French navy E-2C Hawkeye aircraft getting upgrade from Northrop Grumman
NewsOctober 16, 2013
BETHPAGE, N.Y. Northrop Grumman engineers will be upgrading the three E-2C Hawkeyes owned and operated by the French navy as part of a $34.5 million U.S. Navy contract. Modifications will include an upgraded Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system to increase commonality and interoperability with the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft of the U.S. Navy
As part of this upgrade Northrop Grumman will install AN/APX-122A IFF Mode 5/Mode S interrogators and AN/APX-123 IFF Mode 5/Mode S transponders.
French navy pilots have been flying the E-2C Hawkeye since 2000 when it first stood up the French E-2 Hawkeye squadron, the Flotille 4F, in Lorient. France is the only country outside the United States that operates its E-2 Hawkeyes from an aircraft carrier, which often results in interoperability exercises where both navies operate Hawkeyes from each other's carrier flight decks.
