within the Air Force to apply cutting-edge technology to military operations as it competes with other world powers in the digital age.
“ARTUµ’s groundbreaking flight culminates our three-year journey to becoming a digital force,” said Dr. William Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. “Putting AI safely in command of a U.S. military system for the first time ushers in a new age of human-machine teaming and algorithmic competition. Failing to realize AI’s full potential will mean ceding decision advantage to our adversaries.”
During this flight, ARTUµ was responsible for sensor employment and tactical navigation, while the pilot flew the aircraft and coordinated with the AI on sensor operation. Together, they flew a reconnaissance mission during a simulated missile strike. ARTUµ’s primary responsibility was finding enemy launchers while the pilot was on the lookout for threatening aircraft, both sharing the U-2’s radar.
The flight was part of a precisely constructed scenario which pitted the AI against another dynamic computer algorithm in order to prove the new technology.
“We know that in order to fight and win in a future conflict with a peer adversary, we must have a decisive digital advantage,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. “AI will play a critical role in achieving that edge, so I’m incredibly proud of what the team accomplished. We must accelerate change and that only happens when our Airmen push the limits of what we thought was possible.”
After takeoff, the sensor control was positively handed-off to ARTUµ who then manipulated the sensor, based on insight previously learned from over a half-million computer simulated training iterations. The pilot and AI successfully teamed to share the sensor and achieve the mission objectives.
The U-2 Federal Laboratory designed this AI technology to be easily transferable to other systems and plan to further refine the technology. Today’s flight provided invaluable data for not only the team to learn from, but also ARTUµ.
“Blending expertise of a pilot with capabilities of machine learning, this historic flight directly answers the National Defense Strategy’s call to invest in autonomous systems,” said Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett. “Innovations in artificial intelligence will transform both the air and space domains.”
The U-2 Federal Laboratory is a 15 U.S.C. compliant organization established to bring together a “confluence of warfighter, developer, and acquirer” vertically-integrated under the same operational roof. The lab has developed and been approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish the 20th Laboratory Accreditation Program in the federal government. It promotes “edge development” – a concept to develop new software integration on operational systems in a bounded, safe environment.
The historic flight with AI comes just two months after the U-2 Federal Laboratory team updated inflight software for the first time during a U-2 training mission. The team leveraged the open-source container-orchestration software Kubernetes, another military first.ieve. We want to give the UK the tools it needs to defeat coronavirus and get back on its feet as soon as possible."
Source: US Air Force
Date: Dec 16, 2020
The AI algorithm, known as ARTUµ, flew with the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. “Vudu”, on a U-2 Dragon Lady assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base. Air Combat Command’s U-2 Federal Laboratory researchers developed ARTUµ and trained it to execute specific in-flight tasks that otherwise would be done by the pilot.
The test flight was the result of years of concerted effort within the Air Force to apply cutting-edge technology to military operations as it competes with other world powers in the digital age.
“ARTUµ’s groundbreaking flight culminates our three-year journey to becoming a digital force,” said Dr. William Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. “Putting AI safely in command of a U.S. military system for the first time ushers in a new age of human-machine teaming and algorithmic competition. Failing to realize AI’s full potential will mean ceding decision advantage to our adversaries.”
During this flight, ARTUµ was responsible for sensor employment and tactical navigation, while the pilot flew the aircraft and coordinated with the AI on sensor operation. Together, they flew a reconnaissance mission during a simulated missile strike. ARTUµ’s primary responsibility was finding enemy launchers while the pilot was on the lookout for threatening aircraft, both sharing the U-2’s radar.
The flight was part of a precisely constructed scenario which pitted the AI against another dynamic computer algorithm in order to prove the new technology.
“We know that in order to fight and win in a future conflict with a peer adversary, we must have a decisive digital advantage,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. “AI will play a critical role in achieving that edge, so I’m incredibly proud of what the team accomplished. We must accelerate change and that only happens when our Airmen push the limits of what we thought was possible.”
After takeoff, the sensor control was positively handed-off to ARTUµ who then manipulated the sensor, based on insight previously learned from over a half-million computer simulated training iterations. The pilot and AI successfully teamed to share the sensor and achieve the mission objectives.
The U-2 Federal Laboratory designed this AI technology to be easily transferable to other systems and plan to further refine the technology. Today’s flight provided invaluable data for not only the team to learn from, but also ARTUµ.
“Blending expertise of a pilot with capabilities of machine learning, this historic flight directly answers the National Defense Strategy’s call to invest in autonomous systems,” said Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett. “Innovations in artificial intelligence will transform both the air and space domains.”
The U-2 Federal Laboratory is a 15 U.S.C. compliant organization established to bring together a “confluence of warfighter, developer, and acquirer” vertically-integrated under the same operational roof. The lab has developed and been approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish the 20th Laboratory Accreditation Program in the federal government. It promotes “edge development” – a concept to develop new software integration on operational systems in a bounded, safe environment.
The historic flight with AI comes just two months after the U-2 Federal Laboratory team updated inflight software for the first time during a U-2 training mission. The team leveraged the open-source container-orchestration software Kubernetes, another military first.ieve. We want to give the UK the tools it needs to defeat coronavirus and get back on its feet as soon as possible."
Source: US Air Force
Date: Dec 16, 2020
French E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes To Feature Aerial Refueling Capability
The future E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes of the French Navy (Marine Nationale) will come with aerial refueling capability, Naval News has learned from the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA).
For the record, the French Ministry of Armed Forces announced last month that it has approved the acquisition of three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.
Contacted by Naval News, the DGA officer in charge of the E-2D program confirmed that the future French E-2Ds will feature aerial refueling capability:
“The French E-2Ds will be equipped with an in-flight refueling probe. The following French aircraft should be able to refuel them: Rafale M, A400M, MRTT, KC130J and future refuelers.”
DGA E-2D program director
Naval News understands that the “future refuelers” mentioned above is related to the future aircraft carrier’s air wing ability to refuel its own aircraft. This will be the Rafale M replacement (known as NGF) or could even be an unmanned aerial refueler (something similar to the MQ-25).
The upgrades to support aerial refueling include probe and associated piping, electrical and lighting upgrades. But this is not the only option that the French are looking at. To increase crew effectiveness during the longer missions (up to 8 hours thanks to in-flight-refueling), Northrop Grumman offers “optional air vehicle enhancements” consisting in:
- Crew lavatory
- Air conditioning
- Ergonomic seats
- Food and beverage galley
- Noise canceling aviation headsets
Specific French sensors and mission computer aboardAs we previously reported, the three E-2D aircraft ordered for the French Navy will be adapted to French requirements by integrating a specific computer, developed by the French Aerospace Industry Service (SIAé), which will guarantee the system’s autonomous upgrade capability. As explained by the DGA program director: “Its role is to enable the autonomous scalability of the mission system. Linked to the native computer on one side, and to French sensors on the other, it will allow the addition of extra French sensors and their evolution without modifying the native system, which would require American intervention. There are also elements necessary for purely French missions. Its size is compatible with a standard aeronautical payload.”
Advanced Hawkeye, CEC and Veille Coopérative Navale
The Advanced Hawkeye is an enabler of the american Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC). The CEC allows the ship to receive targeting information from other assets, such as US Navy and Royal Australian Navy AEGIS destroyers or American and Japanese E-2D aircraft.
According to Naval News‘ Japanese contributor Yoshihiro Inaba, Japan’s E-2D won’t have the CEC capability from the get go however: They will need an upgrade at some point. Indeed, E-2Ds numbered 471 to 474 (the first four JASDF E-2D) are missing the USG-3B, a system necessary for CEC. The AN/USG-3B acts as the CEC Sensor Netting System. It is produced by DRS Laurel Technologies. According to the Japanese Minister of Defense, this system will be installed at a later date. According to Inaba, the most probable possibility is that USG-3B will be installed on the E-2Ds once the SM-6 missile are fitted aboard the Maya-class destroyers. It will be interesting to see if Japan’s E-2Ds from the second batch will come with USG-3B already installed.
Naval News asked the DGA if the French Navy E-2Ds will come with the CEC systems and whether it will have a role to play with Marine National’s own “Veille Coopérative Navale” system:
“We do not plan to import the CEC. Its French equivalent is currently being developed with the concept of Veille Coopérative Navale, which will be gradually ramped up in the Navy, and in which the E-2D will eventually be included.”
DGA E-2D program director
According to Naval News‘ Japanese contributor Yoshihiro Inaba, Japan’s E-2D won’t have the CEC capability from the get go however: They will need an upgrade at some point. Indeed, E-2Ds numbered 471 to 474 (the first four JASDF E-2D) are missing the USG-3B, a system necessary for CEC. The AN/USG-3B acts as the CEC Sensor Netting System. It is produced by DRS Laurel Technologies. According to the Japanese Minister of Defense, this system will be installed at a later date. According to Inaba, the most probable possibility is that USG-3B will be installed on the E-2Ds once the SM-6 missile are fitted aboard the Maya-class destroyers. It will be interesting to see if Japan’s E-2Ds from the second batch will come with USG-3B already installed.
Naval News asked the DGA if the French Navy E-2Ds will come with the CEC systems and whether it will have a role to play with Marine National’s own “Veille Coopérative Navale” system:
“We do not plan to import the CEC. Its French equivalent is currently being developed with the concept of Veille Coopérative Navale, which will be gradually ramped up in the Navy, and in which the E-2D will eventually be included.”
DGA E-2D program director
The French E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes are set to enter production at the Northrop Grumman plant in St Augustine, Florida, in 2024. They will be delivered by the U.S. Navy in 2028. The Aircraft will then be flown from the United States to France for delivery. the three aircraft will be delivered close together.
Upon their arrival in France, “They will be divided between DGA Essais en vol and CEPA for the tests/experiments, the 4F fleet for its transformation, and SIAé (AIA Cuers-Pierrefeu) for the installation of French equipment” the program director added. DGA Essais en vol is primarily responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of aeronautical weapons and aircraft before their use by the French military. The CEPA/10S is the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron of the French Navy.
Fate of the existing French E-2C fleet
Upon their arrival in France, “They will be divided between DGA Essais en vol and CEPA for the tests/experiments, the 4F fleet for its transformation, and SIAé (AIA Cuers-Pierrefeu) for the installation of French equipment” the program director added. DGA Essais en vol is primarily responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of aeronautical weapons and aircraft before their use by the French military. The CEPA/10S is the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron of the French Navy.
Fate of the existing French E-2C fleet
Asked about the fate of the E-2C Hawkeyes currently flown by the French Navy, the E-2D program director explained:
The E-2Cs will have reached their limit of potential and will be removed from service. Parts common with the E-2Ds could be reused as replacements.
About E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
The E-2Cs will have reached their limit of potential and will be removed from service. Parts common with the E-2Ds could be reused as replacements.
About E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
Built by Northrop Grumman, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the latest variant of the E-2 Airborne early warning aircraft, replacing the E-2C Hawkeye. It brings revolutionary capabilities to the carrier strike group, including the new and powerful AN/APY-9 radar, which is a two-generational leap in technology.
The APY-9 radar is an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) surveillance system that provides both mechanical and electronic scanning capabilities designed to “see” smaller targets – and more of them – at a greater range, particularly in coastal regions and over land.
The U.S. Navy has awarded a multi-year procurement contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. for the purchase of 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft in full rate production for fiscal years 2019-2023. This is the second MYP contract awarded to NGSC. The Navy awarded the first in 2014 for the production of 25 E-2D aircraft. The U.S. congress later increased the number to 26 aircraft bringing the total number of E-2Ds on order for the U.S. Navy to 50 aircraft.
On the export side, Japan has 13 E-2D on order while France is procuring three new Advanced Hawkeyes to replace the in service E-2C Hawkeyes.
The APY-9 radar is an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) surveillance system that provides both mechanical and electronic scanning capabilities designed to “see” smaller targets – and more of them – at a greater range, particularly in coastal regions and over land.
The U.S. Navy has awarded a multi-year procurement contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. for the purchase of 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft in full rate production for fiscal years 2019-2023. This is the second MYP contract awarded to NGSC. The Navy awarded the first in 2014 for the production of 25 E-2D aircraft. The U.S. congress later increased the number to 26 aircraft bringing the total number of E-2Ds on order for the U.S. Navy to 50 aircraft.
On the export side, Japan has 13 E-2D on order while France is procuring three new Advanced Hawkeyes to replace the in service E-2C Hawkeyes.
Airborne Command & Control Community Marks the 60th Anniversary of its First Maiden Flight
NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES10.21.2020Story by Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic
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While the U.S. Navy celebrated its 245th birthday this October, the Airborne Command & Control Logistics Community marked a longevity milestone, the 60th anniversary of the maiden E-2 flight, Oct. 21.
On Oct. 21, 1960, the first flight of the E-2A occurred out of Bethpage, New York. Five years later, on Oct. 19, 1965, the U.S. Navy conducted its first E-2 deployment.
“For 60 years, the E-2 has been the eye in the sky for the U.S. Navy,” said Capt. Michael France, Commander, Airborne Command & Control Logistics Wing, who has flown more than 4,700 hours flying 25 different aircraft. “The E-2 has continued to manage the airspace in both times of peace and in times of conflict, and we are grateful for every pilot, maintainer, and aircrew who have supported this community.”
During an interview, Rear Adm. John Meier, Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic on the admiral’s All Things Naval Aviation podcast, France discussed the test pilot who flew the first E-2.
“Oct. 21, 1960 was the first flight of the E-2 and was flown by test pilot Tom Attridge,” said France, who added that from the first test to today, the E-2 community is involved in three major transitions. “We are just over 50 percent complete with transitioning squadrons from the E-2C to the E-2D, as well as moving from E-2D to E-2D aerial refueling and the mission systems going from DSSC 2 to DSSC 3. An E-2D with Aerial Refueling and DSSC 3 will provide persistence on station with tremendous mission capability.”
Meier discussed how the advancements in the E-2 community to the E-2D Aerial Refueling serves as an example of the true strength of carrier aviation and the evolution of the Air Wing.
“When we talk about the evolution of the Air Wing and what makes a Carrier Air Wing so relevant is the fact that it brings its own airborne early warning, it brings its own airborne electronic attack, it brings its own organic refueling capability, and a whole host of long-range detection and command and control,” said Meier.
The all-weather, carrier-based platform has continued to increase its capability over the past six decades with the introduction of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye in 2010. Typically, on any given deployment the E-2 is the first to launch and the last to recover on the flight deck due to the important role it serves for the Carrier Strike Group.
“The E-2 continues its long history of deploying and providing mission critical capabilities to the fleet,” said France, who added that the capabilities of a command & control platform are significantly advanced with the advent of the E-2D.
The technological advancements of the E-2D expand the tactical capabilities of the aircraft within its preexisting mission set. The APY-9 radar enables detection of smaller contacts and at greater ranges, while the weapons system suite quickly processes and relays this information to the Carrier Strike Group.
As part of the Air Wing of the Future, the E-2D will maximize the offensive power of the Carrier Air Wing.
“The radar, radios and datalinks have improved significantly over the years, and with each new generation, such as the E-2D, the Navy has successfully learned how to leverage those advanced capabilities to our asymmetric advantage,” said France.
France added that having the capability to exploit Hawkeye radar technology for earlier and precise detection is a game changer.
The E-2 community supports a variety of mission sets, including Airborne Early Warning, battle management command and control, strike and intercept control, maritime domain awareness, border and coastline protection, air traffic control, search and rescue coordination, and humanitarian assistance.
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While the U.S. Navy celebrated its 245th birthday this October, the Airborne Command & Control Logistics Community marked a longevity milestone, the 60th anniversary of the maiden E-2 flight, Oct. 21.
On Oct. 21, 1960, the first flight of the E-2A occurred out of Bethpage, New York. Five years later, on Oct. 19, 1965, the U.S. Navy conducted its first E-2 deployment.
“For 60 years, the E-2 has been the eye in the sky for the U.S. Navy,” said Capt. Michael France, Commander, Airborne Command & Control Logistics Wing, who has flown more than 4,700 hours flying 25 different aircraft. “The E-2 has continued to manage the airspace in both times of peace and in times of conflict, and we are grateful for every pilot, maintainer, and aircrew who have supported this community.”
During an interview, Rear Adm. John Meier, Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic on the admiral’s All Things Naval Aviation podcast, France discussed the test pilot who flew the first E-2.
“Oct. 21, 1960 was the first flight of the E-2 and was flown by test pilot Tom Attridge,” said France, who added that from the first test to today, the E-2 community is involved in three major transitions. “We are just over 50 percent complete with transitioning squadrons from the E-2C to the E-2D, as well as moving from E-2D to E-2D aerial refueling and the mission systems going from DSSC 2 to DSSC 3. An E-2D with Aerial Refueling and DSSC 3 will provide persistence on station with tremendous mission capability.”
Meier discussed how the advancements in the E-2 community to the E-2D Aerial Refueling serves as an example of the true strength of carrier aviation and the evolution of the Air Wing.
“When we talk about the evolution of the Air Wing and what makes a Carrier Air Wing so relevant is the fact that it brings its own airborne early warning, it brings its own airborne electronic attack, it brings its own organic refueling capability, and a whole host of long-range detection and command and control,” said Meier.
The all-weather, carrier-based platform has continued to increase its capability over the past six decades with the introduction of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye in 2010. Typically, on any given deployment the E-2 is the first to launch and the last to recover on the flight deck due to the important role it serves for the Carrier Strike Group.
“The E-2 continues its long history of deploying and providing mission critical capabilities to the fleet,” said France, who added that the capabilities of a command & control platform are significantly advanced with the advent of the E-2D.
The technological advancements of the E-2D expand the tactical capabilities of the aircraft within its preexisting mission set. The APY-9 radar enables detection of smaller contacts and at greater ranges, while the weapons system suite quickly processes and relays this information to the Carrier Strike Group.
As part of the Air Wing of the Future, the E-2D will maximize the offensive power of the Carrier Air Wing.
“The radar, radios and datalinks have improved significantly over the years, and with each new generation, such as the E-2D, the Navy has successfully learned how to leverage those advanced capabilities to our asymmetric advantage,” said France.
France added that having the capability to exploit Hawkeye radar technology for earlier and precise detection is a game changer.
The E-2 community supports a variety of mission sets, including Airborne Early Warning, battle management command and control, strike and intercept control, maritime domain awareness, border and coastline protection, air traffic control, search and rescue coordination, and humanitarian assistance.
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Northrop Grumman Makes Headway Towards Advanced Global Positioning System
An emerging, shoe-box size navigation capability is being developed to address these challenges and vastly improve and strengthen what’s known as positioning, navigation and timing parameters.
by Kris Osborn
by Kris Osborn
The success of high-speed air-to-air combat engagement accelerated flight into enemy fire against air-defenses, aerial surveillance missions, and precision-strikes on enemy ground targets of course rest upon a pilot’s ability to know a plane’s exact location, movement patterns and angle of attack.
This kind of combat operation is often heavily interwoven with, or even reliant upon, “secured” navigational systems such as GPS and Inertial navigational technologies. GPS, while ubiquitous and critical to military operations, is also known to in some cases be vulnerable to hacking, jamming and various kinds of enemy intrusion. The risk of having combat maneuvers and tactics compromised is therefore significant, a circumstance which continues to inspire widespread Pentagon efforts to both “harden” GPS and establish supplemental and alternative guidance systems.
An emerging, shoe-box size navigation capability is being developed to address these challenges and vastly improve and strengthen what’s known as positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) parameters. Accurate PNT details can of course help pilots precisely determine where they are in relation to surrounding threats and terrain and determine exactly how much they are moving and accelerating through an elaborate, high-tech measurement process.
The Northrop Grumman product, known as the Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System-Modernization (EGI-M), recently completed what’s called a critical design review, a key step prior to detailed design and development of production hardware and software leading to aircraft integration.
Planned to first integrate into F-22 jets and E-2D Hawkeye surveillance planes, the box collects data over time, which is continually processed by software able to calculate exactly how much the aircraft has accelerated and moved, establishing a specific trajectory, Brandon White, the vice president of navigation and positioning systems for Northrop Grumman, explained to the National Interest in an interview.
Northrop Grumman is developing an emerging navigation capability that will integrate state-of-the-art inertial technology along with enhanced timing and modernized GPS M-code signals to address these challenges, company officials said.
“When a jet goes to release a weapon, it knows where it is. Knowing where you are and having precise timing is key,” White added.
The application of EGI-M, therefore, seems apparent, introduces several new tactical possibilities, such as a scenario wherein a Navy Hawkeye E-2D surveillance asset might need to operate with precision in an area where GPS networks are either highly-threatened or rendered ineffective. Furthermore, the tactical relevance clearly extends beyond a single, isolated platform as modern operational reality of course hinges upon massive amounts of networking and data sharing. A Hawkeye’s relevance pertains not only to what it can detect but how it can use radio, GPS, datalinks and other networking technologies to share information of pressing operational significance. Perhaps a Hawkeye, having solidified its PNT in a hostile area, can radio navigational and targeting positions to nearby fighter jets, Navy ships, or even space assets.
This kind of combat operation is often heavily interwoven with, or even reliant upon, “secured” navigational systems such as GPS and Inertial navigational technologies. GPS, while ubiquitous and critical to military operations, is also known to in some cases be vulnerable to hacking, jamming and various kinds of enemy intrusion. The risk of having combat maneuvers and tactics compromised is therefore significant, a circumstance which continues to inspire widespread Pentagon efforts to both “harden” GPS and establish supplemental and alternative guidance systems.
An emerging, shoe-box size navigation capability is being developed to address these challenges and vastly improve and strengthen what’s known as positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) parameters. Accurate PNT details can of course help pilots precisely determine where they are in relation to surrounding threats and terrain and determine exactly how much they are moving and accelerating through an elaborate, high-tech measurement process.
The Northrop Grumman product, known as the Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System-Modernization (EGI-M), recently completed what’s called a critical design review, a key step prior to detailed design and development of production hardware and software leading to aircraft integration.
Planned to first integrate into F-22 jets and E-2D Hawkeye surveillance planes, the box collects data over time, which is continually processed by software able to calculate exactly how much the aircraft has accelerated and moved, establishing a specific trajectory, Brandon White, the vice president of navigation and positioning systems for Northrop Grumman, explained to the National Interest in an interview.
Northrop Grumman is developing an emerging navigation capability that will integrate state-of-the-art inertial technology along with enhanced timing and modernized GPS M-code signals to address these challenges, company officials said.
“When a jet goes to release a weapon, it knows where it is. Knowing where you are and having precise timing is key,” White added.
The application of EGI-M, therefore, seems apparent, introduces several new tactical possibilities, such as a scenario wherein a Navy Hawkeye E-2D surveillance asset might need to operate with precision in an area where GPS networks are either highly-threatened or rendered ineffective. Furthermore, the tactical relevance clearly extends beyond a single, isolated platform as modern operational reality of course hinges upon massive amounts of networking and data sharing. A Hawkeye’s relevance pertains not only to what it can detect but how it can use radio, GPS, datalinks and other networking technologies to share information of pressing operational significance. Perhaps a Hawkeye, having solidified its PNT in a hostile area, can radio navigational and targeting positions to nearby fighter jets, Navy ships, or even space assets.
NAVAIR Details E-2D Hawkeye Cockpit Upgrade
The US Navy E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office (PMA-231) awarded a $34 million contract to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) on Aug. 3 for the requirements phase of the engineering, manufacturing and development of the E-2D Hawkeye Cockpit Technical Refresh (HECTR).
An E-2D Hawkeye, assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20, lands aboard USS Gerald R. Ford's (CVN 78) flight deck. Ford is currently conducting Aircraft Compatibility Testing to further test its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ryan Carter)NAVAIR Details E-2D Hawkeye Cockpit UpgradeThe US Navy E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office (PMA-231) awarded a $34 million contract to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) on Aug. 3 for the requirements phase of the engineering, manufacturing and development of the E-2D Hawkeye Cockpit Technical Refresh (HECTR).Nathan Gain 15 Sep 2020
NAVAIR story
The HECTR is a critical redesign of hardware and software components of the current E-2D Integration Navigation, Controls and Displays System (INCDS) as well as an integration of the cockpit solution into the weapon system. HECTR will use an E-2D Mission Computer Alternative, currently under development at PMA-209, as part of its design. The cockpit redesign will allow the platform to achieve Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management Required Navigation Performance Area Navigation capability.
“The fleet is very excited to be a part of the development of HECTR. This program demonstrates outstanding teamwork between the program office, industry and our fleet operators,” said Capt. Michael France, Commodore, Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing.
“For decades, we have improved the weapon system of the Advanced Hawkeye, but the cockpit has remained largely unchanged. HECTR solves some of our obsolescence issues and brings new navigation and communication capability. With the AR variant of the E-2D as our new baseline, HECTR makes it safer for our crews who must land on the aircraft carrier after many hours of being on station “HECTR is an essential upgrade that brings the E-2D Hawkeye Cockpit into the 21st Century.”
The current INCDS cockpit includes many of the platform’s top readiness degraders as well as obsolete components. Additionally, current architecture of the INCDS cockpit will not support the E-2D mission in the Delta System Software Configuration (DSSC) 6 timeframe. For these reasons, PMA-231 began in fiscal 2020 to pursue a cockpit redesign, securing the ability to reallocate Multi-Year Procurement II (MYPII) savings to the critical cockpit upgrade through the Program Objective Memorandum (POM) cycle.
With the addition of the Aerial Refueling (AR) capability, the aircrew will experience greater workload and fatigue. The HECTR program goals will substantially change the pilot and co-pilot experience in the cockpit.
“HECTR will bring increased safety, decreased pilot workload and increased sustainability to the world’s only carrier based airborne command & control platform,” said France. “It is a welcome addition to the Advanced Hawkeye and one that will improve our combat readiness and flexibility.”
NAVAIR story
The HECTR is a critical redesign of hardware and software components of the current E-2D Integration Navigation, Controls and Displays System (INCDS) as well as an integration of the cockpit solution into the weapon system. HECTR will use an E-2D Mission Computer Alternative, currently under development at PMA-209, as part of its design. The cockpit redesign will allow the platform to achieve Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management Required Navigation Performance Area Navigation capability.
“The fleet is very excited to be a part of the development of HECTR. This program demonstrates outstanding teamwork between the program office, industry and our fleet operators,” said Capt. Michael France, Commodore, Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing.
“For decades, we have improved the weapon system of the Advanced Hawkeye, but the cockpit has remained largely unchanged. HECTR solves some of our obsolescence issues and brings new navigation and communication capability. With the AR variant of the E-2D as our new baseline, HECTR makes it safer for our crews who must land on the aircraft carrier after many hours of being on station “HECTR is an essential upgrade that brings the E-2D Hawkeye Cockpit into the 21st Century.”
The current INCDS cockpit includes many of the platform’s top readiness degraders as well as obsolete components. Additionally, current architecture of the INCDS cockpit will not support the E-2D mission in the Delta System Software Configuration (DSSC) 6 timeframe. For these reasons, PMA-231 began in fiscal 2020 to pursue a cockpit redesign, securing the ability to reallocate Multi-Year Procurement II (MYPII) savings to the critical cockpit upgrade through the Program Objective Memorandum (POM) cycle.
With the addition of the Aerial Refueling (AR) capability, the aircrew will experience greater workload and fatigue. The HECTR program goals will substantially change the pilot and co-pilot experience in the cockpit.
“HECTR will bring increased safety, decreased pilot workload and increased sustainability to the world’s only carrier based airborne command & control platform,” said France. “It is a welcome addition to the Advanced Hawkeye and one that will improve our combat readiness and flexibility.”
Navy E-2D Hawkeye squadron reaches key milestone
VAW-126 becomes the Navy's first fleet E-2D Advanced Hawkeye squadron qualified to conduct aerial refueling, doubling its time in the air.
NORFOLK, Va. — The Seahawks of Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW-126) successfully became the U.S. Navy’s first fleet E-2D squadron to qualify its pilots in aerial refueling this month.
It means the airplanes will be able to stay up in the air up to eight hours, double the time that earlier versions of the Hawkeye could stay aloft.
"We're super proud," said Commanding Officer CDR Marc Foreman. "Our folks have worked real hard over the last six weeks. It's the culmination of efforts over the last several years of work."
LT Nicholas Dewispelaere, a pilot in the squadron, is excited about the advancement.
"For combatant commanders, they love when we're airborne, and without having the need to come back and land due to low fuel is amazing and is definitely a game-changer," he said.
After completing 81 simulator and aircraft training events, the Seahawks qualified their first two pilots on a U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender aircraft from the 32nd Aerial Refueling Squadron based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, achieving 33 total plugs and receiving 12,000 pounds of fuel.
Since August 14, the squadron has successfully trained more than 10 pilots on aerial refueling with a U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender and Omega 707.
Aerial refueling is a significant air-frame modification that is redefining the E-2D community’s impact in the carrier environment and war-fighting battlespace. It enables crews to increase mission persistence, cover longer distances in less time, and maximize operational flexibility.
VAW-126 last deployed aboard the USS Harry S. Truman to the Fifth Fleet area of operations.
It means the airplanes will be able to stay up in the air up to eight hours, double the time that earlier versions of the Hawkeye could stay aloft.
"We're super proud," said Commanding Officer CDR Marc Foreman. "Our folks have worked real hard over the last six weeks. It's the culmination of efforts over the last several years of work."
LT Nicholas Dewispelaere, a pilot in the squadron, is excited about the advancement.
"For combatant commanders, they love when we're airborne, and without having the need to come back and land due to low fuel is amazing and is definitely a game-changer," he said.
After completing 81 simulator and aircraft training events, the Seahawks qualified their first two pilots on a U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender aircraft from the 32nd Aerial Refueling Squadron based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, achieving 33 total plugs and receiving 12,000 pounds of fuel.
Since August 14, the squadron has successfully trained more than 10 pilots on aerial refueling with a U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender and Omega 707.
Aerial refueling is a significant air-frame modification that is redefining the E-2D community’s impact in the carrier environment and war-fighting battlespace. It enables crews to increase mission persistence, cover longer distances in less time, and maximize operational flexibility.
VAW-126 last deployed aboard the USS Harry S. Truman to the Fifth Fleet area of operations.
U.S. Navy photo by MCC Brian Morales
Navy Shore Enterprise welcomes new commander
By MCC Brian Morales CNIC Public Affair
Adm. Yancy B. Lindsey, commander of CNIC, salutes Adm. Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, while stating he has assumed command of CNIC during a change of command ceremony May 29. Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson was relieved by Lindsey and retires after 32 years of naval service.
Commander, Navy Installations Command held a change of command ceremony at the Forge Building, CNIC Headquarters, on board the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., May 29.
Vice Adm. Yancy Lindsey, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, relieved Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson, who hails from Wimberley, Texas, as CNIC commander. Prior to taking command at CNIC, Lindsey was the Commander of Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central.
The ceremony, which was presided over by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, exercised physical distancing standards due to COVID-19 concerns.
“Today is a celebration of the incredible career of Vice Adm. Mary Jackson,” Gilday said. “She has been a trail-blazer for women, a role model for us all, and our Navy is better for her time on watch. I know Vice Adm. Yancy Lindsey will carry Mary’s momentum forward at CNIC to strengthen our naval power from the shore, which has helped make us into the premier force we are today.”
Jackson, who served 32 years in the Navy and was the CNIC commander since March 31, 2017, expressed her gratitude to the Sailors and civilians throughout the shore enterprise for their efforts during her tenure. Her remarks focused on the sanctity of the mission, the sanctity of the people and the sanctity of the team.
“Our Navy installations and shore enterprise are relevant and foundational. Let’s never forget that we touch every other enterprise, and by extension, every family member and every veteran, and those communities that surround our installations. Our installations are a critical link to our Navy’s ability to generate power and presence,” said Jackson. “Serving as your commander of the Shore Enterprise has been the highlight of my career, and it is an honor that I will forever treasure.”
Under Jackson’s leadership, the men and women of CNIC earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation, an award issued by the Navy for valorous or meritorious achievement or service in combat or non-combat. Officers, enlisted personnel and civilian employees who served on the CNIC headquarters staff during the award dates of March 1, 2017 to May 30, 2020 are authorized to wear the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation.
The citation, signed by Gilday, was read during the change of command ceremony. It praised the men and women of CNIC for “their swift and comprehensive response to natural and man-made disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, active shooter events and the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic mitigated damage, prevented loss of life, delivered assistance to families and rapidly restored fleet operations and strategic missions.”
Other notable accomplishments highlighted in the MUC were CNICs’ work on Fleet and Family Readiness, the Wounded Warrior Games, Navy Family Framework Governance Board, Privatized housing, merging with Naval Facilities Engineering Command into a single Budget Submitting Office, and the sustained superior performance of our Navy Security Force and first responders.
“I have witnessed you under pressure and through difficult situation, and I’ve seen you work through complex and fast moving issues,” Jackson said to the CNIC team. “I am and will always remain your most loyal advocate!”
Jackson was personally awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for guiding the Navy’s shore infrastructure that enabled marked improvements in Fleet readiness. “She aligned the shore enterprise with the priorities of the Chief of Naval Operations and incorporated future mission growth into every aspect of decision making in order to better sustain the fleet, enable the warfighter, and support the family,” stated the citation.
Jackson was also recognized for pioneering the establishment of an independent, first-ever Internal Review Office to guide Enterprise audit efforts and coordinated the Navy’s Real Property inventory for facilities and infrastructure. This initiative is now recognized as a best practice and a model for implementation within other Navy enterprises.
“I am grateful for these past three years and for this amazing career. Missions far above self, surrounded by superstars, and on a winning team,” said Jackson in closing. “Please keep our Service members, our civilians, and their families who are in harm’s way in your hearts, minds, and prayers. Bless the entire shore enterprise, bless our Gold Star families, Wounded Warriors, and anyone experiencing tragedy and loss. May God bless our Untied States Navy and may God bless America.”
U.S. Navy photo by MCC Brian Morales
Navy Shore Enterprise welcomes new commander
By MCC Brian Morales CNIC Public Affair
Adm. Yancy B. Lindsey, commander of CNIC, salutes Adm. Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, while stating he has assumed command of CNIC during a change of command ceremony May 29. Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson was relieved by Lindsey and retires after 32 years of naval service.
Commander, Navy Installations Command held a change of command ceremony at the Forge Building, CNIC Headquarters, on board the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., May 29.
Vice Adm. Yancy Lindsey, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, relieved Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson, who hails from Wimberley, Texas, as CNIC commander. Prior to taking command at CNIC, Lindsey was the Commander of Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central.
The ceremony, which was presided over by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, exercised physical distancing standards due to COVID-19 concerns.
“Today is a celebration of the incredible career of Vice Adm. Mary Jackson,” Gilday said. “She has been a trail-blazer for women, a role model for us all, and our Navy is better for her time on watch. I know Vice Adm. Yancy Lindsey will carry Mary’s momentum forward at CNIC to strengthen our naval power from the shore, which has helped make us into the premier force we are today.”
Jackson, who served 32 years in the Navy and was the CNIC commander since March 31, 2017, expressed her gratitude to the Sailors and civilians throughout the shore enterprise for their efforts during her tenure. Her remarks focused on the sanctity of the mission, the sanctity of the people and the sanctity of the team.
“Our Navy installations and shore enterprise are relevant and foundational. Let’s never forget that we touch every other enterprise, and by extension, every family member and every veteran, and those communities that surround our installations. Our installations are a critical link to our Navy’s ability to generate power and presence,” said Jackson. “Serving as your commander of the Shore Enterprise has been the highlight of my career, and it is an honor that I will forever treasure.”
Under Jackson’s leadership, the men and women of CNIC earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation, an award issued by the Navy for valorous or meritorious achievement or service in combat or non-combat. Officers, enlisted personnel and civilian employees who served on the CNIC headquarters staff during the award dates of March 1, 2017 to May 30, 2020 are authorized to wear the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation.
The citation, signed by Gilday, was read during the change of command ceremony. It praised the men and women of CNIC for “their swift and comprehensive response to natural and man-made disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, active shooter events and the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic mitigated damage, prevented loss of life, delivered assistance to families and rapidly restored fleet operations and strategic missions.”
Other notable accomplishments highlighted in the MUC were CNICs’ work on Fleet and Family Readiness, the Wounded Warrior Games, Navy Family Framework Governance Board, Privatized housing, merging with Naval Facilities Engineering Command into a single Budget Submitting Office, and the sustained superior performance of our Navy Security Force and first responders.
“I have witnessed you under pressure and through difficult situation, and I’ve seen you work through complex and fast moving issues,” Jackson said to the CNIC team. “I am and will always remain your most loyal advocate!”
Jackson was personally awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for guiding the Navy’s shore infrastructure that enabled marked improvements in Fleet readiness. “She aligned the shore enterprise with the priorities of the Chief of Naval Operations and incorporated future mission growth into every aspect of decision making in order to better sustain the fleet, enable the warfighter, and support the family,” stated the citation.
Jackson was also recognized for pioneering the establishment of an independent, first-ever Internal Review Office to guide Enterprise audit efforts and coordinated the Navy’s Real Property inventory for facilities and infrastructure. This initiative is now recognized as a best practice and a model for implementation within other Navy enterprises.
“I am grateful for these past three years and for this amazing career. Missions far above self, surrounded by superstars, and on a winning team,” said Jackson in closing. “Please keep our Service members, our civilians, and their families who are in harm’s way in your hearts, minds, and prayers. Bless the entire shore enterprise, bless our Gold Star families, Wounded Warriors, and anyone experiencing tragedy and loss. May God bless our Untied States Navy and may God bless America.”
Training Air Wing 4 Holds Change of Command at NAS Corpus Christi
Story Number: NNS200604-04Release Date: 6/4/2020 7:
From Chief of Naval Air Training Public Affairs
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (NNS) -- Training Air Wing (TAW) 4 held a change-of-command ceremony at Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, June 3.Capt. Jeremy “Screamer” Rifas relieved Capt. Kevin “FDR” Delano as commodore during a ceremony held at the Catalina Club on base.
Delano, a native of Sanger, California, assumed command of TAW-4 in July of 2018. During his tenure, Delano oversaw a cadre of around 300 instructors dedicated to training Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard aviators in two types of aircraft: the T-6B Texan II and the T-44C Pegasus. More than 650 pilots received their Wings of Gold under his leadership and nearly 900 completed Primary flight training, executing more than 144,000 flight hours.
“Serving with the men and women of Training Air Wing 4 has been an absolute honor and privilege,” Delano said. “I have been blessed beyond measure to stand along such fine individuals and work together to shape the future of Naval Aviation. This truly was a dream job. So for me, today is about saying thank you – thank you to all the members of Training Wing 4 for their amazing work. Their dedication to Naval Aviation and can-do spirit has inspired me. They are the ‘best of the best.’”
Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), Rear Adm. Daniel “Dozer” Dwyer presided over the ceremony, which was limited in attendance due to COVID-19 spread mitigation guidance.
“I can think of no better person to have led TRAWING 4 for the past two years,” Dwyer said. “We are so fortunate to have leaders like Capt. Delano to shape the future of Naval Aviation. His work here has instilled a culture of excellence in the next generation of Naval Aviators.”
Delano, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, received his Wings of Gold in October of 1996. He served with various fleet squadrons including the “Golden Eagles” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 9, the “Pro’s Nest” of VP-30, and the “Pelicans” of VP-45. His other operational tours include flight deck officer/catapult and arresting gear officer aboard aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and the air operations officer for Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 onboard aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). While assigned to CSG-2, he served as the LNO to Commander. U.S. 5th Fleet coordinating the strike group’s response in the initial efforts for Operation Inherent Resolve. Delano commanded the 33d Flying Training Squadron at Vance Air Force Base, Enid, Oklahoma. In this capacity, he led a Joint Specialized Undergraduate Flying Training Squadron, flying the T-6 Texan II. Additionally, he has served on the National Joint Operations and Intelligence Center floor as the Chief of Operations and the Division Chief for the National Military Command System Operations Division.
Delano assumed command of Training Air Wing 4 July 13, 2018. Following his relief, he will report to the Chief of Naval Air Training to serve as the assistant chief of staff for training.
Rifas, a graduate of the University of Colorado, earned his Wings of Gold in 1999. He served with the “Tigertails” of Carrier Airborne Warning Squadron (VAW) 125, the “Golden Eagles” of Training Squadron (VT) 22, the “Greyhawks” of VAW-120, and the “Sunkings” of VAW 116. Rifas commanded the “Black Eagles” of VAW-113, deploying aboard aircraft carrier USS Ronald Regan in support of exercises Rim of the Pacific and Southern Seas. His other operational tours include aide-de-camp to Commander, Joint Command Lisbon/U.S. 6th Fleet; Chief of Current Special Operations (Europe/NATO/Africa) with U.S. Special Operations Command; air boss of aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower; and director of US/UK Interoperability at U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Rifas has accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours and 650 carrier arrested landings.
TAW-4 trains the highest quality aviators for service in the U.S. fleet and international forces. Its personnel include 300 instructor pilots and an average of 500 student naval aviators per year.
Capt. William Reed completes 5,000 flight hours in an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
On 19 May, Capt. William Reed, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 Commander has completed his 5,000th flight hour in an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, according to a recent U.S. Navy’s news release.
Capt. William Reed is the only Hawkeye pilot currently on active duty to fly 5,000 flight hours, an exceptionally rare accomplishment for military aviators. He is also qualified to pilot the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler and has logged 720 carrier-arrested landings.
“The fun of flying never goes away,” Reed said. “The recognition for this achievement is shared with all the great Americans I’ve served with, who put the energy and effort into providing an up aircraft for the mission.”
Reed has accrued 1,100 combat flight hours during 300-plus missions in support of Operations Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent Resolve. With the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, he was among the first American forces to respond immediately following 9/11, flying combat sorties in Afghanistan in October 2001.
“It doesn’t matter how much experience you have, you’re always training,” said Reed. “It’s a thrilling job, flying around the aircraft carrier in a big plane like the E-2. But the best part is seeing the team achieve excellence day in and day out.”
Cmdr. Neil Fletcher, executive officer, Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 121 who previously served with Reed during his junior officer tour emphasized the achievement of reaching the pinnacle of flight hours in the E-2C/D.
“Achieving 5,000 flight hours in the E-2C/D Hawkeye is an incredible milestone, and although not unprecedented is an extremely rare achievement in this community, which speaks to Capt. William Reed’s long and distinguished career in Naval Aviation,” said Fletcher.
Reed was designated a Naval Aviator in 1996 and has deployed seven times, most recently returning in January 2020 from the record-breaking 10-month deployment onboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
Earlier this month, Rear Adm. John Meier, Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic emphasized the important milestones achieved by Naval Aviation over the past 109 years. Meier also emphasized the importance of people, such as leaders like Reed who pave the way for the next generation of Naval Aviators.
“For the people who have paved the way of Naval Aviation for the past 109 years, to those who stand the watch today, our people are in fact our greatest resource. Our collective actions and deeds should reinforce that sentiment each and every day.”
VAW-120 Completes First Fleet Hawkeye-F/A-18 Aerial Refueling
NORFOLK, Va. — The “Greyhawks” of Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 120 successfully conducted on May 11 the first fleet aerial refueling dry-plug certification between an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and an F/A-18F Super Hornet, according to a release from commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic public affairs.
“With contact between probe and basket, VAW-120 Greyhawks achieved the latest in a litany of significant milestones as Greyhawk 642 became the first Fleet E-2D Advanced Hawkeye to complete F/A-18 aerial refueling,” said Capt. Matthew Duffy, commander of the airborne command and control and logistics wing.
Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211 aircraft from Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) participated in this refueling evolution, three years in the making.
“This ground-breaking achievement represented the culmination of more than three years of test and evaluation to include over 500 hours of evaluation flight time developing the Advanced Hawkeye airborne refueling capability,” Duffy said.
VAW-120, part of Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing, has been tasked with initial qualification of aerial refueling for the E-2D fleet and is currently developing the techniques and procedures to train pilots in the new skill set.
“This milestone was the result of detailed coordination between an embarked Carrier Strike Group and a shore-based training command that truly exemplifies the ethos of teamwork that permeates across Naval Aviation,” said Cmdr. Aaron Rybar, commanding officer of Airborne Command and Control Squadron 120.
In September 2019, VAW-120 took delivery of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with an aerial refueling capability that allowed for the achievement of this initial operational capability. VAW-120 marked a second milestone in the E-2D legacy in April 2020, by achieving its 1,000th Aerial Refueling contact for the squadron.
Lt. Michael Harrigan and Lt. David Carroll represent the first two fully qualified E-2D fleet replacement squadron (FRS) instructors qualified in aerial refueling. They completed 39 refueling evolutions with both VFA-211 and VFA-81.
“This latest modification of the Advanced Hawkeye will allow for vastly improved on-station time and significantly increase the mission reach and influence of the world’s premier Command and Control platform,” said Duffy, who added that this month’s tested capability serves to increase the lethality for America’s Navy.
The aerial refueling-modified E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is another key component to the carrier air wing of the future. Currently, the squadron’s E-2D AR instructor pilot cadre are increasing proficiency and experience in preparation for training and transitioning the first fleet squadron later this summer.
“With contact between probe and basket, VAW-120 Greyhawks achieved the latest in a litany of significant milestones as Greyhawk 642 became the first Fleet E-2D Advanced Hawkeye to complete F/A-18 aerial refueling,” said Capt. Matthew Duffy, commander of the airborne command and control and logistics wing.
Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211 aircraft from Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) participated in this refueling evolution, three years in the making.
“This ground-breaking achievement represented the culmination of more than three years of test and evaluation to include over 500 hours of evaluation flight time developing the Advanced Hawkeye airborne refueling capability,” Duffy said.
VAW-120, part of Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing, has been tasked with initial qualification of aerial refueling for the E-2D fleet and is currently developing the techniques and procedures to train pilots in the new skill set.
“This milestone was the result of detailed coordination between an embarked Carrier Strike Group and a shore-based training command that truly exemplifies the ethos of teamwork that permeates across Naval Aviation,” said Cmdr. Aaron Rybar, commanding officer of Airborne Command and Control Squadron 120.
In September 2019, VAW-120 took delivery of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with an aerial refueling capability that allowed for the achievement of this initial operational capability. VAW-120 marked a second milestone in the E-2D legacy in April 2020, by achieving its 1,000th Aerial Refueling contact for the squadron.
Lt. Michael Harrigan and Lt. David Carroll represent the first two fully qualified E-2D fleet replacement squadron (FRS) instructors qualified in aerial refueling. They completed 39 refueling evolutions with both VFA-211 and VFA-81.
“This latest modification of the Advanced Hawkeye will allow for vastly improved on-station time and significantly increase the mission reach and influence of the world’s premier Command and Control platform,” said Duffy, who added that this month’s tested capability serves to increase the lethality for America’s Navy.
The aerial refueling-modified E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is another key component to the carrier air wing of the future. Currently, the squadron’s E-2D AR instructor pilot cadre are increasing proficiency and experience in preparation for training and transitioning the first fleet squadron later this summer.
Shaping A Way Ahead for the Hawkeye/ Stingray Cluster in the Integratable Carrier Air Wing
By Robbin Laird
In my discussions earlier this year in San Diego with Vice Admiral Miller, we focused on the dynamics of change within and beyond the carrier air wing.
In that discussion, what was highlighted was a way to look at the shift from a legacy approach to the kill web approach, namely, the shift from the integrated to the integratable air wing.
That discussion highlighted that what is underway is a shift from integrating the air wing around relatively modest and sequential modernization efforts for the core platforms to a robust transformation process in which new assets enter the force and create a swirl of transformation opportunities, challenges, and pressures.
We discussed what might be called clusters of innovation, such as would be introduced as the MQ-25A Stingray comes onboard the carrier. In effect, the MQ-25 will be a stakeholder in the evolving C2/ISR capabilities empowering the entire combat force, part of what, in my view, is really 6th generation capabilities, namely enhancing the power to distribute and integrate a force as well as to operate more effectively at the tactical edge.
From this point of view, the MQ-25 will entail changes to the legacy air fleet, changes in the con-ops of the entire CVW and trigger further changes with regard to how the C2/ISR dynamic shapes the evolution of the CVW and the joint force.
The systems to be put onto the MQ-25 will be driven by overall changes in the C2/ISR force.
The cluster of innovation with the coming of the MQ-25A is being led by the transition from the legacy Hawkeye to the Aerial Refueling modified E-2D (AR) Advanced Hawkeye, which provides a game changing capability to a carrier air wing through advanced sensors & C2 networking capabilities, persistent presence, and greater operational reach.
That point was driven home to me in a discussion with CDR Christopher “Mullet” Hulitt, head of “CAEWWS,” the Navy’s airborne command & control weapons school located at Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) at Naval Air Station Fallon.
As the cluster evolves, the notion of a platform-centric functional delivery of airborne early warning and battle management shifts to a wider notion of providing support to the distributed integrated combat force which flew off of the carrier and adjacent capabilities working with the air maritime deployed kill web.
We discussed a number of issues, and while I will not quote the CDR directly, I will highlight a number of takeaways from our conversation which provide insights into shaping a way ahead in the crafting, training and further developing of the integratable air wing.
The first takeaway is precisely the emergence of a different approach from the legacy Hawkeye to a new operational and training configuration.
With the coming of the MQ-25A Stingray and emerging integrated sensor and command & control capabilities, the “Airborne Early Warning” community has transitioned its role and title to reflect emerging roles and functions within a maritime kill web, with an Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing under the leadership of a Commodore, currently CAPT Matthew “Duff” Duffy.
The second takeaway is that with the coming of the F-35 to the carrier wing, there is a broader shift in working diverse sensor networks to deliver the combat effect which extended reach sensor networks can empower.
At Fallon, they are working the relationship between the F-35 and the E-2D and sorting through how to make optimal use of both air systems in the extended battlespace. Commander, Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing and Carrier Air Wing Two and are moving forward with a new initiative, the First Integrated Training Evolution (FITE), which will provide basic, tailored integrated training incorporating E-2D(AR) and F-35 paired with fourth generation platforms.
It is about deploying an extended trusted sensor network, which can be tapped through various wave forms, and then being able to shape how the decision-making arc can best deliver the desired combat effect.
The third takeaway is that the foundation is clearly being laid for the decade ahead for a fully operational maritime kill web.
The strategic objective is to be able to operate extended reach, integratable, and interconnected sensor networks that provide the reach of the air wing beyond where physically its flies to deliver an extended reach combat effect.
The fourth takeaway, one which I have spent a lot of time working on before, is that the radar on the advanced Hawkeye is not in any way a traditional radar.
The problem of terminology in discussing the new combat capabilities is certainly highlighted when discussing radars, built around modules which have a variety of combat capabilities built in, and in the case of the E-2D (AR) the traditional line between what airborne command & control, sensors, and electronic warfare systems do is clearly being subsumed into new integrative capabilities which can do more than the sum of the parts.
The fifth takeaway is that with the arrival of software upgradeable aircraft like the E-2D (AR), integrated with the MQ-25A, the entire process of evolving combat capabilities onboard an aircraft, and its ability to operate as an integratable of a kill web is changing significantly.
The goal is to get to the point where the core platforms are flexible enough to evolve software rapidly and interactively. And rather than having to ensure that each platform is maximized for what it can do with organic systems, the approach would to determine which platforms with which capabilities can be a tasked for different functions and through integratability be able to contribute to a wider array of tasks as well. For example, with the coming of the MQ-25A working with the E-2D(AR) , evolving the sensor loadout on the MQ-25A along with reach back to Triton can allow the E-2D (AR)to do core functions differently but also adjust how it can provide support for evolving C2 tasking as well.
Rather than following a classic AWACS like target identification and strike tasking function, the manned aircraft function will be to support the dynamic force packing function in the extended battlespace.
With regard to the E-2D (AR), the Navy is designing interfaces to manage the airborne MQ-25A. And with the advanced Hawkeye, there is a shift to operating two aircraft at the same time, replicating to some extent the 4-ship formation approach of an F-35 whereby the four ships operate as one combat brain within the airspace in which they are operating.This is a shift from the legacy Hawkeye where one aircraft operated off of the carrier to a seamless integration of a 2-ship formation of Advanced Hawkeyes.
The sixth takeaway is with the coming of the subsurface and surface weapons schools as participants in NAWDC the focus of operations for the E-2D(AR)/MQ-25A Stingray cluster will be open 360-degree domain knowledge and combat support to leverage assets through the maritime kill web.The seventh takeaway is that the process of change we saw when visiting NAWDC a few years ago is accelerating.
What we saw then was shaping a way ahead to open the aperture of training to prepare for the coming of the F-35 and the focus on continuous development associated with the integratable air wing. In the case of CAEWWS, they will shortly have direct access to an integrated test configured aircraft. This allows CAEWWS to operate an aircraft which is a baseline above the capability of what Navy operational test squadrons are flying.This is especially crucial in an era of software block upgradeable aircraft. NAWDC is in a position to release their recommendations concurrent with initial
operational capability of a particular aircraft.
This means that when a new capability rolls out, they are able concurrently to provide vetted employment recommendations from NAWDC and its weapon school partners.
In short, the transition from core function platforms to working as enablers and nodes in a kill web is underway at NAWDC. And the coming of the Advanced Hawkeye along with the Stingray in the same innovation cluster is a case in point.
In that discussion, what was highlighted was a way to look at the shift from a legacy approach to the kill web approach, namely, the shift from the integrated to the integratable air wing.
That discussion highlighted that what is underway is a shift from integrating the air wing around relatively modest and sequential modernization efforts for the core platforms to a robust transformation process in which new assets enter the force and create a swirl of transformation opportunities, challenges, and pressures.
We discussed what might be called clusters of innovation, such as would be introduced as the MQ-25A Stingray comes onboard the carrier. In effect, the MQ-25 will be a stakeholder in the evolving C2/ISR capabilities empowering the entire combat force, part of what, in my view, is really 6th generation capabilities, namely enhancing the power to distribute and integrate a force as well as to operate more effectively at the tactical edge.
From this point of view, the MQ-25 will entail changes to the legacy air fleet, changes in the con-ops of the entire CVW and trigger further changes with regard to how the C2/ISR dynamic shapes the evolution of the CVW and the joint force.
The systems to be put onto the MQ-25 will be driven by overall changes in the C2/ISR force.
The cluster of innovation with the coming of the MQ-25A is being led by the transition from the legacy Hawkeye to the Aerial Refueling modified E-2D (AR) Advanced Hawkeye, which provides a game changing capability to a carrier air wing through advanced sensors & C2 networking capabilities, persistent presence, and greater operational reach.
That point was driven home to me in a discussion with CDR Christopher “Mullet” Hulitt, head of “CAEWWS,” the Navy’s airborne command & control weapons school located at Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) at Naval Air Station Fallon.
As the cluster evolves, the notion of a platform-centric functional delivery of airborne early warning and battle management shifts to a wider notion of providing support to the distributed integrated combat force which flew off of the carrier and adjacent capabilities working with the air maritime deployed kill web.
We discussed a number of issues, and while I will not quote the CDR directly, I will highlight a number of takeaways from our conversation which provide insights into shaping a way ahead in the crafting, training and further developing of the integratable air wing.
The first takeaway is precisely the emergence of a different approach from the legacy Hawkeye to a new operational and training configuration.
With the coming of the MQ-25A Stingray and emerging integrated sensor and command & control capabilities, the “Airborne Early Warning” community has transitioned its role and title to reflect emerging roles and functions within a maritime kill web, with an Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing under the leadership of a Commodore, currently CAPT Matthew “Duff” Duffy.
The second takeaway is that with the coming of the F-35 to the carrier wing, there is a broader shift in working diverse sensor networks to deliver the combat effect which extended reach sensor networks can empower.
At Fallon, they are working the relationship between the F-35 and the E-2D and sorting through how to make optimal use of both air systems in the extended battlespace. Commander, Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing and Carrier Air Wing Two and are moving forward with a new initiative, the First Integrated Training Evolution (FITE), which will provide basic, tailored integrated training incorporating E-2D(AR) and F-35 paired with fourth generation platforms.
It is about deploying an extended trusted sensor network, which can be tapped through various wave forms, and then being able to shape how the decision-making arc can best deliver the desired combat effect.
The third takeaway is that the foundation is clearly being laid for the decade ahead for a fully operational maritime kill web.
The strategic objective is to be able to operate extended reach, integratable, and interconnected sensor networks that provide the reach of the air wing beyond where physically its flies to deliver an extended reach combat effect.
The fourth takeaway, one which I have spent a lot of time working on before, is that the radar on the advanced Hawkeye is not in any way a traditional radar.
The problem of terminology in discussing the new combat capabilities is certainly highlighted when discussing radars, built around modules which have a variety of combat capabilities built in, and in the case of the E-2D (AR) the traditional line between what airborne command & control, sensors, and electronic warfare systems do is clearly being subsumed into new integrative capabilities which can do more than the sum of the parts.
The fifth takeaway is that with the arrival of software upgradeable aircraft like the E-2D (AR), integrated with the MQ-25A, the entire process of evolving combat capabilities onboard an aircraft, and its ability to operate as an integratable of a kill web is changing significantly.
The goal is to get to the point where the core platforms are flexible enough to evolve software rapidly and interactively. And rather than having to ensure that each platform is maximized for what it can do with organic systems, the approach would to determine which platforms with which capabilities can be a tasked for different functions and through integratability be able to contribute to a wider array of tasks as well. For example, with the coming of the MQ-25A working with the E-2D(AR) , evolving the sensor loadout on the MQ-25A along with reach back to Triton can allow the E-2D (AR)to do core functions differently but also adjust how it can provide support for evolving C2 tasking as well.
Rather than following a classic AWACS like target identification and strike tasking function, the manned aircraft function will be to support the dynamic force packing function in the extended battlespace.
With regard to the E-2D (AR), the Navy is designing interfaces to manage the airborne MQ-25A. And with the advanced Hawkeye, there is a shift to operating two aircraft at the same time, replicating to some extent the 4-ship formation approach of an F-35 whereby the four ships operate as one combat brain within the airspace in which they are operating.This is a shift from the legacy Hawkeye where one aircraft operated off of the carrier to a seamless integration of a 2-ship formation of Advanced Hawkeyes.
The sixth takeaway is with the coming of the subsurface and surface weapons schools as participants in NAWDC the focus of operations for the E-2D(AR)/MQ-25A Stingray cluster will be open 360-degree domain knowledge and combat support to leverage assets through the maritime kill web.The seventh takeaway is that the process of change we saw when visiting NAWDC a few years ago is accelerating.
What we saw then was shaping a way ahead to open the aperture of training to prepare for the coming of the F-35 and the focus on continuous development associated with the integratable air wing. In the case of CAEWWS, they will shortly have direct access to an integrated test configured aircraft. This allows CAEWWS to operate an aircraft which is a baseline above the capability of what Navy operational test squadrons are flying.This is especially crucial in an era of software block upgradeable aircraft. NAWDC is in a position to release their recommendations concurrent with initial
operational capability of a particular aircraft.
This means that when a new capability rolls out, they are able concurrently to provide vetted employment recommendations from NAWDC and its weapon school partners.
In short, the transition from core function platforms to working as enablers and nodes in a kill web is underway at NAWDC. And the coming of the Advanced Hawkeye along with the Stingray in the same innovation cluster is a case in point.
VAW-120 Achieves Significant Milestone: 1,000th Aerial Refueling Contact
UNITED STATES04.17.2020
Courtesy Story
Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic
The “Greyhawks” of Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 120 achieved a significant milestone by achieving its 1,000th Aerial Refueling (AR) contact for the squadron, April 16.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft and crew were conducting an initial AR qualification flight off the East Coast of the United States training Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) Instructors in aerial refueling procedures.
Aerial refueling will nearly double the available on-station time and significantly increase the mission effectiveness, scope, and reach of the world’s most dominant Airborne Command & Control platform.
“This milestone marks a true transformation in our community and will extend the immense reach and influence of this platform,” said Capt. Matthew Duffy, Commander, Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing. “I am immensely proud of the men and women in uniform and our industry partners who have contributed to this overall effort.”
Increasing lethality for America’s Navy, the Aerial Refueling modified E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is another key component to the Carrier Air Wing of the future.
“As we look to start the transition of two fleet squadrons this year to AR-equipped Hawkeyes, the Carrier Air Wing will soon gain another measure of lethality,” said Duffy.
VAW-120, the Norfolk-based FRS for both the E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound, is part of Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing and is tasked with providing aerial refueling initial qualifications for the operational E-2D fleet. Currently, the squadron’s AR instructor pilot cadre are increasing proficiency and experience in preparation for training and transitioning the first fleet squadron later this spring.
In September 2019, the first aerial refueling capable E-2D Advanced Hawkeye landed at Naval Station Norfolk officially marking the arrival of this upgraded aircraft to the fleet. In 2020, the fleet will transition two operational fleet squadrons to aerial refueling capable E-2Ds.
VAW-120 is a Fleet Replacement Squadron attached to Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing. Its mission it to train naval aviators, naval flight officers, Navy aircrewmen, and qualified maintainers to safely and effectively operate E-2 and C-2 aircraft.
UNITED STATES04.17.2020
Courtesy Story
Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic
The “Greyhawks” of Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 120 achieved a significant milestone by achieving its 1,000th Aerial Refueling (AR) contact for the squadron, April 16.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft and crew were conducting an initial AR qualification flight off the East Coast of the United States training Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) Instructors in aerial refueling procedures.
Aerial refueling will nearly double the available on-station time and significantly increase the mission effectiveness, scope, and reach of the world’s most dominant Airborne Command & Control platform.
“This milestone marks a true transformation in our community and will extend the immense reach and influence of this platform,” said Capt. Matthew Duffy, Commander, Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing. “I am immensely proud of the men and women in uniform and our industry partners who have contributed to this overall effort.”
Increasing lethality for America’s Navy, the Aerial Refueling modified E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is another key component to the Carrier Air Wing of the future.
“As we look to start the transition of two fleet squadrons this year to AR-equipped Hawkeyes, the Carrier Air Wing will soon gain another measure of lethality,” said Duffy.
VAW-120, the Norfolk-based FRS for both the E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound, is part of Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing and is tasked with providing aerial refueling initial qualifications for the operational E-2D fleet. Currently, the squadron’s AR instructor pilot cadre are increasing proficiency and experience in preparation for training and transitioning the first fleet squadron later this spring.
In September 2019, the first aerial refueling capable E-2D Advanced Hawkeye landed at Naval Station Norfolk officially marking the arrival of this upgraded aircraft to the fleet. In 2020, the fleet will transition two operational fleet squadrons to aerial refueling capable E-2Ds.
VAW-120 is a Fleet Replacement Squadron attached to Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing. Its mission it to train naval aviators, naval flight officers, Navy aircrewmen, and qualified maintainers to safely and effectively operate E-2 and C-2 aircraft.
E-2D: Launching in the Next Decade
– FEBRUARY 26, 2020
An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20, takes off from USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) flight deck during aircraft compatibility testing in January.
(U.S. Navy photo by MC Angel Thuy Jaskuloski)
When there is a call to battle, it is the first fixed-wing aircraft off the carrier, leading the charge. Once deployed, it is the eyes, ears and brains of the fight, flying high above the battlefield, relaying enemy positions and actions through its advanced radar capabilities, able to keep track of friend and foe. And then, when the mission is over, it is the last fixed-wing aircraft to return, ensuring it maintains surveillance and guaranteeing a safe return for allies.
Some call it the “quarterback of the sky,” comparing it to the team leader on the gridiron, calling the plays to the rest of the team.
“The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is an invaluable asset for the modern fleet as we launch into the next decade,” said Capt. Matthew Duffy, commodore, Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing.
While iterations of the E-2 have been around for more than 50 years—the first E-2 was developed and launched in the 1950s—the upgraded E-2D now features an APY-9 radar featuring the most modern and technologically upgraded sensor array to allow the aviators in the E-2D to reliably relay strategic information and data to the fleet in real time.
Capt. Matthew Duffy
(U.S. Navy photo)The aircraft was most recently upgraded with aerial refueling (AR) capability as well as software with Delta System and Software Configuration (DSSC) 3. With the AR upgrade, the aircraft can remain on station longer, guiding and leading the strike group, while the DSSC-3 release transmits strategic information via data links to the air wing.
“The E-2D is a game changer,” said Capt. Keith Hash, E-2D program manager with the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office. “The sensors and the technology upgrades we brought to the platform were a two generational leap in technology and capability [compared to the E-2C it replaced]. When it deployed, it provided modern command and control. In fact, it is one of the most modern airborne command and control systems in the world.”
The original E-2 was developed in the 1950s and deployed in the 1960s, Hash said. It has gone through many iterations and lifeforms up until the E-2C, which was deployed in the 1970s. From there, it was transformed and updated on a nearly yearly basis until the development of the E-2D, which began in the 1990s and through the 2000s.
The aircraft is controlled by five crewmembers—two pilots and three naval flight officers sitting in a modern cockpit with digital displays and tactical information. The aircrew is able to take vast amounts of data and information being collected by the aircraft’s radar and sensor technology and relay it to command and control nodes in order for them to make better decisions in confronting a threat or adversary.
“We modernized the radar and the entire interface, changing how the aviators interact with the weapon system and do their job. The E-2D is a modern aircraft with modern sensors, and we’ve changed even the philosophy of how it is maintained,” Hash said.
“In the past, you would have large pieces of electronics equipment that would come out and require support behind it. The way the E-2D is maintained is at a much more modular level. We’ve given our operational Sailors the ability to update and change components, which was previously handled at the intermediate-level. This allows us to have better supportability and reliability of the system as it goes forward,” Hash said.
An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20 lands aboard USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) flight deck. (U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Sean Elliott)Now, with upgrades made to the aircraft to improve radar technology (see page 38) and aerial refueling, the next step is to roll out the upgraded aircraft to the fleet this year.
“In 2020, two fleet squadrons are going to transition to E-2Ds with aerial refueling capability, and that involves air crew training and some aircraft exchanges,” Duffy said. “When this deploys, it’s going to give the carrier strike group and theater commanders many more options with the employability and the concept of operations with the E-2D.”
Duffy said that Jan. 1 marked the start of an important decade for the E-2D, with plans to implement new training approaches, new branding material, as well as new vision and policy statements, all in an effort to reflect the new capabilities of the E-2D. And with this plan rolling out, Duffy said the E-2D will further contribute to fleet readiness.
“We’ve had some challenges in our past, but thanks to the leadership of Vice Adm. [DeWolfe] Miller, the current Air Boss and his staff, Naval Aviation has refocused in a very prudent, methodical way to restore aviation readiness,” Duffy said. “Being smart about how we apply leadership and resources, modernizing our processes and approaches will build and sustain readiness. I’m proud to say we’ve had eight straight months of increasing numbers for mission-capable E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, ready to be employed by any commander.
“Our best days are yet to come. Our best decade is at our doorstep, and the next decade will be one for the ages, with respect to Naval Aviation, but will be the best decade yet in history of the proud E-2 family.”
Rob Perry is a staff writer for Naval Aviation News.
Acquisition Opportunities for NFOs
Capt. Keith Hash
(U.S. Navy photo)Capt. Keith Hash, E-2D program manager of the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office, has been a part of the E-2 community his entire naval career.
“I’ve had opportunities to be a part of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye acquisition from being a test flight officer to logistics, to now the program manager.
“When I was a test flight officer, we were just developing the E-2D on paper. I was part of some of those forums where they were showing us designs and we were saying, ‘That’s going to work’ or ‘That’s not going to work and we need help here.’”
One of his most rewarding roles was to participate in the design of the intercommunication system (ICS).
“When I was an operational commanding officer (CO) on USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in 2012, the E-2Ds came out with us during one of our underways as a part of the operational tests. We had some of the oldest E-2Cs in the fleet along with the brand new E-2Ds.
“I flew on the E-2D as the CO of the squadron. The first time I touched that communication system was amazing, absolutely eye watering. I will always enjoy my few hours of E-2D time, getting to see the aircraft I helped develop.”
Hash has also made it a part of his job to brief the fleet on career opportunities in acquisition.
In addition to competing for training posts or developing and training weapons and tactics, the Navy needs top lieutenants in acquisition to test and inform the designs for future capabilities, he said.
“Acquisition has one of the greatest impacts for future warfighting effects and capabilities to impact our ability to serve our nation. Acquisition is to me, on par with those other key areas for top performers to support our Navy,” he said.
Written by Andrea Watters
E-2/C-2 Program Office Renamed
The E-2/C-2 Program Office, designated PMA-231, officially changed its name to E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office in October in an effort to better align and serve the E-2/C-2 community.
The name change more accurately reflects the program’s mission to develop, acquire and sustain unmatched command and control aircraft so that the warfighter can win the fight today and tomorrow, said Capt. Keith Hash, program manager.
“Our aircraft launches first and lands last,” Hash said. “No one goes into the sky without an E-2D or an E-2C up there watching and providing command and control.”
The program office received Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development & Acquisition) James Geurts’s approval on Oct. 11 to change the name.
The name change aligns to the current Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing (ACCLOGWING) name and the anticipated carrier airborne early warning squadrons name change that took effect Jan. 1, when these squadrons were designated carrier airborne command & control squadrons.
It also reflects the wing commodore’s vision for 2020 and beyond.
“Command and control aircraft will never go away or become irrelevant because command and control will always be necessary to see and hear on behalf of our warfighters,” Hash said. “This name change sets us up for the future of our program and the wing.”
The E-2/C-2 program office supports acquisition and sustainment of the E-2C Hawkeye, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and C-2A Greyhound aircraft platforms. In 2020, the E-2D is expected to require about 50 percent of the program’s attention while the E-2C remains in sustainment and the C-2A continues preparations for sundown in 2024.
Written by Carolyn Smith, who provides communications support for the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office.
VAW 120 Change of Command
VAW-120 held their Change of Command ceremony on February 20th, with Commander Scott Wastak handing over the squadron to Commander Aaron Rybar. Now called Airborne Command & Control Squadron ONE TWO ZERO, the Hawkeye Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) is deep into the transitioning the Hawkeye Fleet squadrons into the Advanced Hawkeye (E-2D) aircraft, while supporting the sun-down of the Greyhound (C-2A) community. Skipper Wastak has overseen 34 E-2C, E-2D and C-2A aircraft on his flight line, completing over 4700 sorties, 12,000 flight hours and 8 Carrier Qualification evolutions. This number aircraft at VAW-120 will go up for Skipper Rybar as the Hawkeye community continues to transition fleet squadrons to the E-2D airframe and introduce the Air Refueling capability into the fleet (note: aircraft 640 has the air-refueling probe installed and VAW-120 has qualified 6 Instructor Pilots in air-refueling over the past year). This will be accomplished during normal FRS production of CAT 1 pilots and NFOs to the fleet. Skipper Wastak is heading over to a AIRLANT position, while Skipper Rybar is coming to VAW-120 after being the Commanding Officer of VAW-113 and a tour at the Air War College at Maxwell AFB.
New skipper takes helm of USS Arlington
● by SCOTT McCAFFREY, Sun Gazette Newspapers
● May 27, 2020
U.S. Navy Capt. Christopher Hill (above) on May 22, 2022, formally assumed command of the USS Arlington
from Capt. Paul Lanzilotta.
U.S. Navy Capt. Christopher Hill, a naval flight officer with a 23-year career in the U.S. Navy, on May 22
formally assumed command of the USS Arlington from Capt. Paul Lanzilotta.
In remarks during a “virtual” change-of-command ceremony necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hill
praised the crew and asked them to remember the qualities of honor, courage and commitment.
“Those are real things, not just words,” he told the crew members. “Be proud to put on that uniform every day
– you are part of something greater than yourself.”
Since its commissioning in 2013, the USS Arlington has been on three deployments, with its fourth on the
horizon. A landing-platform dock, or LPD, the ship’s primary task is to land Marines both in battle situations
and on humanitarian missions.
“Whatever it is – when called upon, we are going to do it,” said Capt. Hill, whose nickname “Chowdah” is in
homage to his native Massachusetts.
Hill is graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the Naval Nuclear Power Training
Program. He was an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) as well as a staffer in the
office of Chief of Naval Operations. He has more than 2,700 hours of flight time, primarily in the E-2C
Hawkeye early-warning aircraft.
Capt. Lanzilotta has been named commanding officer of the new USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft
carrier on the seas and, at more than $13 billion, the most expensive warship ever put to sea.
● by SCOTT McCAFFREY, Sun Gazette Newspapers
● May 27, 2020
U.S. Navy Capt. Christopher Hill (above) on May 22, 2022, formally assumed command of the USS Arlington
from Capt. Paul Lanzilotta.
U.S. Navy Capt. Christopher Hill, a naval flight officer with a 23-year career in the U.S. Navy, on May 22
formally assumed command of the USS Arlington from Capt. Paul Lanzilotta.
In remarks during a “virtual” change-of-command ceremony necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hill
praised the crew and asked them to remember the qualities of honor, courage and commitment.
“Those are real things, not just words,” he told the crew members. “Be proud to put on that uniform every day
– you are part of something greater than yourself.”
Since its commissioning in 2013, the USS Arlington has been on three deployments, with its fourth on the
horizon. A landing-platform dock, or LPD, the ship’s primary task is to land Marines both in battle situations
and on humanitarian missions.
“Whatever it is – when called upon, we are going to do it,” said Capt. Hill, whose nickname “Chowdah” is in
homage to his native Massachusetts.
Hill is graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the Naval Nuclear Power Training
Program. He was an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) as well as a staffer in the
office of Chief of Naval Operations. He has more than 2,700 hours of flight time, primarily in the E-2C
Hawkeye early-warning aircraft.
Capt. Lanzilotta has been named commanding officer of the new USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft
carrier on the seas and, at more than $13 billion, the most expensive warship ever put to sea.
Great Lakes Commanding Officer Receives John F. Kennedy Leadership Award
Story Number: NNS200630-09Release Date: 6/30/2020 2:24:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brigitte Johnston, Naval Station Great Lakes Public AffairsGREAT LAKES, Ill. (NNS) -- The Chicago Federal Executive Board announced its 2020 award winners, recognizing Capt. Raymond C. Leung, Naval Station Great Lakes commanding officer, with the John F. Kennedy Leadership Award, June 29.
Leung received this award for his leadership as commanding officer throughout 2019. He led 630 personnel assigned to Great Lakes, providing critical support to the 20,000 Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and civilians that live and work on the base. In FY19, Recruit Training Command, the Navy’s only boot camp, trained 38,963 new Sailors and provided training for 11,120 enlisted surface warfare specialists.
"It is an honor to be recognized for the work we do here at Great Lakes," said Leung. "I accept this on behalf of all of the staff here on-base that truly make everything possible with incredible teamwork across all our tenant commands. The Navy would not be able to complete the mission without the Sailors we train here.”
The John F. Kennedy Leadership Award is a part of the Federal Executive Board Awards, identifying and honoring employees who stand out for their extraordinary service to the public. The board pulls from more than 170 federal offices and agencies, and nearly 50,000 federal employees.
For more news from Naval Station Great Lakes, visit www.dvidshub.net/unit/NSGLPA or www.facebook.com/NavalStationGreatLakes.
Story Number: NNS200630-09Release Date: 6/30/2020 2:24:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brigitte Johnston, Naval Station Great Lakes Public AffairsGREAT LAKES, Ill. (NNS) -- The Chicago Federal Executive Board announced its 2020 award winners, recognizing Capt. Raymond C. Leung, Naval Station Great Lakes commanding officer, with the John F. Kennedy Leadership Award, June 29.
Leung received this award for his leadership as commanding officer throughout 2019. He led 630 personnel assigned to Great Lakes, providing critical support to the 20,000 Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and civilians that live and work on the base. In FY19, Recruit Training Command, the Navy’s only boot camp, trained 38,963 new Sailors and provided training for 11,120 enlisted surface warfare specialists.
"It is an honor to be recognized for the work we do here at Great Lakes," said Leung. "I accept this on behalf of all of the staff here on-base that truly make everything possible with incredible teamwork across all our tenant commands. The Navy would not be able to complete the mission without the Sailors we train here.”
The John F. Kennedy Leadership Award is a part of the Federal Executive Board Awards, identifying and honoring employees who stand out for their extraordinary service to the public. The board pulls from more than 170 federal offices and agencies, and nearly 50,000 federal employees.
For more news from Naval Station Great Lakes, visit www.dvidshub.net/unit/NSGLPA or www.facebook.com/NavalStationGreatLakes.