The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman have cleared the last major design gate for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Block II. The government-led critical design review confirmed that the upgrade’s hardware and software baseline is mature enough to leave detailed design and move into aircraft integration, retrofit work and testing.
What Block II Changes
Block II is the largest modernization package planned for the carrier-borne radar aircraft since the E-2D entered service. It replaces mission computers and displays, updates the cockpit, strengthens cybersecurity and introduces a modular open-systems architecture so new sensors and software can be added faster. The Navy says the changes should improve situational awareness and reliability while reducing crew workload.
The architecture matters as much as any single sensor. The Hawkeye sits above a carrier strike group as its airborne command-and-control node, building a wide-area radar picture and distributing tracks to ships and fighters. An open computing backbone lets that role evolve without waiting for another clean-sheet aircraft.
Next Stop: Flight Test
The program now advances to physical modifications and integration testing. The Navy says flight tests of a Block II-configured E-2D are planned for fiscal 2029, with the upgrade intended for new-build aircraft and retrofits to the existing fleet. That makes the design review a beginning rather than an operational fielding milestone.