Navy Training Squadron Receives First E-2D Hawkeye With New Aerial Refueling Capability
The unit will now begin training aircrews to make use of the plane's new capabilities ahead of plans to begin converting operational units next year.
By Joseph TrevithickSeptember 12, 2019
The first non-developmental E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with an aerial refueling capability has officially joined the U.S. Navy's fleet, marking the first step toward fielding these aircraft across the service's carrier-based airborne early warning squadrons. Giving these already game-changing aircraft the ability to refuel in mid-air will significantly increase their endurance, something The War Zone has already explored in-depth in the past.
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120 (VAW-120), the "Greyhawks," based at Naval Station Norfolk in Virignia, took delivery of the new E-2D on Sept. 9, 2019. The Navy had already received three E-2Ds with the aerial refueling conversion for developmental purposes and is expecting that the new aircraft will reach initial operational capability next year. The service's plans to acquire Advanced Hawkeyes with this capability trace back at least to 2014.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29819/navy-training-squadron-receives-first-e-2d-hawkeye-with-new-aerial-refueling-capability
