The US Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman a nearly $1.2-billion contract to build three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Block II airborne early warning and command-and-control aircraft.
The deal covers production, delivery, and associated support for the three aircraft, with work expected to continue through December 2031.
Northrop Grumman will perform most of the work at its facilities in Melbourne and St. Augustine, Florida, along with other sites across the US and selected international suppliers in France and the UK.
The Naval Air Systems Command awarded the contract using fiscal 2026 navy aircraft procurement funds, initially obligating about $583.4 million.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye serves as the US Navy’s carrier-based airborne early warning and battle management aircraft. Equipped with the AN/APY-9 radar, it provides long-range detection of aircraft, missiles, ships, and other threats while coordinating operations between naval, air, and joint forces.
The Block II variant introduces upgraded computing architecture, expanded processing capacity, and enhanced software designed to support future sensors, networking, and mission systems as the navy modernizes its carrier air wings.
E-2D Fleet Upgrades
The latest award builds on a series of contracts supporting continued expansion and modernization of the US Navy’s E-2D fleet.
In April, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman completed flight testing of the Digital Receiver Exciter Recorder, a new radar subsystem designed to improve the aircraft’s ability to detect, track, and process threats while supporting carrier strike group operations.
During the same month, Northrop Grumman selected Green Hills Software’s real-time operating system for the Hawkeye’s GPS-modernized Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System, enhancing navigation resilience in GPS-contested environments while enabling faster software updates and future capability upgrades.
Earlier, in January, the US Navy awarded BAE Systems a $62-million contract to establish a dedicated depot for maintaining and repairing the E-2D’s AN/APX-122A Identification Friend or Foe system, strengthening long-term sustainment of the airborne early warning aircraft.
