Northrop Grumman is highlighting some of the key technologies of its E-2D Advanced Hawkeye at Aero-India 2013, India as part of its focus on Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities that are becoming critical to effective homeland security. According to Mary Petryszyn, vice president, International, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, India is among the first countries for which the Advanced Hawkeye capability has been approved by the U.S. government. Such capability would significantly enhance the surveillance coverage, and security of India’s future catapult-equipped aircraft carriers which will be capable of launching such aircraft at sea. The display features the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye crew workstation and flyable cockpit simulator demonstrating military and civil applications.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye programme couples a newly designed electronically scanned radar with a matching suite of sensors, avionics, processors, software and displays to provide the most technologically advanced command and control capability available worldwide. The AN/APY-9 radar, with a two-generation leap in capability, is the backbone of this aircraft and provides greater flexibility and significantly improved detection and tracking over all terrains. To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered nine E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to the U.S. Navy. The programme completed Initial Operational Test and Evaluation in 2012 and Initial Operational Capability in the U.S. Navy fleet is on schedule for 2015.
Northrop Grumman is also displayng airborne surveillance capabilities will be highlighted with the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft and the lighter-than-air Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV).
Triton is a maritime version of the combat-proven Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system. Developed for the U.S. Navy, Triton can fly missions for 24 hours at altitudes more than 10 miles, allowing the system to cover vast areas of ocean and coastal regions. The US Navy developed its future concept for maritime patrol using Triton in conjunction with the P-8 Poseidon, a manned surveillance platform that has also been purchased by the Indian Navy.
