March 2001 (Alternate fuels)

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This Month in Aviation History

Aircraft of the Month for April 2001

Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye 2000

T

he Hawkeye 2000 is the latest advanced generation configuration. It applies to the last newly built Group II E-2C for the US Navy after retrofit to this configuration and all new production examples. A $1,305,400,000 multiyear advanced acquisition contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman on 26 April 1999 for the procurement of 21 airborne early warning E-2C Hawkeye 2000s. Work will be performed in St. Augustine, Florida (80%), and Bethpage, New York (20%), and should be completed by July 2006. France has ordered one Hawkeye 2000. Most Hawkeye 2000 testing occurs at Patuxent River Naval Air Test Center. Technical evalutation is scheduled for 2002 and operational evaluation is scheduled for 2003. Upgrades include new processors and displays, a new ES system (the AN/ALQ-217), a mission computer upgrade, an advanced control indicator set (workstation), cooperative engagement capability (CEC), and an AlliedSignal vapor-cycle cooling system. The upgraded mission computer, provided by Raytheon Computer Products, consists of a Model 940 with four CPU modules and provides all track processing and system control. I/O processing from all of the existing interfaces on the aircraft is provided by seven Model 911 Single Module Computers. Some of the Hawkeye 2000 mission suite is also being used in updating Egyptian and Japanese E-2Cs.
The Hawkeye 2000 test aircraft with a mission computer upgrade alloping CEC made its first flight on 24 January 1997. The Hawkeye 2000 first airframe test flight took place on 11 April 1998 and lasted 105 minutes.

This Month in Aviation History
(Bold indicates anniversaries of multiples of five)

1 April 1917 - The RAF is formed
1 April 1969 - The Harrier enters service with the RAF
5 April 1959 - First flight of the XL-29
5 April 1972 - First flight of the A-10
5 April 1996 - First flight of the C-130J
7 April 1967 - First flight of the SA 340-01 (the Gazelle prototype)
8 April 1963 - Development of the DC-9 is launched
8 April 1999 - First flight of the JASSM
9 April 1958 - First flight of the F-106B
9 April 1967 - First flight of the 737-100
10 April 1959 - First flight of the first YT-38
10 April 1967 - First flight of the Mikoyan 23-11
12 April 1966 - First flight of the first PC-7 prototype
12 April 1978 - First flight of the Alpha Jet A
14 April 1953 - First flight of the XF-88B
14 April 1959 - First flight of the G-134 (OV-1)
15 April 1945 - First flight of the P-82
15 April 1952 - First flight of the YB-52
15 April 1965 - First flight of the SA 300 prototype
16 April 1988 - First flight of the FSD T-45
18 April 1950 - First flight of the Convair XP5Y-1
19 April 1951 - First flight of the Sea Venom
20 April 1981 - First flight of the T-10S-1

21 April 1949 - First flight of the Leduc 0.10
21 April 1993 - Thousandth test flight of the Gripen
21 April 1997 - First flight of the third A300-600ST
22 April 1938 - First flight of the SBD Dauntless
23 April 1956 - First flight of the C-133
22 April 1968 - First flight of the Vertol Model 107 (CH-46) prototype
22 April 1993 - First flight of the Eurocopter Tiger
23 April 1991 - The F-22 is selected over the F-23 as winner of the ATF program
24 April 1946 - First flight of the I-300 (MiG-9 prototype)
24 April 1946 - First flight of the Yak-15
24 April 1953 - The first YF-100A prototype is completed
24 April 1981 - First flight of the J-8 I
24 April 1997 - First flight of the An-70
25 April 1956 - First flight of the production Javelin F(AW).2
25 April 1986 - First flight of the MiG-29M
25 April 1996 - First flight of the Yak-130
26 April 1987 - Rollout of the first Gripen
27 April 1952 - First flight of the the Tu-88 (the Tu-16 prototype)
29 April 1967 - First flight of the the Saab 105XT
29 April 1993 - The second X-31 executes a minimum-radium 180deg turn using a post-stall maneuver
30 April 1968 - First flight of the N.A.39 (the Buccaneer prototype)
30 April 1997 - First flight of the Mi-28N

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