Northrop Grumman, manufacturer of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, worked with the Navy’s E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office, known as PMA-231, on the technical review. The review assessed the finalized system product baseline and cleared the Block II program to begin physical aircraft retrofits.
Block II represents the next evolution of the aircraft’s Delta System Software Configuration 6 and establishes a new software foundation for faster capability insertion. The upgrade introduces a modernized cockpit architecture, greater computing power, an Open Mission Systems framework and enhanced cybersecurity.
The Navy intends those changes to preserve the E-2D’s role as a central airborne command-and-control node in contested maritime operations. The modernized cockpit and flight systems are also designed to reduce pilot workload and improve situational awareness during complex battlespace-management missions.
A central element of the upgrade is the Open Mission Systems architecture, which is intended to address current and future component obsolescence. The approach will also allow new technologies to be integrated without dependence on proprietary architectures, supporting faster updates as operational requirements change.
The Block II infrastructure is designed to improve battle-force resilience against increasingly complex threats while shortening the path for new capabilities to reach operational aircraft. For Northrop Grumman and the Navy, completion of the design review shifts the effort from engineering development toward physical integration and eventual flight evaluation.
PMA-231 manages the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and E-2C Hawkeye throughout their service lives. The aircraft support U.S. Navy airborne early warning and command-and-control missions, with Block II intended to provide the computing and software architecture required for future capability growth.
