The ceremony, hosted by Potez Aéronautique, brought together representatives from the French Navy, the Direction Générale de l’armement and Northrop Grumman. It marked the completion of the empennage that will be fitted on the French Navy’s first E-2D at Northrop Grumman’s St. Augustine, Florida facility.
Northrop Grumman is contracted to produce three E-2D aircraft for the French Navy, with the first delivery scheduled for 2027. The Advanced Hawkeyes will replace France’s E-2C Hawkeye 2000 fleet, which has been in service for more than twenty five years.
Potez Aéronautique supplies empennages for all E-2D aircraft built for the United States and international customers and has also produced components for E-2C variants. The company received Northrop Grumman’s Performance Excellence Award in 2022.
“Our three-decade collaboration with Potez reflects our commitment to building global industrial partnerships,” said Janice Zilch, vice president of multi-domain command and control programs at Northrop Grumman. “We look forward to providing the French Navy a generational leap in decision dominance with the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, the world’s premier airborne command and control aircraft.”
The E-2C Hawkeye 2000, which entered French Navy service in 1998, supports air defence and the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group. France is the only nation other than the United States to operate E-2C Hawkeyes from an aircraft carrier, enabling regular interoperability exercises.
Northrop Grumman’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the latest in a family of airborne early warning aircraft developed over more than sixty years. The E-2D is designed to operate over land and sea and has been evolved into a cutting edge platform capable of meeting global threats.
E-2 variants are operated by air forces and navies around the world, supported by an active production line and a strong delivery record. The E-2D continues to introduce new technology intended to stay ahead of developing challenges.
