Three Aircraft, Spares and Support for $2 Billion
The US State Department has notified Congress of approval for a possible Foreign Military Sales of E-2D ADVANCED HAWKEYE airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft and related equipment and services to France. Estimated contract value is approx. $2 billion (€1.77 billion).
The French government has requested three E-2D aircraft, ten T-56-427A engines, three AN/APY-9 radars, four AN/ALQ-217 ESM systems, three AN/AYK-27 Integrated Navigation Channels and Display Systems, five Link-16 MIDS-JTRS communications systems, ten embedded GPS/INS devices, four AN/APX-122(A) and AN/APX-123(A) IFF systems and one Joint Mission Planning Systems. Other facilities to be provided include two Common Systems Integration Laboratories – one in Melbourne, FL, the other is France – plus a full suite of training, documentation, logistics support and spare parts.
The proposed sale will improve France’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing its Naval air forces with a sustainable follow on capability to its current, legacy E-2C HAWKEYE aircraft. The E-2D aircraft will sustain and expand French naval aviation capabilities and maintain that nation’s interoperability with US naval forces. As a current E-2C operator, France will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and support into its armed forces. Principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman Systems.