The Hawkeye is the world’s only embarked advanced airborne surveillance aircraft that combines advanced detection and command and control capabilities.

The E-2C Hawkeye is the most accomplished manifestation of an idea born in the United States: the use of real radar aircraft from aircraft carriers. In service with the 4F flotilla, the Hawkeye has taken the embarked air group into a new dimension: that of advanced air control. Numerous exchanges with the US Navy, which uses the same aircraft, have enabled the French Navy to achieve perfect interoperability with its American allies.

The Northrop-Grumman E-2C Hawkeye is a unique aircraft in both appearance and capability. Two enormous turbines, propellers 4.11 m in diameter and a ‘rotodome’ housing the radar antenna give it a silhouette like no other. At the front, two pilots control the machine. At the rear, in the ‘tactical’ section where no daylight penetrates, three operators monitor the airspace and sea over 360°, via interposed screens. Above the fuselage, the AN/APS 145 radar rotates tirelessly, capable of detecting and tracking airborne targets over 500 km away. The information provided by the radar is supplemented by that of the ALR-73 passive detection system, capable of accurately determining the position and identity of any other radars transmitting in the patrol area. The Hawkeye is also equipped with a wide range of communications resources: alongside traditional radio transmitters, the crew has data link systems (Link 11 and Link 16) for exchanging tactical information. It has recently been fitted with FLEET-SATCOM satellite link capability.

The radar aircraft is the largest aircraft on board and the one with the largest crew. It is also the heaviest aircraft when catapulted and landed.