NAVAIR says it intents to award a sole-source contract to Northrop Grumman so that the company can test a Manned/Unmanned Teaming concept for the E-2D in a lab environment.
ARABIAN SEA (July 3, 2019) An E-2D Hawkeye assigned to the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121 flies over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during an air power demonstration. Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. With Abraham Lincoln as the flagship, deployed strike group assets include staffs, ships and aircraft of Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12), Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON 2), USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW 7). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Tristan Kyle Labuguen/Released)
The aerospace firm will design and write the software for the E-2D mission computer and displays.
NAVAIR justifies the award without competition to Northrop Grumman ” as it is the only source with the requisite knowledge, experience, and technical expertise” by being the “sole designer, developer and manufacturer of the E-2D Hawkeye.”
The news comes as the U.S. Navy releases its MQ-25A Home Basing Final Environmental Assessment for Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC). NBVC is home to the U.S. Navy’s West Coast E-2D squadrons.
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