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The E-2 Hawkeye is one of the most important aircraft in
a carriers airwing. The aircraft fills the Airborne Early
Warning and Control role and replaced the earlier E-1 Tracer
from the early 1960s. A turbo prop powered aircraft with a
high wing and a unique tail arrangement with four vertical
fins, the E-2s most distinctive feature is the rotodome above
the fuselage. This rotodome houses the powerful radar. Early
E-2A and B aircraft utilised the APS-96 radar while the definitive
E-2C model introduced the APS-125
radar in 1970. Since then the C model has flown with increasingly
more advanced and capable radars: APS-138, APS-139 and APS-145.
The APS-145 is the current service model and has greater resistance
to jamming, better over ground performance for use in the
littoral regions and can track up to 2000 targets. Targets
can be detected out to around 300nm. As well as serving on
board US and French aircraft carriers the E-2 also flies from
land bases with Egypt, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. Hawkeye
2000 program features a new processing computer (with 15 times
the processing power of the unit it replaces) and new workstations.
The USN received the first in 2001 with IOC scheduled for
2004. Taiwan, France, Egypt and Japan are all to receive new
build or upgraded Hawkeye 2000s. USN E-2s are also to be fitted
with eight bladed propellers. Mexico is the latest Hawkeye
operator recieving a number of refurbished aircraft for service
with the naval air arm.
DB2000 Entries:
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