Northrop Grumman offers E-2D Advanced Hawkeye to the Indian navy

[marcos98]

Last month’s export authorization from the U.S. government now permits Northrop Grumman to have discussions with the Indian navy on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, a platform that provides a highly adaptive form of airborne early warning and control (AEW&C).

A U.S Navy representative, E-2 New Business Manager John Beaulieu, last week made an eight-hour presentation to the Indian navy on the E-2D after a request for more technical clarifications following a request for information last year.

“We’ve been building up to this ... The partnership between the two governments could not be closer,” Beaulieu said. “We are here for preliminary briefings to the Indian navy for E-2D.” India is said to have requirements for six aircraft.

India has been interested in the AEW&C capability for years. “Interoperability is a very, very important aspect,” Beaulieu said.

“It’s fine to have this airborne early warning system up in the air, but if you cannot communicate with not only our own forces, but our allies around the world, it does not do us, or them, much good. If India desires to be interoperable with the U.S. Navy and NATO through datalink systems, this is the platform of choice.”

Northrop has been asked to present a shore-based version, as Indian naval aircraft would require ski-jump compatibility and not the conventional catapult-launched version. “It is a decision the Indian navy has to make,” Beaulieu noted.

Currently, shore-based operations are the way to go as India’s INS Viraat — a Cold War British aircraft carrier — is close to retirement and delivery of the Adm. Gorshkov from Russia has been delayed.

Gorshkov, however, is capable of deploying both vertical-takeoff-or-landing and catapult-launched aircraft. This has led the Indian navy to look at a redesign for its future ships.

As the U.S. Navy’s carrier-based AEW&C, officials have focused on the E-2D’s newly developed AN/APY-9 radar, which works in concert with surface combatants equipped with the Aegis combat system to detect, track and defeat cruise missile threats at extended range.

Former Indian Chief of Naval Staff Sureesh Mehta helped lead the navy in pursuit of more robust overhead surveillance capability.

India already has ordered eight P8-I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft to replace its aging Tupolev Tu-142M maritime surveillance turboprops.

 

[sancho]

They are really keen on selling us everything they can, but I doubt the E2 would be useful for India. We already getting better AEW aircrafts and not sure if E2 is capable of ASW, which seems to be a requirement for the navy's new procurements for MPA. Also E2 is not able to start from our aircraft carriers, so there is no real need for it.

 

[marcos98]

They are really keen on selling us everything they can, but I doubt the E2 would be useful for India. We already getting better AEW aircrafts and not sure if E2 is capable of ASW, which seems to be a requirement for the navy's new procurements for MPA. Also E2 is not able to start from our aircraft carriers, so there is no real need for it.

ok........ but does that mean theres no other to way that we can modify it in some way to operate from our carriers...........
after 26\11 indian government has placed high priority for maritime protection, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is a proven system, which can provide capability that PN doesnt has as of yet

 

[sancho]

ok........ but does that mean theres no other to way that we can modify it in some way to operate from our carriers...........
after 26\11 indian government has placed high priority for maritime protection, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is a proven system, which can provide capability that PN doesnt has as of yet

The only way would be to make our carriers catapult capable, but the Gorshkov and our new Vikrant class won't get them, because we just made a deal with Russia for 6 new AEW helicopter.
As I said for land based maritime patrol aircrafts, the ASW capability is very important and you don't need a AEW aircraft for MP.

 

[warlock21]

WOW..... wht a days we have now..... It makes me remember 1 Hindi Proverb... Hope Everybody well versed with it..

" Gaon(Village) Bassa Nahin, Barati aa bhi gaye"..

 

[amunhotep]

As usual the United states is unloading it's junk on india. What india really needs is a platform like the EA-18G Growler not the obsolete propeller flown E-2d.

i know, i know, that there are reports that the E-2D is an advanced version & that the U.S navy plans to procure 75 of them. but the fact of the matter is that if the U.S is so concerned about the IN then why on earth have they not offered the EA-18G Growler ???

it's hypocrytic how the UNITED STATES operates State-of-the-art itself, but when it comes to india they always offer us junk to milk us dry .

 

[Brahm0s]

As usual the United states is unloading it's junk on india. What india really needs is a platform like the EA-18G Growler not the obsolete propeller flown E-2d.

i know, i know, that there are reports that the E-2D is an advanced version & that the U.S navy plans to procure 75 of them. but the fact of the matter is that if the U.S is so concerned about the IN then why on earth have they not offered the EA-18G Growler ???

it's hypocrytic how the UNITED STATES operates State-of-the-art itself, but when it comes to india they always offer us junk to milk us dry .

lol two brahm0s he he. Well back to topic. Friend what kind of junk? The only one junk i see is F-16IN (new wine in old bottle lol). Friend india getting alot new weapons from america. P-8I, Super hercules etc etc. E-2D Might be old but they want india to buy it so in case of war they can work with india. Dont u see america wants india in their side with japan and south korea? So having E-2D Aint bad specially when we get latest version. America wants india to join them. Indian ocean and sea towards china very important for america. They need india to work with them so they offering E-2D. if india wont buy it than india would get even better one in future am sure. Cheers.

 

[notting hill]

As usual the United states is unloading it's junk on india. What india really needs is a platform like the EA-18G Growler not the obsolete propeller flown E-2d.

i know, i know, that there are reports that the E-2D is an advanced version & that the U.S navy plans to procure 75 of them. but the fact of the matter is that if the U.S is so concerned about the IN then why on earth have they not offered the EA-18G Growler ???

it's hypocrytic how the UNITED STATES operates State-of-the-art itself, but when it comes to india they always offer us junk to milk us dry .

EA-18G Growler proposal never left the table.. infact this is a point boeing has been making over a period of time that in case F-18 is choosen the future integration of growler in the indian air force would dramatically increase the situational awareness of indian air force . link for the same :
Boeing tempts India with EA-18G Growler Lite

Being such a potent platform boeing doesn't want to loose out on growler sale prospect in the future in case india doesn't choose F-18 hence they have enlisted the same among the items on offer to india. below is boeing india's website. all the products on offer on that list , we all know , are on the table.

Boeing India Home: Boeing EA-18G Growler

 

[marcos98]

The US government has cleared yet another high technology system for India, the "futuristic" shipboard Hawkeye E-2D aircraft for Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and battle management.

The clearance has been described by diplomatic sources as a fallout of the "successful" visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the signing of the End User Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) of military equipment being supplied or sold by the US to India.

Like the Boeing P 8I Maritime Multi-mission Aircraft (MMA), of which the Indian Navy has already ordered eight aircraft, the Hawkeye E-2D is the very latest and is yet to be delivered to the US Navy.

India is the second country after the UAE to be cleared by the US State and Defense Departments for sale of this sophisticated system. The US Navy has sanctioned $432 million for trials of the aircraft, currently underway at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. The Naval Systems Command (NAVAIR) based there provides engineering and testing support for new naval systems and weapons.

The Hawkeye E-2D has been under the US government's consideration for India for some time. In fact, in 2007, Pentagon sources in Washington had told this writer that the aircraft was being cleared, but apparently the previous version, Hawkeve E-2C, was eventually offered to which the Indian Navy said "No" in informal discussions.

The aircraft is being manufactured by Northrop Grumman, a leading US player in Aerospace, Warships, Missiles, Combat Radars and Electronic Warfare systems.

Northrop Grumman's programme Manager for International Business Development Tom C. Trudell told India Strategic magazine that the aircraft has "just been cleared by the US government for India" and that a presentation was made to the Indian Navy in August in New Delhi.

Indian Navy officers had witnessed the capabilities of the Hawkeye E-2C but told the US officials that as the equipment it would buy would be used for years, it must be the best and the latest with future capability insertion potential.

India Strategic quotes unnamed Indian officials as saying that the technology onboard the Hawkeye E-2D is "very tempting" and that although neither the Gorshkov aircraft carrier which India is buying from Russia nor India's first aircraft carrier indigenously being built would be able to accommodate this aircraft, India's future aircraft carriers could be a little bigger.

"By the time this aircraft comes, and by the time the Indian Navy gets used to it from initial shore-based operations, plans for two more aircraft carriers could be amended to house this system."

There have been no tenders of RfPs yet for the Hawkeye E-2D, but then companies from worldwide present their wares to various countries either by themselves and at their own cost, or make offerings in response to Request for Information (RfI) which are floated in routine by all the armed forces to know what is available in terms of newer generation of systems.

Future aircraft carriers of the Indian Navy would also have to be equipped with catapult launching systems, for which it is already looking around. India's second and third aircraft carriers should have this facility along with lifts and adequate open area for what is called free deck takeoff.

The Mig 29Ks that the Indian Navy is buying for Gorshkov, will be launched by a ski ramp.

Tip to tip, the Hawkeye is a bigger aircraft than the Mig 29.

Trudell said that although Northrop Grumman had been allowed to make presentations to the Indian Navy, its sale would have to be direct between the Indian and US government under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. There are many systems on board, developed for US Navy, which only the US government can clear for transfer to other countries.

The US Navy has initially ordered five Hawkeye E-2Ds under a Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) programme, and the first aircraft should be delivered to the US Navy in 2011.

India can get the aircraft within three years of a contract being signed, said Trudell.