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≈$5.38B Navy DEFINITIVE CONTRACT N0001913C9999

E-2D early warning aircraft: ~$5.4B for the second full-rate production lot — the line between trying and building (Northrop Grumman, Navy)

Department of the Navy ・2013-05-13 〜 2026-12-31

The U.S. Navy awarded Northrop Grumman the second full-rate production tranche of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft, valued at about $5.38 billion, running from May 2013 to December 2026. FRP in the scope stands for Full Rate Production, marking the point at which the build-a-few-and-check stage is over.

Contract key facts

  • RecipientNorthrop Grumman
  • Contract value$5,375,141,527 (≈$5.38B)
  • BranchNavy
  • Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
  • Awarding sub-agencyDepartment of the Navy
  • Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
  • Period of performance2013-05-13 〜 2026-12-31
  • Contract ID (PIID)N0001913C9999

Contract scope (original)

E-2D ADVANCED HAWKEYE AIRCRAFT (FRP-2)

Key points

  • The Navy awarded Northrop Grumman the second full-rate production tranche of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
  • Value about $5.38 billion ($5,375,141,527 cumulative); period May 13, 2013 to December 31, 2026.
  • FRP is Full Rate Production; the preceding stage, LRIP, builds a limited number for operational testing.
  • The E-2D is a carrier-based early warning aircraft; cost is driven by onboard electronics and their integration.
  • Recorded outlays in this data are about $168.22 million. Aircraft quantities are not in the recorded scope.
  • LRIP is the stage of building a few to surface problems; FRP is the stage where verification has passed and the rate may rise.

1FRP is the name of a stage

FRP at the end of the scope stands for Full Rate Production, marking that procurement has left the stage of building a small number as a trial. The stage before it is LRIP — Low Rate Initial Production — where a limited number is built and put through operational testing to surface problems in the design and in the manufacturing process. Moving to FRP means that check has been passed and the rate may rise.

Where "LRIP" appears in other contracts on this site, it sits on the near side of the same yardstick.

2What an early warning aircraft is for

The E-2D is a carrier-based early warning aircraft: the rotating radar above the fuselage watches a wide volume of airspace and shares what it detects with ships and other aircraft. It does not attack, but knowing what is where is a precondition for everything else. Unit cost runs high less because of the airframe than because of the electronics carried and the work of integrating them.

3What the record shows

The recipient is Northrop Grumman, the awarding component is the Navy, the figure is cumulative at about $5.38 billion, and the period stretches thirteen and a half years, from May 2013 to December 2026. Recorded outlays in this data are about $168.22 million, but public outlay fields can be incompletely recorded and cannot be read as an execution rate. Aircraft quantities are not in the recorded scope.

4The stage of proving, and the stage of raising the rate

Procurement is divided into stages. FRP at the end of the description marks that this award has left the stage of building a few to try.

LRIP (low-rate initial production)FRP (full-rate production)
A small number built and put through operational testingVerification passed, and the rate may be raised
Problems in design and process are surfacedProceeds on the premise those problems are solved
Cost per aircraft tends to be highVolume gathers and unit cost tends to fall
Contracts are cut into small lotsStill by lot, but at larger scale

For one and the same type, contracts divide at this boundary. Aggregating public data by type name alone mixes contracts of different character. The three-letter abbreviation in a description is the clue to which stage an award belongs to. The E-2D is a carrier-based early-warning aircraft whose rotating radar watches a wide volume of airspace and shares what it detects with ships and other aircraft.

Why it matters

The move from LRIP to FRP is the point at which order volumes for parts and line utilization step up, concentrating decisions on equipment and staffing across the supplier base. Laying out contracts for one aircraft by stage in the public data shows when production began in earnest and how modifications accumulated afterwards.

FAQ

What data is this?
A single Department of Defense (DoD) federal procurement contract recorded in "USAspending," the U.S. open government-spending dataset. The recipient, awarding component, value, and scope are public. This site is not an official U.S. government website.
Is the amount final?
It is a cumulative figure as of collection. Large defense contracts accumulate modifications over many years, so amounts change. The latest figure is available at the source, USAspending.
How do FRP and LRIP differ?
LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) builds a limited number for operational testing to surface design and manufacturing problems. FRP (Full Rate Production) is the stage after that check has been passed and the rate may rise.
What does an early warning aircraft do?
It watches a wide volume of airspace by radar and shares what it detects with ships and other aircraft. It does not attack, but that situational picture is a precondition for the rest of an operation.

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Sources (primary)

This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.

#Defense#DoD#Navy#Aircraft#Early warning#Production stage#Federal contracts

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