@@greggstrasser5791 That's not quite how R&D works though. They had to prototype the tech somewhere else get the kinks out so that someone could determine that a bigger better version was possible. With stuff like this there is a line of development.
I am a retired USAF mission crew member on the E3 AWACS and I can assure you the the US Air Force never flew the Hawkeye as you stated early in this video. I’ve known a few E2 crew members and have worked with the Hawkeye in several operations and for the most part the rest of the information in this video seems to be fairly accurate.
I think he purposely drops a mistake or three in each of his videos just to spark up conversations in the comment section. In nearly every video by this dude that I've seen I've been able to identify at least one, and often more than two things he says that are partially or totally false. If it is his strategy to get more comments it seems to be working as there's always a lot of comments on his videos. If it's not then this dude is kinda dumb.
@@Anthus. I think you may be right, I’ve noticed this too, this is the only one I could verify through experience though. Shame because for the most part his videos are pretty good.
My grandad actually was one of the engineers who worked on this. He also worked on the EA6B Prowler. Also, 7:21 originally, the E-2 did feature four-bladed propellers, and it wasn’t until the E-2c that the eight-bladed propellers become implemented.
I was at Force Warfare Pax River when they were trying to figure out the prop balancing. Believe it was the Hawkeye 2000 program in the late 90's. I was on the P-3 side.
Fantastic to see this! My uncle spent almost his entire career with Grumman, most of it as a technician on this plane, after getting his masters in engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic. He got to travel all over the world, spending time at US bases and on the occasional carrier, as well at US allies who were evaluating the plane. He logged just over 2,000 flight hours on the various models over the decades, proudly displaying the certificates for each milestone. He took early retirement from Grumman and then spent the most lucrative part of his career at various job shops, where his analog skills were in increasing demand as the younger generation concentrated on digital radar. He should have enjoyed a long and prosperous retirement, had not Alzheimer's claimed him early, in his mid 60s. He loved that plane and the role it played in our country's defense. I just dug out the denim jacket I had as a kid, on which my mom had sewn the E-2 patch -- "SIC EM BABY" -- which he gave me (the patch featuring a bad-ass hawk with the F-14 Tomcat kitty perched on his outstretched wing). I miss him every day and am going to have a drink in his honor, wearing the jacket, this weekend.
I flew one in Vietnam waters during the war in 72-73...outstanding performance and capabilities. We finally mined Haiphong harbor and others with our other aircraft after political ineptitude during the war...the E2 was there and although late...we kicked ass...
I must have served with you aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, we were there in 72 from March until I resigned in September of 72. I was a senior plane captain and 2nd shift brown shirt leader; a launch inspector, and an aircraft engine mech in VAW-114. I initially served in RVAW-110 from 69 to 71!
I was on Ranger (CVA 61) as a Nugget flying the E-1B. Flew the lead mission of Linebacker 2 - A tough campaign especially for the Airforce. Ranger lost one A-7 flown by Phillip (Flip) Clark. Flip was shot down on December 24th. I flew a SAR mission to try and contact him on Christmas day. His remains were returned after the war ended.
The eight bladed prop did not come into play until 1999, when the Hawkeye 2000, which is an E-2C, was put into production. Prior to that they had the four bladed props.
Yep, we only had 4 blades per engine! I don't know if you ever had a rework on the attachment points on the tail, but I was the one that found the issue with that when I served in RVAW-110 at NAS North Island.
Fun fact: the Hawkeye shares wings, engines and components with the C-2a greyhound, the carrier onboard delivery and mail plane. Also, the manufacturer Northrup Grumman was also the provider of your high endurance post office truck. So the eyes of the fleet are by pedigree mostly an old mail truck.
Not since the mid 90's... they have the T56-A-427. The C-2s have the 425s...unless they upgraded . Either way; they have upside-down engines to the P-3 lol.
It looks like an E-2 with no radar dome, right? Are those the same C-2's often tasked with transporting any VIP's who are visiting the ship? (i.e.; foreign dignitaries, politicians, high ranking military personnel, researchers, etc.)
@@Anthus. early on they shared the same engine/prop and other bits. Airframe has always been very different between a trash hauler and hummer. If I remember correctly, you are thinking about the older Tracker that is shown.
I was a "jet mech" and plane captain on the E-2C. I was with VAW-124 stationed out of NAS Norfolk and served aboard the USS America when at sea. Originally known as the Bullseye Hummers, the squadron changed over to a new name - the Bear Aces as a result of operations in Iceland. Also, it was124 who directed the 14's to the Libyan SU-22 Fitters and provided tracking of TWA flight 847.
I was with VFA-15 in the early 2000s and 124 was with our CAG. I always told you guys that your problem was that the engine was upside down. 🙃 Was an old EP-3Eer. Did run your engines at AIMD Sicily.
I freaking LOVE this plane. It’s arguably one of the most important aircraft in the sky at any given moment within the US, NATO, allies, etc… The only other two planes that are equally as impressive are the Poseidon to have over oceans/seas and the Boeing 707/320 E-3 AWACS, which are absolutely amazing too…
This is really informative with (I think) a calmer presentation style that really helps make it so much more watchable. A lot of effort has obviously gone into making this video and it shows.
@@neiloflongbeck5705 …. I enjoy these videos. However if we know much about the subject we notice the inaccuracies. Foreign air forces do operate the E-2 Hawkeye. But not the USAF. They have their own E-3 Sentry series AWAC’s aircraft. Which is also used by foreign air forces.
I was with VAW-124 1975 through 1978 (Bullseye Hummers) aboard America as an enlisted E2-C aircrewman, radar operator. I had hundreds of flights in the E2 over those years, many of them piloted by JM Ledy who commented on this video (great pilot). An amazing airplane with incredible capabilities back then. I can only imagine what it can do today. J Ledy this is CP.
I flew the E2 for 17 of my 20 years in the Navy. I was in VAW-124 when the Bear Ace patch was conceived and designed by LtJG Paul Shaw and LtJG Ken Wyke in our 6 man stateroom. It was originally only awarded the crews that had 3 TU-95 Bear intercepts. F14 crews could also be awarded the patch for 3 intercepts.
VAW-122 NFO here. We must have been close in rag class dates. Too bad the PC culture made you get rid of the best E-2C squadron patch. BTW, "Bob Cranston" is the name we used to reserve our party rooms during port visits. Do you know Rob Remsing?
@@bobcranston3414 May be a little odd topic but did you see top gun the original in one of the scenes i belive the guy called wolfman had the afor mentioned patch on his flight suit
My dad was stationed in Florida when the US Coast Guard leased some of these from the navy in the early 90's for drug interdiction. The E2 crew's would be used to detect "Go Fasts" from Cuba, then coordinate with US ships to intercept the drug runners. He stated that "we became so good at catching those Go Fasts, they (drug runners) eventually stopped trying to send them anywhere near our patrol routes & we ran ourselves out of business."
Love these documentaries. I love how you do stories about aircraft that might be as famous as others but play just an important role as the well known fighters and bombers. Ever think about doing one on the Grummin A-6 intruder
I keep seeing new dark skies and think "when is he gonna run out of content" snd then think of all the stuff I'm looking forward to! Still haven't seen the Star Fighter, Flankers, Thunderchief, or C-17 Globemaster etc. I can't wait to see them!
He doesn’t state “airborne radar” was developed in the 1950’s....he explicitly refers to the entire “airborne early warning aircraft” concept as being developed in the 1950’s. A night fighter with a primitive radar doesn’t fit the requirement.
@@PvtPartzz so your point is still wrong since you referred to airborne radar in the 50s vs op who referred to airborne early warning aircraft. this isn't middle school where the teacher gives you partial credit because they 'knew' where you were going but answer by itself is still wrong. geeze 12year olds everywhere on youtube.... edit: dont worry when you grow up you will understand why the world is like this
@@JohnAdams-qc2ju you’re the one being immature. The way it was stated was misleading and that was the point. It was unclear and anyone that didn’t have a better grasp of history may have misunderstood. Not everything has to be an argument or an insult. Grow up.
I served as PC in E-2 squadron VAW121 during the Gulf War period. Our squadron received both Battle E and AEW awards during this period. I drew up a special squadron patch and also designed by request some nose art inspired by WWII designs/ 90’s Vargas interpretations- which perhaps were deemed to risqué by the brass to paint on the aircraft.
Interesting. My father worked on the E-2 and held a patent on a radar video recorder system used on the earlier models. +20 years later I did some work with what became the D model. Also as has been pointed out, 8-bladed props did not come out until the tail end of the C model operational run (~2004).
It really is quite a remarkable aircraft. And a great way to get radar orders of magnitude higher than any ground or ship-based version. And keep in mind that the capabilities talked about with this aircraft are just what we know. It is entirely possible that a far more sophisticated version exists that we are not allowed to know about. But even if there isn't, this is still a valuable asset on any battlefield. You can't engage an enemy if you don't know where they are.
At cruising speed the Hawkeye trimmed up well and was extremely responsive to control movements. When dirty (Gear and flaps down) she lumbered and demanded constant attention to maintain lineup, angle of attack and glideslope. When you watch a pilot making the approach you would expect the airplane to be dancing all over the place. To the outside observer that was not apparent. Main lesson learned: Never quit flying her until you are in the wires and fully stopped. E-2B CAPC and LSO.
That 8 blade and different prop design came later. It caused lots of issues, and cost some good lives. One of the planes that regularly graces the skies of my home with its sounds of freedom. Over 30 years of talking to the generations of pilots and crew members has given me a great appreciation for this legendary aircraft.
Ooo.. wow so much wrong here. The first US Navy operational experience with AEW came in early 1944, with several radar equipped TBF Avengers flying off USS Enterprise. They were paired with two fighters for nighttime interception of incoming attacks. The radar antennae was hand directed by the radioman/radar operator. Following a great deal of success with surface search radar equipped PBY’s hunting subs, the follow up Coronado’s had some radar equipped variants for airborne search and early warning. Not a dedicated system for aerial targets yet, and still limited to a forward looking sweep. But the basics were coming together. Oh and the E-2’s started out with 4 bladed props. They didn’t get the 8 blades until a 2000’s era engine upgrade. In part for noise reduction. The Hawkeyes are by far the noisiest things the Navy flies.
@@OldSeaDoggy There is something about Turbo Prop engines that just put out a far greater volume of noise, and it has a physical component that can be debilitating. I think it's related to the multi blade propeller blades each breaking the sound barrier. It creates this harmonic that will rip out your dental filings. The most infamous example was that crazy experimental Mack 1 Turboprop lovingly nicknamed the Thunderscreech. The sound from it was like a non lethal weapon. It would incapacitate its ground crew with waves of nausea. While not that bad the Hawkeye was for decades by far the loudest thing on a carrier. The new engines and props help reduce it quite a bit, but its still painful. The old props were the standard 4 blade straight props. The newer ones have those 8 curving blades.
I grew up in San Diego near the flight path of naval planes out of Coronado. When I was a kid, I never knew what the dome did on those planes, other that I knew it was some kind of radar. They had a deep growl to their engine sound….perhaps because of the propellers. Thanks for the video.
23 year Hawkeye guy here. They didn’t always have eight bladed propellers. The eight bladed prop didn’t hit the Fleet until after 2000 - hence dubbed “Hawkeye 2000.”
I really enjoyed your profile of this aircraft. If you are interested in doing more of this type of video, might I suggest some of the C-130 purpose built platforms such as EC-130 Compass Call, Commando Solo, and ABCCC. RC-135 variants would be good as well. Great Job on this video!
There's a little but: the first E-2 Hawkeye series were using 4-bladed propellers, while the most recent are currently using 8-bladed propellers with the blades having a scimitar shape.
8:04 That's my squadron, VAW-122 Steeljaws. Judging by the A-7 and A-6 parked next to it, this was the 1989 cruise on USS FORRESTALL. I'm sure I logged many hours in that exact airframe. BTW, the port inboard vertical stab was static - no moveable control surfaces.
I know a pilot who spent his entire naval career flying the E-2 for Navy. Then he retire to Florida and the Navy asked him to fly E-2 now as a civilian contractor pilot, out of which ever naval base in Florida. Other naval pilots are long gone, many with no more piloting at all, because the days of their jet or helicopter aircraft were over. Not those on the E-2s.. I would think, though the missions would be boring, but some E-2 pilot could comment.
Haven’t gone through all the comments to see if anyone had mentioned the twin $550 ashtrays that were retrofitted to the E-2C in the 1980s. That’s about $1,400 today. The issue was the smoke and ash could pose a problem with the electronics over time. Because of the long time on station and high prevalence of smoking then, a ban on smoking wasn’t practical. It was a contracting scandal but Grumman hardly made money on the custom gear. No doubt the US Navy could have found a cheaper supplier but I guess this was easier and took less time.
I remember hearing about those ash treys and the price tag that went with them. Never did find them in the cockpit when I flew the planes. The cost can be explained as a very small production run. Over just a few items made, you have to spread the cost of the design engineers salaries, the making of the tools to produce the items, and any other costs associated with creating a product. We are so use to an ash trey costing only a few dollars, that we don’t realize all of the initial cost of creating the product is spread over many thousands of units sold, which greatly reduces the cost per unit. You will just not have the economy of scale with this type of market.
@@flyboy38a They were for operators in the back. There are solid engineering and project management reasons for asking a high-overhead / high cost contractor like Grumman to make some apparently trivial items and then - following DCAA costing requirements - spread all those heavy ancillary costs on top of time and materials. Would a bunch of beanbag ashtrays have done the job? Was the whole idea overkill? That's another issue. There were multiple "scandals" like this at the same time with DCAA costing requirements for low volume items. And the "$600 toilet seat," which was actually a fiberglass latrine holding tank cover. That item cost about the same as one for a Boeing 727 at the time, The actual toilet seat was $8, less than a similar item at Walmart in the day. That said, everyone knows that a lot of money is wasted in defense procurement.
Outstanding, the eyes & ears of our carrier groups. Without them defending the carrier groups would be a lot harder than today. Not sure they can help with a ballistic attack but what do I know.
E2 A and B and early C had 4 bladed props with 4,000 HP. Airframes troubleshooter and tech 1970 - 73 VAW 123, Sucking 60 from Dixie. As far as carriers go.... 35 kts top speed. She was fast and rarely went on water hours.
I'm surprised you went with the E-2 instead of the E-3 as the E-3 just celebrated 50 years since the first flight. Also surprised you didn't cover the EC-121 Warning Star which, while not carrier based, was utilized by the Navy for the similar role during the same time as the E-1 and early E-2 use
AWACS, or the E-2CharlieHawkeye, is my favorite bird. You had to be careful not to walk through the props of these beauties. There are legends of Sailors walking through the props twice and not being sawed. There are also legends of poop bandits on carriers. They poop in random places on the ship. It is all a mystery. God allowed me to serve with Carrier Airwing 3. He allowed me to learn the Art of War at Sea with the very best, and to know that the number one rule of war is that you should never fight one unless you have to.
In US it is only operated by USN. USAF does not fly them. Also the first planes did not come with 8 prop blades. It started with C model. Difference from E1 was that E2 has a turbo prop engine not a piston-compound one. Also Japan and Singapore no longer use E2.
They built these in the Bethpage Grumman "iron works" on long Island. As a kid in the 70's and 80's, we'd see them flying over on the regular. Once in a while, the distinct roar of a tomcat or two would send us kids scrambling to get a look at the sky. Good times. That factory now sits as an unused toxic waste dump. See "Grumman plume"
The early Hawkeyes had four blade propellers with Allison T56 engines. The aircraft and engines have been upgraded over the years. The current advanced Hawkeye has Allison (now Rolls-Royce) T56-A427A engines with the advanced, swept, 8-blade propellers. Edit: corrected a typo on the engine model. Fat thumbs...
Yup. The narrator made an informational error by stating, (around 7:20 into the video) the Hawkeye, unlike the Tracer with 4 bladed props, the Hawkeye had 8.
The E-2 came from manufacturing at first with a four bladed propellers that were upgraded later with eight bladed props. I know, I had to hook up and unhook huffer that was connected inside wheelwell that was inches from those meat grinders.
When I worked on the E-2C Hawkeye back in 2004, they came out with a computer system called the Grim Reaper and it enabled the Hawkeye to become a literal nightmare for every freedom hating country in the world. It had the capability with 1 sweep of the radome to destroy every computer flat screen TV within a 1000 mile radius
E-2 was also recently upgraded with in-flight refueling capability which further supports mission success. Pun intended 😁👍🏻Go Hawkeye!!! In future they'll need to be fitted with sophisticated control assets for drone support and tactical deployment.
Near the beginning of the video you worded your commentary in a way that indicated the US Air Force flew E-2s. When I was flying them we did work with the Air Force sending data back and forth to coordinated the battle space. But the Air Force was NOT flying the E-2s. Now, I have not heard anything recently on flight operations, so I don’t know if the Air Force has picked up some E-2s in the past 10 plus years. So you could be correct when referring to recent times, but not back in the 1970s through the 2000s. Also, I think enough people have pointed out the 4 bladed vs. 8 bladed miss information.
@@Aaron-wq3jz I didn't think they did, but you never know when they may acquire one for testing purposes. We do swap aviation personnel to learn about the other services and when I was on my second cruise we had an Air Force officer with us who had served on AWACS and was then getting his experience operating the radar on the E-2C. I don't know how many pilots are exchanged since it is a major training curve coming in the Navy and learning to land on carriers vs going to the Air Force and doing regular landings on land, and that is training Air Force pilots just don't need.
Dark skies, you forget to mentioned that Taiwan was also a user of the E2 Hawkeye which theirs was E2T/K variant which are former E2C Hawkeye upgraded to Hawkeye 2000 standards. Singapore and Israel used the E2 Hawkeye back in the 80s and retired them in mid 2000s. Replacing with the Israelites Gulfstream G550 AEW.
The 8 blades are not a distinguishing characteristic of the E-2D. E-2Cs we’re all switched over to 8 blades in the early 2000s and the E-2D only hit the fleet in 2014.
`Only one small correction. The 8 bladed props came out with the E-2D Before that it was just 4 bladed props Also just recently the ability to add an aerial refueling ability has been added
Nice video but there are two errors: 1. The 8 blade Scimitar propeller was introduced with the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, not earlier models. 2. The video is incorrect regarding the need for the four fin vertical stabilizer. The purpose of the stabilizer is not the weight and complexity of the aircraft. It compensates for the unidirectional spin of both engines. Most twin prop aircraft have one propeller spinning clockwise and the opposite engine's prop spinning counter-clockwise to cancel the resulting torque on th airplane and maintain stable, controlled flight. But the Navy decided it was cheaper and easier on the technicians to have both engines spin the same direction. This also reduced the number of spare engines needed (engines that spin in opposite directions cannot be substituted for each other). However, in order to counter the significant torque this would induce, Grumman put four vertical stabilizers on the plane, as opposed to the usual one or only two it would normally need (depending on which tail configuration worked best for a given airplane).
I'm glad Dark Skies got to this one, we always hear about the fighters and the bombers but never about their critical support assets.
Awacs is cooler
@@jag34 You do realize that without this aircraft the AWACS would not have been possible, right?
@@jag34 You've just proven the point
@@LostInTheFarmersMarket
It would have been possible. If they didn’t put it on a 707 they would have put it on something else.
@@greggstrasser5791 That's not quite how R&D works though. They had to prototype the tech somewhere else get the kinks out so that someone could determine that a bigger better version was possible. With stuff like this there is a line of development.
I am a retired USAF mission crew member on the E3 AWACS and I can assure you the the US Air Force never flew the Hawkeye as you stated early in this video. I’ve known a few E2 crew members and have worked with the Hawkeye in several operations and for the most part the rest of the information in this video seems to be fairly accurate.
I think he purposely drops a mistake or three in each of his videos just to spark up conversations in the comment section. In nearly every video by this dude that I've seen I've been able to identify at least one, and often more than two things he says that are partially or totally false. If it is his strategy to get more comments it seems to be working as there's always a lot of comments on his videos. If it's not then this dude is kinda dumb.
@@Anthus. I think you may be right, I’ve noticed this too, this is the only one I could verify through experience though. Shame because for the most part his videos are pretty good.
Even I as a lifelong US civilian (dependent tho) knows the E-2 is a US Navy aircraft.
Cory, what crew position? I was a CDMT in the 964th out of Tinker.
@@Anthus. TH-camrs need comments to help the algorithms.
My grandad actually was one of the engineers who worked on this. He also worked on the EA6B Prowler.
Also, 7:21 originally, the E-2 did feature four-bladed propellers, and it wasn’t until the E-2c that the eight-bladed propellers become implemented.
Long Island?
@@bigbluebelly67
Yessir.
I immediately noticed this little error and was about to post it but you beat me to it :-)
I was at Force Warfare Pax River when they were trying to figure out the prop balancing. Believe it was the Hawkeye 2000 program in the late 90's. I was on the P-3 side.
Gerard you beat me to the propeller comment haha. With those new props it also got improved engines.
Fantastic to see this! My uncle spent almost his entire career with Grumman, most of it as a technician on this plane, after getting his masters in engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic. He got to travel all over the world, spending time at US bases and on the occasional carrier, as well at US allies who were evaluating the plane. He logged just over 2,000 flight hours on the various models over the decades, proudly displaying the certificates for each milestone.
He took early retirement from Grumman and then spent the most lucrative part of his career at various job shops, where his analog skills were in increasing demand as the younger generation concentrated on digital radar. He should have enjoyed a long and prosperous retirement, had not Alzheimer's claimed him early, in his mid 60s.
He loved that plane and the role it played in our country's defense. I just dug out the denim jacket I had as a kid, on which my mom had sewn the E-2 patch -- "SIC EM BABY" -- which he gave me (the patch featuring a bad-ass hawk with the F-14 Tomcat kitty perched on his outstretched wing).
I miss him every day and am going to have a drink in his honor, wearing the jacket, this weekend.
I flew one in Vietnam waters during the war in 72-73...outstanding performance and capabilities. We finally mined Haiphong harbor and others with our other aircraft after political ineptitude during the war...the E2 was there and although late...we kicked ass...
I must have served with you aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, we were there in 72 from March until I resigned in September of 72. I was a senior plane captain and 2nd shift brown shirt leader; a launch inspector, and an aircraft engine mech in VAW-114. I initially served in RVAW-110 from 69 to 71!
I was on Ranger (CVA 61) as a Nugget flying the E-1B. Flew the lead mission of Linebacker 2 - A tough campaign especially for the Airforce. Ranger lost one A-7 flown by Phillip (Flip) Clark. Flip was shot down on December 24th. I flew a SAR mission to try and contact him on Christmas day. His remains were returned after the war ended.
The eight bladed prop did not come into play until 1999, when the Hawkeye 2000, which is an E-2C, was put into production. Prior to that they had the four bladed props.
Was commenting that I was at PAX in the late 90's
8 blades did not hit the fleet until 2004, the video is only 40 years off
Yep, we only had 4 blades per engine! I don't know if you ever had a rework on the attachment points on the tail, but I was the one that found the issue with that when I served in RVAW-110 at NAS North Island.
Your OWN video @ 8:07 shows the 4-bladed props.😆
Fun fact: the Hawkeye shares wings, engines and components with the C-2a greyhound, the carrier onboard delivery and mail plane. Also, the manufacturer Northrup Grumman was also the provider of your high endurance post office truck. So the eyes of the fleet are by pedigree mostly an old mail truck.
Not since the mid 90's... they have the T56-A-427. The C-2s have the 425s...unless they upgraded . Either way; they have upside-down engines to the P-3 lol.
They made a nice canoe too .
It looks like an E-2 with no radar dome, right? Are those the same C-2's often tasked with transporting any VIP's who are visiting the ship? (i.e.; foreign dignitaries, politicians, high ranking military personnel, researchers, etc.)
@@Anthus. early on they shared the same engine/prop and other bits. Airframe has always been very different between a trash hauler and hummer. If I remember correctly, you are thinking about the older Tracker that is shown.
Don’t forget the canoes.
Always get stoked for every dark upload
I was a "jet mech" and plane captain on the E-2C. I was with VAW-124 stationed out of NAS Norfolk and served aboard the USS America when at sea. Originally known as the Bullseye Hummers, the squadron changed over to a new name - the Bear Aces as a result of operations in Iceland. Also, it was124 who directed the 14's to the Libyan SU-22 Fitters and provided tracking of TWA flight 847.
I was with VFA-15 in the early 2000s and 124 was with our CAG. I always told you guys that your problem was that the engine was upside down. 🙃 Was an old EP-3Eer. Did run your engines at AIMD Sicily.
What years were you in 124? I was in it from 02-07
@@RifullOfTheWest I was in from 76-80
@@abominablesnowman1137 i was an A.T. for 124 on Nimitz cvn 68 and when they went to the Roosevelt cvn 71 worked both o level and aimd
I freaking LOVE this plane. It’s arguably one of the most important aircraft in the sky at any given moment within the US, NATO, allies, etc… The only other two planes that are equally as impressive are the Poseidon to have over oceans/seas and the Boeing 707/320 E-3 AWACS, which are absolutely amazing too…
This is really informative with (I think) a calmer presentation style that really helps make it so much more watchable. A lot of effort has obviously gone into making this video and it shows.
Well, what do I say. We have been liking it this way for ages now.
If you think this is good then why did he say the Hawkeye is operated by the USAF?
@@neiloflongbeck5705 …. I enjoy these videos. However if we know much about the subject we notice the inaccuracies. Foreign air forces do operate the E-2 Hawkeye. But not the USAF. They have their own E-3 Sentry series AWAC’s aircraft. Which is also used by foreign air forces.
Yes,that's why I subscribed too. Good team on this channel.
If you think this is good you should see some of his other channels too he has a very concise way of explaining every event vehicle aircraft or system
my grandpa worked on the radar for this plane, and he always told stories about the radar, thanks for this video!
The Hawkeye is an amazing aircraft.
These were my birds in the Navy. I love the Hawkeyes. VAW-112 Golden Hawks.
Such an amazing aircraft and capability. I was awesome to work with them back in my Navy days.
The popping sound produced by the props makes this easy to identify when it flies over my neighborhood doing touch and go's at the local base.
Thanks
I was with VAW-124 1975 through 1978 (Bullseye Hummers) aboard America as an enlisted E2-C aircrewman, radar operator. I had hundreds of flights in the E2 over those years, many of them piloted by JM Ledy who commented on this video (great pilot). An amazing airplane with incredible capabilities back then. I can only imagine what it can do today. J Ledy this is CP.
I flew the E2 for 17 of my 20 years in the Navy. I was in VAW-124 when the Bear Ace patch was conceived and designed by LtJG Paul Shaw and LtJG Ken Wyke in our 6 man stateroom. It was originally only awarded the crews that had 3 TU-95 Bear intercepts. F14 crews could also be awarded the patch for 3 intercepts.
VAW-122 NFO here. We must have been close in rag class dates. Too bad the PC culture made you get rid of the best E-2C squadron patch. BTW, "Bob Cranston" is the name we used to reserve our party rooms during port visits. Do you know Rob Remsing?
@@bobcranston3414 May be a little odd topic but did you see top gun the original in one of the scenes i belive the guy called wolfman had the afor mentioned patch on his flight suit
I love this guy he is a legend keep up the great work thank you!
Music level and content really good on this one----you are back!
Great plane..well needed technology for the forces 👍
My dad was stationed in Florida when the US Coast Guard leased some of these from the navy in the early 90's for drug interdiction. The E2 crew's would be used to detect "Go Fasts" from Cuba, then coordinate with US ships to intercept the drug runners. He stated that "we became so good at catching those Go Fasts, they (drug runners) eventually stopped trying to send them anywhere near our patrol routes & we ran ourselves out of business."
Seen this at London airshow and it STOLE the show!! Amazing plane snd pilots!
Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up for support
Love these documentaries. I love how you do stories about aircraft that might be as famous as others but play just an important role as the well known fighters and bombers. Ever think about doing one on the Grummin A-6 intruder
I keep seeing new dark skies and think "when is he gonna run out of content" snd then think of all the stuff I'm looking forward to! Still haven't seen the Star Fighter, Flankers, Thunderchief, or C-17 Globemaster etc. I can't wait to see them!
Airborne radar was initially developed during WWII, primarily used on night fighters-not in the 1950’s as stated.
I think they meant early warning radar aircraft like the EC-121.
He doesn’t state “airborne radar” was developed in the 1950’s....he explicitly refers to the entire “airborne early warning aircraft” concept as being developed in the 1950’s. A night fighter with a primitive radar doesn’t fit the requirement.
@@33moneyball the only difference between the two is the range of the radar system the aircraft had equipped.
@@PvtPartzz so your point is still wrong since you referred to airborne radar in the 50s vs op who referred to airborne early warning aircraft. this isn't middle school where the teacher gives you partial credit because they 'knew' where you were going but answer by itself is still wrong. geeze 12year olds everywhere on youtube.... edit: dont worry when you grow up you will understand why the world is like this
@@JohnAdams-qc2ju you’re the one being immature. The way it was stated was misleading and that was the point. It was unclear and anyone that didn’t have a better grasp of history may have misunderstood. Not everything has to be an argument or an insult. Grow up.
I served as PC in E-2 squadron VAW121 during the Gulf War period. Our squadron received both Battle E and AEW awards during this period. I drew up a special squadron patch and also designed by request some nose art inspired by WWII designs/ 90’s Vargas interpretations- which perhaps were deemed to risqué by the brass to paint on the aircraft.
Thanks from Texas Dark Dude
Interesting. My father worked on the E-2 and held a patent on a radar video recorder system used on the earlier models. +20 years later I did some work with what became the D model. Also as has been pointed out, 8-bladed props did not come out until the tail end of the C model operational run (~2004).
What version of the E-2 are they up to now?
@@Followme556 E2-D is the current version.
@@mrkevinjmiller Thanks.
Thank you for honoring my request.
Always great videos keep them coming much appreciated thanks👍👍👍
It really is quite a remarkable aircraft. And a great way to get radar orders of magnitude higher than any ground or ship-based version.
And keep in mind that the capabilities talked about with this aircraft are just what we know. It is entirely possible that a far more sophisticated version exists that we are not allowed to know about. But even if there isn't, this is still a valuable asset on any battlefield. You can't engage an enemy if you don't know where they are.
It's so crazy to watch this plane being flown from the cockpit. Crazy input controls due to the asymmetrical flying surfaces.
Asymmetrical how? It looks…awkward but not asymmetrical, except for the cooling or ram thing on the starboard side.
At cruising speed the Hawkeye trimmed up well and was extremely responsive to control movements. When dirty (Gear and flaps down) she lumbered and demanded constant attention to maintain lineup, angle of attack and glideslope. When you watch a pilot making the approach you would expect the airplane to be dancing all over the place. To the outside observer that was not apparent. Main lesson learned: Never quit flying her until you are in the wires and fully stopped. E-2B CAPC and LSO.
Also, the dome is aerodynamically neutral.
Hi guys, from Singapore here! We retired the hawkeyes a couple years back :)
Excellent, well done video. BZ👍
Apart from all the errors such as ignoring the TBM-3W AEW aircraft introduce to the war in the Pacific in May 1945 on the USS Enterprise.
One of your best vids
You have to give this plane respect.It have saved a lot of lives.Also not a bad looking plane. Very good vidio thank you.
That 8 blade and different prop design came later. It caused lots of issues, and cost some good lives. One of the planes that regularly graces the skies of my home with its sounds of freedom. Over 30 years of talking to the generations of pilots and crew members has given me a great appreciation for this legendary aircraft.
Incredible footage and narration 😃🖒🖒
Ooo.. wow so much wrong here. The first US Navy operational experience with AEW came in early 1944, with several radar equipped TBF Avengers flying off USS Enterprise. They were paired with two fighters for nighttime interception of incoming attacks. The radar antennae was hand directed by the radioman/radar operator. Following a great deal of success with surface search radar equipped PBY’s hunting subs, the follow up Coronado’s had some radar equipped variants for airborne search and early warning. Not a dedicated system for aerial targets yet, and still limited to a forward looking sweep. But the basics were coming together. Oh and the E-2’s started out with 4 bladed props. They didn’t get the 8 blades until a 2000’s era engine upgrade. In part for noise reduction. The Hawkeyes are by far the noisiest things the Navy flies.
To be pedantic it was the TBM-3W that carried the radar set.
@@neiloflongbeck5705 Fair point.
The A-6's are sure freakin' noisy.
Guys, YOUR information is correct, unfortunately this channel is not known for fact checking their info before they post videos!
@@OldSeaDoggy There is something about Turbo Prop engines that just put out a far greater volume of noise, and it has a physical component that can be debilitating. I think it's related to the multi blade propeller blades each breaking the sound barrier. It creates this harmonic that will rip out your dental filings. The most infamous example was that crazy experimental Mack 1 Turboprop lovingly nicknamed the Thunderscreech. The sound from it was like a non lethal weapon. It would incapacitate its ground crew with waves of nausea. While not that bad the Hawkeye was for decades by far the loudest thing on a carrier. The new engines and props help reduce it quite a bit, but its still painful. The old props were the standard 4 blade straight props. The newer ones have those 8 curving blades.
My dad flew E-2 Hawkeyes. VAW-123 The World Famous Screwtops!
I was part of the Screwtops from 90-94 on the America
@@makeityourself1 my dad was on SARATOGA in the early 70’s.
I grew up in San Diego near the flight path of naval planes out of Coronado. When I was a kid, I never knew what the dome did on those planes, other that I knew it was some kind of radar. They had a deep growl to their engine sound….perhaps because of the propellers. Thanks for the video.
That sound is how it got its nickname - the Hummer. The newer 8-bladed props no longer have that same tone.
23 year Hawkeye guy here. They didn’t always have eight bladed propellers. The eight bladed prop didn’t hit the Fleet until after 2000 - hence dubbed “Hawkeye 2000.”
Keep it up awesome videos on all your channels love it
I really enjoyed your profile of this aircraft. If you are interested in doing more of this type of video, might I suggest some of the C-130 purpose built platforms such as EC-130 Compass Call, Commando Solo, and ABCCC. RC-135 variants would be good as well. Great Job on this video!
I love your channels
There's a little but: the first E-2 Hawkeye series were using 4-bladed propellers, while the most recent are currently using 8-bladed propellers with the blades having a scimitar shape.
8:04 That's my squadron, VAW-122 Steeljaws. Judging by the A-7 and A-6 parked next to it, this was the 1989 cruise on USS FORRESTALL. I'm sure I logged many hours in that exact airframe. BTW, the port inboard vertical stab was static - no moveable control surfaces.
I was in VAW123 69-71 & RVAW120 71-73 , E2A & E2B Hummer was the only aircraft I worked on in my 4 years in the US Navy .
Man i love this channel
I know a pilot who spent his entire naval career flying the E-2 for Navy. Then he retire to Florida and the Navy asked him to fly E-2 now as a civilian contractor pilot, out of which ever naval base in Florida. Other naval pilots are long gone, many with no more piloting at all, because the days of their jet or helicopter aircraft were over. Not those on the E-2s.. I would think, though the missions would be boring, but some E-2 pilot could comment.
Probably flying as USGC support for narco trafficking.
Our E-2 Hawkeye fleet is critical to the defense of our nation.
Excellent video!
Haven’t gone through all the comments to see if anyone had mentioned the twin $550 ashtrays that were retrofitted to the E-2C in the 1980s. That’s about $1,400 today. The issue was the smoke and ash could pose a problem with the electronics over time. Because of the long time on station and high prevalence of smoking then, a ban on smoking wasn’t practical. It was a contracting scandal but Grumman hardly made money on the custom gear. No doubt the US Navy could have found a cheaper supplier but I guess this was easier and took less time.
I remember hearing about those ash treys and the price tag that went with them. Never did find them in the cockpit when I flew the planes. The cost can be explained as a very small production run. Over just a few items made, you have to spread the cost of the design engineers salaries, the making of the tools to produce the items, and any other costs associated with creating a product. We are so use to an ash trey costing only a few dollars, that we don’t realize all of the initial cost of creating the product is spread over many thousands of units sold, which greatly reduces the cost per unit. You will just not have the economy of scale with this type of market.
@@flyboy38a They were for operators in the back. There are solid engineering and project management reasons for asking a high-overhead / high cost contractor like Grumman to make some apparently trivial items and then - following DCAA costing requirements - spread all those heavy ancillary costs on top of time and materials. Would a bunch of beanbag ashtrays have done the job? Was the whole idea overkill? That's another issue. There were multiple "scandals" like this at the same time with DCAA costing requirements for low volume items. And the "$600 toilet seat," which was actually a fiberglass latrine holding tank cover. That item cost about the same as one for a Boeing 727 at the time, The actual toilet seat was $8, less than a similar item at Walmart in the day. That said, everyone knows that a lot of money is wasted in defense procurement.
Yup- Can confirm we still had those ash trays on our A/C in 90-92.
Outstanding, the eyes & ears of our carrier groups. Without them defending the carrier groups would be a lot harder than today. Not sure they can help with a ballistic attack but what do I know.
Plus the 8 blade prop is the “D” model, and fairly recent..
I remember seeing the changes starting while I was over in Atsugi Japan, early 2000s.
Actually the C model switched over to 8 blade props in the early 2000s long before the E-2D was active.
E2 A and B and early C had 4 bladed props with 4,000 HP.
Airframes troubleshooter and tech 1970 - 73 VAW 123, Sucking 60 from Dixie. As far as carriers go.... 35 kts top speed. She was fast and rarely went on water hours.
Music is bumpin' in this video.
I served in two E2C Hawkeye squadrons as AME. I also got to pilot one for my reenlistment.
I'm surprised you went with the E-2 instead of the E-3 as the E-3 just celebrated 50 years since the first flight. Also surprised you didn't cover the EC-121 Warning Star which, while not carrier based, was utilized by the Navy for the similar role during the same time as the E-1 and early E-2 use
AWACS, or the E-2CharlieHawkeye, is my favorite bird. You had to be careful not to walk through the props of these beauties. There are legends of Sailors walking through the props twice and not being sawed. There are also legends of poop bandits on carriers. They poop in random places on the ship. It is all a mystery. God allowed me to serve with Carrier Airwing 3. He allowed me to learn the Art of War at Sea with the very best, and to know that the number one rule of war is that you should never fight one unless you have to.
Interesting aircraft.
In US it is only operated by USN. USAF does not fly them. Also the first planes did not come with 8 prop blades. It started with C model. Difference from E1 was that E2 has a turbo prop engine not a piston-compound one. Also Japan and Singapore no longer use E2.
My father work on the E-2 Hawkeye for Grumman in early 1960's
We really need a Dark Skies on the EA-3B Skywarrior
The B-66 Destroyer version was sexier.
@@Trev0r98 Navy men climb out of their plane, Air Force ejects, lol
@@jeffmorse906 I meant, appearance-wise.
USAF has any Hawkeyes? Don think so.
That's what i thought so! Goes to show, this guy is paid to just read. Not really know what he's reading or talking about....smh
I think he just meant they worked with the USAF, not that they flew them.
@@kellybustell769 he didn't say that.
@@kellybustell769 he makes enormous mistakes in almost every video so i will go along with his poor record and say he just made another goof up
They built these in the Bethpage Grumman "iron works" on long Island. As a kid in the 70's and 80's, we'd see them flying over on the regular. Once in a while, the distinct roar of a tomcat or two would send us kids scrambling to get a look at the sky. Good times.
That factory now sits as an unused toxic waste dump.
See "Grumman plume"
i saw one of those do touch and goes at my local airport, crazy and awesome lookin plane irl
EXCELLENT!
Please do a video on the Intruder/prowler.
06:10 Italy has entered the chat
New music! I like it
Hawkeye is one of those planes that will probably reach 100 years flying
Awesome video. Music not necessary.
The original Hawkeyes had four bladed props. The eight bladed props were an improvement in the recent past( 2011 if I remember correctly).
The early Hawkeyes had four blade propellers with Allison T56 engines. The aircraft and engines have been upgraded over the years. The current advanced Hawkeye has Allison (now Rolls-Royce) T56-A427A engines with the advanced, swept, 8-blade propellers.
Edit: corrected a typo on the engine model. Fat thumbs...
Yup. The narrator made an informational error by stating, (around 7:20 into the video) the Hawkeye, unlike the Tracer with 4 bladed props, the Hawkeye had 8.
these look cool
Good narration! It’s less…emphatic and more natural.
The E-2 came from manufacturing at first with a four bladed propellers that were upgraded later with eight bladed props. I know, I had to hook up and unhook huffer that was connected inside wheelwell that was inches from those meat grinders.
This reminds me of the Wings show on discovery back when they had shows
When I worked on the E-2C Hawkeye back in 2004, they came out with a computer system called the Grim Reaper and it enabled the Hawkeye to become a literal nightmare for every freedom hating country in the world. It had the capability with 1 sweep of the radome to destroy every computer flat screen TV within a 1000 mile radius
The eight blades weren't used until early 2000s when Northrop upgraded all E-2 planes under one the "Milestone" upgrade programs. 2004 I believe.
I think it's indicated the 8-bladed propeller system was new as of 2004, so for the first ~40 years it was 4-bladed.
The eye in the sky!
Next can you do C-2 Grey Hound the only one Carrier On delivery
E-2 was also recently upgraded with in-flight refueling capability which further supports mission success. Pun intended 😁👍🏻Go Hawkeye!!! In future they'll need to be fitted with sophisticated control assets for drone support and tactical deployment.
Near the beginning of the video you worded your commentary in a way that indicated the US Air Force flew E-2s. When I was flying them we did work with the Air Force sending data back and forth to coordinated the battle space. But the Air Force was NOT flying the E-2s. Now, I have not heard anything recently on flight operations, so I don’t know if the Air Force has picked up some E-2s in the past 10 plus years. So you could be correct when referring to recent times, but not back in the 1970s through the 2000s. Also, I think enough people have pointed out the 4 bladed vs. 8 bladed miss information.
The USAF still doesn’t operate the E2
@@Aaron-wq3jz I didn't think they did, but you never know when they may acquire one for testing purposes. We do swap aviation personnel to learn about the other services and when I was on my second cruise we had an Air Force officer with us who had served on AWACS and was then getting his experience operating the radar on the E-2C. I don't know how many pilots are exchanged since it is a major training curve coming in the Navy and learning to land on carriers vs going to the Air Force and doing regular landings on land, and that is training Air Force pilots just don't need.
Nice!!
Dark skies, you forget to mentioned that Taiwan was also a user of the E2 Hawkeye which theirs was E2T/K variant which are former E2C Hawkeye upgraded to Hawkeye 2000 standards.
Singapore and Israel used the E2 Hawkeye back in the 80s and retired them in mid 2000s. Replacing with the Israelites Gulfstream G550 AEW.
From one Hawkeye to another:"Done 18, shot 18, can't seemed to miss."
When I was stationed at Ft Story, VA. A friend of mine and I road back and forth to work. These radar planes would trip his anti cop radar.
5:39 to forty eight. Poetry in motion.
No screwy contrarotating props. Just more blades.
Worked new production E2D at the manufacturing plant until i retired last year.
Pretty bad ass for a carrier based aircraft.
The E-2 c had 4 blade propellers The E-2d has the 8 blade propellers
It wouldn’t be Dark Skies if he didn’t get something wrong
The 8 blades are not a distinguishing characteristic of the E-2D. E-2Cs we’re all switched over to 8 blades in the early 2000s and the E-2D only hit the fleet in 2014.
`Only one small correction. The 8 bladed props came out with the E-2D Before that it was just 4 bladed props Also just recently the ability to add an aerial refueling ability has been added
e2-c advanced hawkeye had the 8 blades first
@@gregperks4617 Thank you for the correction. My bad
Nice video but there are two errors: 1. The 8 blade Scimitar propeller was introduced with the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, not earlier models. 2. The video is incorrect regarding the need for the four fin vertical stabilizer. The purpose of the stabilizer is not the weight and complexity of the aircraft. It compensates for the unidirectional spin of both engines. Most twin prop aircraft have one propeller spinning clockwise and the opposite engine's prop spinning counter-clockwise to cancel the resulting torque on th airplane and maintain stable, controlled flight. But the Navy decided it was cheaper and easier on the technicians to have both engines spin the same direction. This also reduced the number of spare engines needed (engines that spin in opposite directions cannot be substituted for each other). However, in order to counter the significant torque this would induce, Grumman put four vertical stabilizers on the plane, as opposed to the usual one or only two it would normally need (depending on which tail configuration worked best for a given airplane).