E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier early-warning aircraft, Full-Rate Production Lot 7: ~$8.48B — the Navy's award to Northrop Grumman (USAspending)
Per USAspending, the U.S. Navy awarded Full-Rate Production (FRP) Lot 7 of the carrier-borne early-warning aircraft "E-2D Advanced Hawkeye" to Northrop Grumman. The value is about $8.48 billion ($8,478,019,988), a definitive contract running February 2018–February 2030. As the fleet's "eyes in the sky," detecting and controlling distant threats, it is a linchpin of carrier strike group air defense.
Contract key facts
- RecipientNorthrop Grumman
- Contract value$8,481,306,482 (≈$8.48B)
- BranchNavy
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
- Awarding sub-agencyDepartment of the Navy
- Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
- Period of performance2018-02-15 〜 2030-02-01
- Contract ID (PIID)N0001918C1037
Contract scope (original)
E-2D ADVANCED HAWKEYE AIRCRAFT (FRP-7)
Key points
- The Navy awarded the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (Full-Rate Production Lot 7 / FRP-7) to Northrop Grumman. Cumulative ~$8.48B ($8,478,019,988).
- Definitive contract, performance February 15, 2018 – February 1, 2030.
- The E-2D is a carrier-borne AEW&C aircraft — the "eyes in the sky" that detect and control distant threats.
- "FRP-7" is the seventh lot of Full-Rate Production — full production beyond LRIP (early production).
- A long, multi-lot production contract — continued investment in the foundation of carrier strike group air defense.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is a carrier-operated airborne early-warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft with a large disc-shaped radar (rotodome) mounted atop the fuselage. For a carrier strike group, catching aircraft and missiles that approach from behind the horizon or in radar blind spots as early as possible is vital.
As those "eyes in the sky," the E-2D detects threats far beyond the ships' own radar and distributes the information to friendly ships and fighters to orchestrate the intercept — a flying control tower, in effect.
The "FRP-7" in this contract's description means the seventh lot of Full-Rate Production. Procurement generally passes through "low-rate initial production (LRIP)," building a small number first to evaluate, then moves to full-scale production — full-rate production — if there are no problems.
It is the counterpart to the LRIP (early-production lots) touched on in our F-35 articles; FRP is the "full-production lots" beyond it. This pattern of buying lot by lot is common across major U.S. equipment.
A cumulative ~$8.48B and a long performance span from 2018 to 2030 show this is not merely lining up airframes to buy, but a contract sustaining multi-lot production over several years. The effectiveness of the costly carrier platform is upheld by the aircraft that protect it and serve as its eyes.
Continued investment in the E-2D reads as investment in the foundation that maintains the entire carrier strike group's air-defense capability.
Why it matters
The carrier-borne early-warning aircraft is a linchpin sustaining a carrier strike group's air defense and command-and-control, and a long, multi-lot production contract shows continued investment in maintaining that capability. Full-Rate Production (FRP) as lot-by-lot procurement is a pattern common to major U.S. equipment, understandable in pairing with LRIP (early production). As the scale of investment in the "eyes" that make a costly carrier platform work, it is useful to readers tracking the defense industry and security.
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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.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID)：N0001918C1037