Northrop Grumman has received a $1.5-billion contract to deliver E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to the US Navy and Japan.
A recent US Department of Defense (DoD) announcement states that the company will produce nine new Hawkeyes: four for the navy and five for Tokyo.
It will also provide associated support services to both customers.
Most work for the contract will be performed in Florida, with an estimated completion date of March 2029.
In 2023, the US State Department approved the foreign military sale to Japan of five E-2D Hawkeyes and related equipment for $1.4 billion.
But the deal recently announced by the US DoD indicated that Tokyo will only pay about half of the estimated amount, or $766.6 million.
No specific reason was provided for the apparent cost reduction.
‘Digital Quarterback’
The E-2D Hawkeye is a tactical airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft that first flew in 2007 and entered military service in 2010.
It is dubbed the “digital quarterback” of the US Navy because of its ability to sweep ahead of strikes, effectively manage missions, and keep battle groups out of harm’s way.
Thanks to its sophisticated radars and sensors, the aircraft can provide warfighters with expanded battlespace awareness.
It boasts a fully integrated tactical cockpit, advanced identification friend-or-foe system, electronic support measures, and modernized communications and data link suite.
Powered by two Rolls Royce turboprop engines, the Hawkeye can travel as far as 1,462 nautical miles (1,682 miles/2,707 kilometers) at speeds reaching 350 knots (648 kilometers/402 miles per hour).
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency previously said the AEW&C aircraft will help improve Japan’s ability to effectively provide homeland defense and monitor the Pacific region.