Defence company Lockheed Martin has delivered the 75th APY-9 radar under contract to Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
The newest Advanced Hawkeye variant features Lockheed Martin’s APY-9 radar. The Northrop Grumman-built E-2 has come to be known as the U.S. Navy’s “eyes of the fleet” because of its ability to simultaneously watch over air, land and sea, according to the navy. Any time an US Navy carrier has aircraft airborne, there is an APY-9 radar at work.
“As the primary sensor for the E-2D, the APY-9 radar has a long legacy of providing agile deterrence for enhanced 21st century security,” stated Chandra Marshall , vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Radar & Sensor Systems business.
“Our primary focus is to bring our military men and women home safely, and the APY-9 sets that bar for all other AEW radars.”
Lockheed Martin has been a collaborator on the Northrop Grumman-built E-2D for over two decades.
The U.S. Navy has funded 80 out of 86 aircraft in the current program of record. Japan has purchased 18 E-2D Hawkeyes and France has purchased three. With U.S. and international demand, the APY-9 is expected to be in production into the late 2020s, and in modernization and sustainment well into the 2040s.