Navy's E-2D Hawkeye Block II upgrade clears critical design review

The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman announced that the Block II upgrade for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft has passed its critical design review. The review, according to the Navy, took place in May and clears the way for flight testing within roughly three years.

The Block II effort builds on an earlier software update known as Delta System Software Configuration 6, which the companies say reduces pilot workload and improves avionics, situational awareness, and reliability. The Navy and Northrop Grumman had completed a preliminary design review of that software configuration in late 2024.

According to the Navy, Block II will introduce a new cockpit architecture, greater computing power, an open mission systems framework, and additional cybersecurity protections. The service said the open architecture approach is intended to address parts obsolescence and allow faster, non-proprietary technology upgrades in the future.

The design review was overseen by the Navy's E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office, working with Northrop Grumman through a technical review board that assessed the finalized system baseline, the Navy said.

With the design phase complete, the program is now moving into physical aircraft retrofits and flight testing. Northrop Grumman said it will begin integration and testing work immediately and expects to deliver Block II aircraft before the end of the decade, a timeline the Navy said aligns with its own flight-test expectations.