E-2B Hawkeye VAW-113 1971 Enterprise Westpac

E-2B Hawkeye of VAW-113 Black Eagles BuNo 151714 / NK-011 Enterprise Westpac 1971-1972

The E-2A Hawkeye, was the first carrier plane that had been designed from its wheels up as an AEW and command and control airplane. The problems facing the design engineers at Grumman were immense, and were compounded by having to constrain the design to enable the aircraft to operate from the older modified Essex-class aircraft carriers. The E-2A actually never operated from the modified Essex class carriers. The first prototype, acting as an aerodynamic testbed only, flew on 21 October 1960. The first fully equipped aircraft followed it on 19 April 1961, and entered service with the US Navy as the E-2A in January 1964. Particular difficulties were being experienced due to inadequate cooling in the closely packed avionics compartment. Early computer and complex avionics systems generated considerable heat; without proper ventilation this would lead to system failures. These failures continued long after the aircraft entered service and at one point reliability was so bad that the entire fleet of aircraft was grounded. Eventually, the unreliable rotary drum computer was replaced by a Litton L-304 digital computer and various avionics systems were replaced – the upgraded aircraft were designated E-2Bs. In total, 49 of the 59 E-2As were upgraded to E-2B standard. These aircraft replaced the E-1B Tracers in the various US Navy AEW squadrons.