ST AUGUSTINE , Fla. - The U.S. Navy accepted the final production E-2C Hawkeye 2000, aircraft A-205, during a ceremony Sept. 21 at the Northrop Grumman St. Augustine Manufacturing and Flight Test Center (SAMC) in St. Augustine.

Rear Adm. Richard O’Hanlon, Naval Air Forces Atlantic commander, along with Chris Frayser, Hawkeye and Greyhound Program Office (PMA-231) deputy program manager, accepted the ceremonial key to A-205 from Jim Culmo, vice president of Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management Command and Control programs for Northrop Grumman Battle Management and Engagement Systems Division.

“I am proud this 205th delivery of an E-2 Hawkeye -- the last in the E-2C series -- is being delivered as promised, on-cost and on-schedule,” said Tom Vice, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems Battle Management and Engagement Systems Division. “The Hawkeye’s value has been tremendous, and today’s ceremony honors this great weapons system.”

Held to recognize Northrop Grumman employees and members of the Hawkeye community, the ceremony highlighted the dedication and attention to detail by the Hawkeye team in production of legacy E-2s, the last production E-2C Hawkeye 2000 and the beginning of a new production line for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

“As a team, the Hawkeye Greyhound program office and Northrop Grumman, pull together and continue to supply a critical capability to those at the tip of the spear,” Frayser said. “What is done here [SAMC] is an integral part of the everyday operation that supports our Navy, our nation and the world.”

The E-2C Hawkeye became operational in 1973 and surpassed one million flight hours in August 2004. The first E-2C Hawkeye 2000 was delivered to the Navy in 2001 as an upgrade to the existing E-2C Hawkeye Group II and Group I aircraft. Since then, 25 E-2C Hawkeye 2000s have been delivered to the fleet and are being used by East and West Coast E-2 squadrons.

E-2C Hawkeye aircraft A-205 joins the current U.S. E-2 fleet along with the global wing of 35 E-2Cs flown by air forces and navies around the world including Japan, Egypt, Taiwan, France and Singapore.

“The E-2 has saved my back a time or two,” O’Hanlon said. “As a fighter pilot, there is something very calming about hearing an E-2 over the frequency saying that they have my radar contacts.”

Delivery of the last E-2C Hawkeye 2000 will not limit new generations of aviators and naval flight officers the opportunity to be the “first to launch, last to trap.” Future aviators and NFOs will be a part of a new era in early detection as the SAMC transitions into production of the sixth generation E-2 variant, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

“Although the Advanced Hawkeye casts the same shadow on the runway as its predecessor, don’t be fooled, it is a brand new aircraft,” Frayser said. “The systems and capabilities of the E-2D were completely redesigned to advance the mission and provide a seamless stream of information between the key players of the strike team. “

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye features state-of-the-art radar with a two-generation leap in capability and upgraded aircraft systems that will improve supportability and increase readiness.

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft designated “Delta One” and “Delta Two” transitioned from SAMC to NAS Patuxent River, Md. this summer to continue flight testing in preparation for initial operational test and evaluation in 2011.

“I am a real believer in flying this airplane,” O’Hanlon said. “I am an even bigger believer in the people who build and engineer this airplane.”

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