The US Navy took delivery of the first Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft with the in-flight refueling probe. This means that the US Navy radar plane can be refueled in flight, thus ensuring a longer air-to-air surveillance mission.
“This is an important day for naval aviation as we continue to grow our capabilities and maintain our competitive edge in the skies”, says Rear iral Roy Kelley.
Along with the arrival of the first aircraft and the others, the US Navy starts training to improve the skills of the pilots with the new resource of the plane that can even be refueled by a Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet that can take a “subulate” with a transmission line and a specific basket for in-flight refueling.
“This capability will extend the Hawkeyes’ endurance by increasing the Navy’s battlespace awareness and integrated fire control – both from the air and from the sea,” complete Kelley.
By 2020 the US Navy plans to have two squadrons of E-2Ds with REVO adaptations. The US Navy currently operates 38 units of the E-2, whose main means of operation are aircraft carriers. Another 37 units are already ordered.
There are also sales abroad, such as the case of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, which operates an E-2D, with three others on order.
Source of : Flight Global / Adaptation:Aeroflap
