E-2D flies with aerial refuelling kit
Northrop Grumman has successfully completed the first flight of its E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft equipped with aerial refuelling equipment, it was announced on 15 December.
The company has designed, developed, manufactured and tested several sub-system upgrades necessary to add an aerial refuelling capability under a 2013 engineering, manufacturing and development contract. The new capability will allow the E-2D to remain on-station longer and fly missions at greater ranges.
The upgrades to support aerial refuelling include probe and associated piping, electrical and lighting upgrades and long endurance seats that will enhance field of view in the cockpit and reduce fatigue over longer missions.
The aerial refuelling programme will modify three aircraft for testing through 2018. Production cut-in and retrofit plans are scheduled to begin in 2018.
More from Digital Battlespace
-
EU Commission invites tenders for new satellite constellation with military applications
The European Commission has launched an invitation tender for a contract to implement the EU satellite constellation dubbed IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite).
-
Northrop Grumman to commence work on MESA sensors for US Air Force E-7 AEW fleet
The USAF will become the fifth operator of the E-7/MESA combination following Australia, Turkey, South Korea and the UK.
-
Northrop Grumman details bid for US Navy TACAMO aircraft replacement
The company believes its role as prime contractor on the E-2 Hawkeye puts it in a strong position for the programme to replace the USN's Boeing E-6 Mercury fleet.
-
Northrop Grumman hones US Space Force satellite design in virtual environment
The company has applied its Highly Immersive Virtual Environment technology to the design process of polar overwatch satellites ordered by the US Space Force.
-
Northrop Grumman joins USAF effort to build digital network backbone
The company will join Phase 1 of the Common Tactical Edge Network effort to enable Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2).