Tag Archives: northrop grumman

Navy Plans Upgrades to Fly E-2Ds into the 2040s

Navy Plans Upgrades to Fly E-2Ds into the 2040s

An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with VAW-120 is refueled in the air. US Navy Photo

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — With production coming to an end in four years, the Navy is working out a plan to sustain the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye command-and-control aircraft for at least another 30. Read More

Navy Questions Future Viability of Super Hornets; Recommends Against New Buy

Navy Questions Future Viability of Super Hornets; Recommends Against New Buy

F/A-18F Super Hornets, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, fly over the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) in the Atlantic Ocean, May 9, 2019. US Navy Photo

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — If Congress mandates the Navy keep buying the current F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, the airframes will be in the fleet into the 2050s. But by then, the fourth-generation fighters likely couldn’t stand up to future threats, a service official said Tuesday. Read More

VIDEO: MQ-25A Unmanned Aerial Tanker Refuels Super Hornet in Successful First Test

VIDEO: MQ-25A Unmanned Aerial Tanker Refuels Super Hornet in Successful First Test

MQ-25 T1 test asset refuels a Navy F/A-18 during a flight on June 4, 2021 at MidAmerica Airport in Illinois. This flight demonstrated that the MQ-25 Stingray can fulfill its tanker mission using the Navy’s standard probe-and-drogue aerial refueling method. Boeing Photo

This post has been updated with additional comments from Boeing and the Navy.

A prototype unmanned aerial tanker refueled a F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter last week in a first-of-its-kind test ahead of introducing drones to the Navy’s carrier flight decks, Naval Air Systems Command and Boeing announced on Monday. Read More

CNO Gilday: Navy Needs ‘Fundamental Change’ in How it Develops Fighters

CNO Gilday: Navy Needs ‘Fundamental Change’ in How it Develops Fighters

An F/A-18 Super Hornet, attached to embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, breaks the sound barrier during an air power demonstration, showcasing firepower capability and maneuverability while at sea in the Indo-Pacific region in 2020. US Navy Photo

A decade from now, the backbone of the Navy’s tactical air fleet will begin to retire with no clear successor in line yet. Read More