--The E-2C Hawkeye is an Airborne Early Warning (AEW).
--The airborne early warning aircraft is equipped with a large radar to detect a wide range of enemy shadows from the air and call on the friendly forces to warn them, and at the same time, it is an aircraft that accurately guides and controls friendly fighters that took off to counteract.
--The US Navy has been trying to detect enemy shadows in the air using various fixed-wing aircraft and airships since 1945, and has put them into practical use.
――In the latter half of the 1950s, the US Navy established the Navy Tactical Data System (NTDS) concept to create a system using computers and high-speed data communication that was developed at that time in order to innovate the operational command system.
--Later, the Aerial Tactical Data System (ATDS) program was announced in 1955 with a wide range of detection and advanced information transmission capabilities.
――The E-2 series was developed to install this system.
--October 21, 1960 The aerodynamic test aircraft made its maiden flight.
――On April 19, 1961, the third aircraft in total was launched as an ADTS-equipped aircraft.
--These aircraft were named E-2A and were deployed to combat units on January 19, 1964.
――After that, E-2B was developed by replacing the central computer, and many E-2A were refurbished to E-2B. ――The E-2C is an aircraft with improved overall capability, the radar has been replaced with AN / APS-125, other equipment has been replaced with a new model, and a new passive detection system has been installed, so it is a better aircraft than the A and B types. The neck is extended by 37 cm.
――For this reason, the E-2C has greatly improved both capacity and reliability.
--For the E-2C, 100 basic Group 0 aircraft were produced, and then 18 Group I aircraft with radars replaced with AN / APQ-138 were produced, but later the radars were replaced with AN / APQ-139.
――After this, 36 Group II aircraft were produced, which were replaced with AN / APQ-145, which had significantly improved target detection capability.
――Currently, 21 Hawkeye 2000s are scheduled to be produced, with the number of propeller blades increased to eight by digitizing electronic equipment and improving mission computers.
--E-2C is used by the US Navy, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Israeli Air Force, Egyptian Air Force, Singapore Air Force, French Navy, Mexican Navy, Taiwan Air Force, United Arab Emirates Air Force, etc.
--The Air Self-Defense Force lost sight of the MiG-25 on the way in the MiG-25 asylum case on September 6, 1976.
--For this reason, the Airborne Early Warning E-2C was introduced.
――We have procured 13 aircraft and are assigned to Misawa base.
――As for the aircraft, up to Unit 4 is Group 0, and after Unit 5 is Group I, but after Unit 9, the radar is replaced with AN / APQ-139.
-Although it will be upgraded to Hawkeye 2000 specifications like the US Navy, the adoption of 8 propeller blades will be postponed.
