Naval Air Systems Command awarded Northrop Grumman [NOC] a $1.36 billion modification to produce and deliver nine Japan-configuration E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft.
This award specifically definitizes a previously awarded modification for long-lead parts associated with Japan E-2D aircraft. It covers non-recurring and recurring engineering to produce these aircraft for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) purposes.
The original long-lead contract was awarded in February 2018 and covered support for the full-rate production of Lot 7 E-2Ds.
Last year, the State Department approved a potential $3.1 billion FMS of nine Advanced Hawkeyes and associated equipment to Japan (Defense Daily, Sept. 10, 2018).
In 2016, the Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $286 million contract modification to produce and configure the first E-2D for Japan. Under that award, the company was directed to configure the aircraft using the same E-2D multiyear production line used for U.S. aircraft (Defense Daily, Jan. 5, 2016).
Back in 2015 the State Department first approved a possible $1.7 billion FMS request from Japan to buy four Advanced Hawkeyes and associated equipment and support. At the time, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Japan would use the aircraft to augment its existing E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and Control aircraft (Defense Daily, June 2, 2015).
More recently, Northrop Grumman’s success with the aircraft won it a $3.2 billion multi-year procurement contract modification to produce 24 U.S. Navy E-2Ds as Lot 7-11 aircraft from 2019-2023 (Defense Daily, April 11).
Work for this contract will be split among numerous locations but largely St. Augustine, Fla. (29.06 percent); Syracuse, N.Y. (16.66 percent); Melbourne, Fla. (10.52 percent); and El Segundo, Calif. (10.44 percent).
FMS funds in the full contract value were obligated at award time, with none set to expire at the end of this fiscal year.
The Advanced Hawkeye is an all-weather AEW command and control aircraft that is replacing the Navy’s E-2C carrier airborne early warning squadrons, which each have five aircraft. The Navy has a requirement for 75 E-2Ds and in the FY 2020 budget request planned to buy 18 more over the following five years.