#Grumman E-2 Hawkeye | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lonestarflight · 4 months

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"Leads a group of Grumman-manufactured first-line Navy aircraft in formation. At top is an F-14 Tomacat fighter. An E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft on the bottom, A-6E Intruder attack plane is at left, and an EA-6B Prowler ECM plane is at right."

Naval History and Heritage Command: K-116900

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usafphantom2 · 11 months

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flickr

Vietnam war by Linh Yoshimura Via Flickr: 1965 - Aerial photograph showing a profile view of a United States Navy Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, from Early Warning Squadron 11 (VAW-11), nicknamed the "Early Elevens", with a large radar dish (radom) mounted above the main cabin and the numbers "740" on its nose, while in flight.

#Grumman E-2 Hawkeye #US Navy #Vietnam war #VAW-11 #flickr

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nocternalrandomness · 8 months

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Navy Hawkeye's arriving at Oshkosh

#USN #Grumman #E-2 #Hawkeye #Early warning aircraft #Navy aviation #Military #Airplane

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planehistoria · 2 years

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Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye – Eye in the Sky

The E-2 Hawkeye is a small airborne early warning aircraft that serves the US Navy in possibly the most critical role. This outstanding machine has been transferred to various armed forces and is known as the 'Hummer' due to the unusual sound of the turboprop engines.

With Airborne Early Warning (AEW) capability, the E-1 Tracer was introduced to the US Navy in the mid-1950s, with an extremely bulbous teardrop-shaped device perched atop the wings of a short, stubby aircraft.

While this appeared unique, it gave tactical combat data to other US carrier-based aircraft. Essentially, it was a flying radar system.

Shortly after the E-1's release, the military saw the potential of the capacity to gather important information and keep one step ahead of the enemy Shortly after the E-1 was introduced, a requirement for its replacement was established: the E-2 Hawkeye.

Endurance is crucial for these types of aircraft. The E-2 was required to have a 6-hour endurance, hence fuel efficiency was one of the major priorities.

Two Rolls Royce T56-A-427 turboprop engines each producing 5,100 shaft horsepower (3,800 kW) were used to do this.

The E-2 can reach a high speed of 400 mph (650 km/h) and has a range of over 1,600 miles thanks to these powerful and fuel-efficient engines.

Four years after the E-1, the E-2 prototype flew for the first time, and the E-2A entered the US Navy in 1964.

#Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye #Northrop Grumman E-2 #Northrop Grumman #History #aircraft #E-2 Hawkeye #Planehistoria

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amanitacz · 2 years

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Model of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye pixelated

Link to see more about this model on Turbosquid.com:

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-model-e2-hawkeye-pixelated-1920625?referral=amanitacz

Link to the whole gallery:

https://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Artists/amanitacz?referral=amanitacz

Link to the software:

http://www.cazaba.cz/

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qs63 · 3 months

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Amestris Military Real world Influence

This is the third of my series of long posts about the Amestrian Military. This is the post for the history nerds. There are plenty of real world references in Fullmetal Alchemist, especially pertaining to the first half of the 20th century. While Amestris and its military have often been compared to Nazi Germany (especially when it comes to the anime), the references in the manga are very diverse. Disclaimer, this is by no means an exhaustive list, there are too many for me to cover in one post, and I'm not a historian. So let me know if there's any reference I might have missed or if I got something wrong!

To see the rest of this meta series check out the Main Post..

Names

Probably the easiest reference to the real world is in the names of the military personnel. Almost all of them are named after military vehicles and equipment, mainly from World War II. Some examples:

Roy Mustang — P-51 Mustang (USA WW2 aircraft)

Riza Hawkeye & Grumman — Northrop Hawkeye E-2 Grumman (USA 60s aircraft)

Maes Hughes — Hughes aircraft series (USA aircraft company)

Black Hayate — Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Japanese WW2 aircraft)

Jean Havoc & Henry Douglas— Douglas A-20 Havoc (USA WW2 aircraft)

Heymans Breda — Breda M37 (Italy WW2 Machine gun) or HMS Breda (UK WW2 Yacht)

Kain Fuery — Hawker Fury (UK 30s aircraft)

Vato Falman — Farman aircrafts series (French aircraft company)

Armstrong Family — Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (UK WW2 aircraft)

Weapons and equipment

The weapons used by the military are also based on real world weaponry. Arakawa herself admitted to using references for weapons as well as for the vehicles.[1] Not all of them are a direct copy of a historical weapon, but all of them are at least inspired by one or more of them.

Pistol — Colt M1911A1 (USA 1924)

Hawkeye's pistol. [1]

Colt M1911 & M1911A

Rifle — Mauser Karabiner 98k (Germany WW2)

Hawkeye's Rifle. [1]

Mauser Karabiner 98k rifle

Hand grenade — Stielhandgranate M24 aka the potato mashers (Germany WW2)

Team Mustang's and their weapons. [1]

Stielhandgranate M24

Briggs' Tank

The Briggs' tank isn’t modeled directly after any specific tank, and rather takes inspiration from different WW1 to WW2 tanks. The manga and Brotherhood tanks take after different inspirations, with Brotherhood being more German coded than the manga tank. There's an excellent article in the tanks encyclopedia analyzing the Fullmetal Alchemist tanks if anyone's interested.

Military Cars —

We see a few military cars throughout the story. Once again the cars we see in the manga and Brotherhood are quite different, and they appear to be based on models from the late 1910s to the late 1930s.

The manga’s standard issued military car looks at least partially inspired by the American Ford model A of 1927.

Mustang's military car(manga).[2]

1927 Ford model A.

The Brotherhood art sketches have two different drawings of military cars. The first one, the one we see Mustang use, is based on the French Citroën traction avant 11CV of 1935.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood military vehicle version 1.

1935 French Citroën traction avant 11CV.

The second car seems to be inspired by the Italian Fiat Tipo 5 of the 1910s. Perhaps even inspired by one of the American made Fiat models.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood military vehicle version 2.

Fiat tipo 55.

Ranks and insignias

With the exception of the Führer-President, the Amestrian military ranks appear to be a mix of the USA WW2 officer ranks:

General,

Lt. General,

Major General,

Brigadier General,

Colonel,

Lt. Colonel,

Major,

Captain,

1st Lieutenant,

2nd lieutenant;

As well as the Imperial Japan NCO ranks:

Warrant officer (Special Sergeant Major),

Master Sergeant,

Sergeant,

Corporal.

The history of the Imperial Japan Warrant Officer rank is a bit confusing and complicated. In the 79 years that the Empire lasted, the Warrant Officer rank saw a lot of changes, being its own category at times, a Senior NCO at others. The NCO Warrant Officers seem to have been specialized Sergeant Majors (also translated as Master Sergeant) that basically functioned as the most senior of the NCO ranks. Aside from this the one modern country, I could find, that has Warrant Officers as NCO is Malaysia.

The rank of Führer-President (大総統 - Daisōtō in Japanese) replaces the rank of General of the army in the USA officer classification. While the English translation is a direct reference to Nazi Germany, the Japanese word is a lot more nuanced.

The word Daisōtō actually refers to the president of the 1912-1924 Republic of China, and if you Google it, all you will get is images of Bradley himself. The term used for “Führer” is 総統 (Sōtō), without the 大 (Dai) which is instead used in the word president 大統領 (Daitōryō), this is probably the inspiration for the Führer-president title of the official English translation.

However, Sōtō isn't used to refer just to Nazi Germany's Führer, but rather to any fascist associated head of state. As such Germany's Sōtō is the Fuhrer, but Italy's Sōtō is the Duce (Mussolini).

The effect is technically the same (you still think of Hitler and fascism), but the Japanese word is not a direct translation of Führer, nor a direct reference to Nazi Germany, it's more subtle than the English translation. I imagine Führer was used in English (in absence of a more subtle unifying word) as it is more recognizable to the English speaker than other fascist titles like: Duce, Caudillo, Generalísimo, etc.

The WW2 imperial Japan ranks also included superior private, first class private, and second class private, but they were their own class, called soldiers, below the NCO ranks, and were mainly composed of men serving their conscripted time. This might explain their absence in the Amestrian official ranks as Amestris doesn't seem to have conscription.

The rank insignias themselves are pretty much a copy of the imperial Japan ones.

Amestris rank insignias.[3]

Imperial Japan ranks insignias.

Uniform

In terms of the uniform there's not one single reference or perfect match for the design, but the closest to it is probably the WW1 French infantry uniform.

Amestris military uniform. [1]

Early WW1 French uniform

Late WW1 French uniform

Aside from the color of the French uniform, the long skirt, flaps and boots are very similar to the Amestrian uniform.

The Amestrian short jacket itself seems to be inspired by the WW2 USA Ike jacket.

USA WW2 Ike jacket.

Furthermore the white lining of the Amestrian uniform reminds me of the Imperial Japan formal uniform jacket, which is itself Prussian and French inspired.

Imperial Japan Major General formal uniform.

The Briggs uniform is very much WWII winter gear inspired.

Briggs uniform.[3]

Soviet WW2 winter uniform

Finnish WWII sniper.

Out of every uniform variation, the one most German coded is, to no one's surprise, the Führer-president’s. His trench coat looks similar to the WW1 Prussian one.

Bradley in uniform.

WW1 Prussian soldiers.

In general the uniform has a very World War I vibe to it, down to the impractical, decorative parts of it like the skirt. This is an uniform that obviously predates modern warfare, very apt for the time period the story is “set on”. This makes an interesting contrast with the weaponry which seem to be mostly World War II inspired.

Other references

Ishval war of extermination

First of all trigger warning for genocide and human experimentation. Just skip this section if you're sensible to these topics.

Just like the Ishvalan are an amalgamation of many cultures and ethnicity, the Ishvalan civil war seems to reference multiple conflicts and events.

Plenty of comparisons have been made with the Jewish genocide in the hands of the Nazi (and the 03 anime leans especially hard on this). There are also similarities with the Herero war and genocide at the hand of the German empire which just like the Ishval Civil war ended in 1908. Another possible reference is the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman empire, which also involved a minority living at the border of a nation the country was at war with and being suspected of colluding with the enemy. Both the Armenian and the Ishvalan soldiers serving in the army were dismissed, incarcerated, and eventually executed.

Another more clear cut reference made in the Ishval civil war is Mustang's and Knox’s experimentation. This would be a reference to the horrendous experiments done by both the Nazi and Japan's infamous unit 731. Both which included burning people to test treatments and the limits of the human body.

I am sorry to end up on such a hard note, but I think it's best we move on to other — less traumatic — topics.

Source

Fullmetal Alchemist Manga

Chapter 38: a counter attack signal [2]

The Complete art of Fullmetal Alchemist [1]

Fullmetal Alchemist perfect guide 3 [3]

Training Regime post

#fullmetal alchemist #fma #fma meta #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #amestris #my work

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feralnumberfive · 1 year

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Okay this may be an odd ask, but are their any planes that you think that your blorbos would like, either in the sense that they’d just be interested in it or they’d actually want to fly it?

I'm so sorry to be answering this like three weeks after I got this, but I've spent time pondering this because I was so excited when I saw this ask! 💖 I saw this ask when I hopped on here during my break to make a post about the weather, and let me tell you when I saw this my heart soared (pun 100% intended). I've been trying to figure out what blorbos I want to use and what planes would best match their personality, what they would like to fly, and one that would be their favorite

You may be thinking "Pine, how does a plane match someone's personality?" 🤨 Very valid question, but performance, characteristics, handling, and role are important in aircraft and they all have their own unique "personalities" too oddly enough! I know I sound off my rocker for saying this, but trust me it's true

I'm going to use just three different characters because two of them came to my mind at the mention of "planes" and one because, well, he's the blorbo this blog is dedicated to! I'm not going to be very descriptive of these because then this post would be waaaay longer than it already is, so you're just going to have to trust me on my choices 👍

First we'll start off with none other than Mr. Luther Hargreeves!

Something neat about the show is that it actually shows us what kind of aircraft Luther is interested in! In his room we can see multiple aircraft models and paintings. From what I have seen these include a: Spitfire, B-24, B-52, Lancaster, A-36/P-51A, Ju-87, Short Sunderland, a handful of little made up airplane trinkets, and a USS Macon (ZRS-5) airship.

He also has a few rocket models, but I'm not really going to pay attention to those and more so focus on the planes instead. Excluding the last two items I mentioned, we can notice two interesting patterns amongst these aircraft models and paintings.

All of these models are of WWII aircraft, besides the B-52 and ZRS-5, so Luther really likes aircraft from WWII!

He likes Allied aircraft! The Ju-87 is the only Axis WWII aircraft out of the bunch. He especially loves Commonwealth aircraft. He has two different paintings of Spitfires, the Lancaster model, and the Short Sunderland model, which were all used by the Commonwealth (and sometimes other Allied countries but I'm not going to make it complicated)

So I'm going to give Luther the Supermarine Spitfire (no specific variant) for his favorite plane since he has three of them amongst the two paintings in his room.

I think Luther would then love to fly the X-15 since he likes space/rockets too and the X-15 is a rocket powered plane used by NASA

And finally, I think the Bristol Beaufighter best matches Luther's personality. The funny thing about this plane is that as soon as I saw this ask I knew I would be including Luther, and my mind immediately associated "Bristol Beaufighter" with Luther though I didn't know much about the plane. I knew of it, but didn't really know the role it played in the war so after looking it up, I think it fits him personality wise!

Next up is no one other than my beloved Armin Arlert!

For his favorite plane, I am going to give him the H-4 Hercules aka the "Spruce Goose" since he loves the ocean and was fascinated by flying things

A plane I think he'd want to fly is the Grumman Goose. Again, it's a floatplane but this one is way smaller than the Hercules and I think it would be fun to explore smaller bodies of water in. It can also land on land too so overall it's a neat little plane to explore in!

The plane I think best matches his personality is the E-2 Hawkeye. Like Armin, this aircraft isn't a fighter, but is instead used as an advanced battle management and strategic planner for its allies

And finally, the blorbo ever, Five Hargreeves!

He was a little bit difficult to choose for since he doesn't have anything related to aviation in his life besides causing the Hindenburg to crash, but since I've been interested in aviation for basically my entire life I know what planes boomers are attracted to lol

Five's favorite plane would be the P-51D Mustang since it's such a hotrod of an aircraft and a fantastic fighter. Like I said about boomers, this is a plane that they love (gotta be 100% honest nearly every avgeek loves the Mustang) Five wants a 1970s Corvette Stingray and while this may not be from the same era, hotrods and WWII fighter planes go together like bread and butter so I think he'd love it. The P-51 is also a timeless aircraft, just like how Five is like a timeless person (lol)

As for the plane I think he'd want to fly, it would be the Hawker Hunter. I think Five would like something that can go fast but also something that isn't too flashy but is still a classic aircraft. I think Five would also appreciate this old plane, that is certainly outdated, but is actually still used to participate in combat just like him

Lastly, and I hate to be that person but I'm totally going to be that person, I think the F-22 Raptor matches Five personality wise. I feel like this is too obvious of a plane to give to Five (I was actually going to give him the Me 163 for this one) but I feel that the most deadly assassin in his world deserves the (potentially) most deadly plane in our world. The F-22 is stealthy, fast, extremely agile, extremely maneuverable, and just like Five it can kill without ever being seen by the enemy. If it does have to engage in close combat, it is a fearsome opponent and almost always has the upper hand

The fun thing about this is that there are sooooo many other aircraft that would match these characters too so the possibilities are almost endless. Thank you so much for this fun ask, and I am so sorry for not being able to answer it until now! If I ever want to ask my doctor about an autism diagnosis and they ask why, I am going to show them this post 🫶

#this is a long ass post I expect no one to look at but it involves my blorbos and planes and I couldn't have been happier to make it ❤️#asking me anything aviation related is the equivalent of asking a toddler if they want candy #ask #stillateenageabomination

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militaryleak · 7 months

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Northrop Grumman Awarded $845 Million Contract to Upgrade E-2D Advanced Hawkeye AEW Aircraft

The U.S. Navy awarded an $845.5 million contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation for the E-2D Delta System Software Configuration 6 (DSSC 6) on September 12. DSSC 6 is scheduled to be introduced in fiscal year 2027 and aims to add the “most significant change to this platform since the E-2D rolled out,” said Capt. Pete Arrobio, E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office (PMA-231) program manager. DSSC 6 replaces the current integrated navigation and controls and display systems and tactical mission computer and display systems on E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft with a modern Hawkeye cockpit technology refresh and theater combat identification that allows for rapid integration of new capabilities, including non-proprietary applications from industry partners. #military #usnavy #defence #defence

The U.S. Navy awarded an $845.5 million contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation for the E-2D Delta System Software Configuration 6 (DSSC 6) on September 12. DSSC 6 is scheduled to be introduced in fiscal year 2027 and aims to add the “most significant change to this platform since the E-2D rolled out,” said Capt. Pete Arrobio, E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office…

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giftsforus · 1 year

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US Navy Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye Aloha Hawaiian Shirt

The US Navy Northrop Grumman E-2Hawkeye Aloha Hawaiian Shirt is perfect for those who want a stylish and comfortable shirt that is perfect for both men and women. This shirt is made from 100% breathable fabric that will keep you feeling warm, and is also made to be easy to wear.

Get it here : US Navy Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye Aloha Hawaiian Shirt

Home Page : tshirtslowprice.com

#USNavy

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militarymedia · 3 years

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Militarymedia.net - Since entering service in 1964, the E-2 has protected U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle groups and acted as air controllers for their aircraft. One of the few types specifically designed for the role of air early warning (AEW),

#grumman e-2 hawkeye #aircraft #u.s. air force #air force

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j-r-macready · 3 years

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flickr

E-2C 165650 by David ilott Via Flickr: VAW-115 E-2C Hawkeye 165650/600 at Nellis AFB in May 2018.

#Grumman #E-2 Hawkeye #E-2C #165650 #VAW-115 #US Navy #Nellis AFB #Airborne Early Warning #Naval Aviation #Grumman Iron Works #Military Aircraft

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usafphantom2 · 1 year

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flickr

Vietnam war by Linh Yoshimura Via Flickr: A United States Navy pilot makes his way to his aircraft following a briefing aboard the USS Constellation (CVA-64), a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier, off the coast of South Vietnam, 16th August 1966. A Douglas A-4 Skyhawk of Attack Squadron 153 (VA-153) and another one (NL-510) of Attack Squadron 155 (VA-155) and the radome of a Grumman E-2 Hawkeye are visible in background.

#USS Constellation #CVA-64 #A-4 Skyhawk #Grumman E-2 Hawkeye #US Navy #Vietnam war #VA-155 #flickr

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planehistoria · 2 years

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Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye – Eye in the Sky

The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an airborne early warning aircraft with a relatively small size and has arguably the most important job for the US Navy. Nicknamed the ‘Hummer’ thanks to the unique sound of the turboprop engines, this excellent machine has been exported to several other armed forces. The aircraft can reach a top speed of 400 mph (650 km/h) and has a range of over 1,600 miles. It can also guide other aircrafts’ missiles and guide weapons from other aircraft.

#Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye #Northrop Grumman #Northrop #Northrop Grumman E-2 #Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye – Eye in the Sky #ww1 #planehistoria #aircraft #history #world war #wwii #aircrafts #plane #ww2 #modern day

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peartato · 3 years

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If you read Fullmetal Alchemist in Japanese, the characters refer to Black Hayate as ブラックハヤテ号 (black hayate-gou).

The word on the end, 号 (gou) means "number; edition; make; model; issue; part of that group", and it's usually used as a numbering suffixー like 号室 (goushi-tsu) after a hotel room or apartment number, and 号車 (gousu-u) for train car numbers.

But another use for gou is as a suffix attached to names of ships, trains, and airplanes. If you ever played the first couple of Pokemon games, you probably had to get aboard the サント・アンヌ号 (santo annu-gou) or the "S.S Anne":

For the English release, gou was translated as the boat prefix "S.S".

But why would Hayate have a suffix on his name that's meant for boats, trains and planes? Because he is named after the Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (疾風), a fighter jet flown by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in World War II. The plane's name means "gale" or "strong wind."

There isn't really a prefix for airplanes in English the same way we have "S.S" or "R.M.S", so this detail was omitted in the English translation. The closest you'd really get are the P (pursuit) and F (fighter) designations used by the US Air Force (like the F-35 fighter jet, for example) but "F-84 Hayate" isn't that much better, either.

That's why Hayate has 'gou' on the end of his name - the characters are literally nicknaming him the "S.S Hayate".

Most of the Amestrian soldiers in Fullmetal Alchemist are named after some kind of military plane or vehicle. Here's the North American P-52 Mustang:

The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye:

The Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber:

And the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (yes, it's a tank.)

(Thanks for everyone that's been reading and responding to these explanation posts so far! If there's anything I should include or correct, please let me know).

#fullmetal alchemist #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #black hayate #general grumman #major armstrong

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planesawesome · 3 years

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Grumman-built aircraft, including an F-14 Tomcat, E-2 Hawkeye, A-6 Intruder and EA-6B Prowler pictured in formation.

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skyfire85 · 3 years

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-A Grumman E-1B Tracer of VAW-111 "Hunters" about to be launched from USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) in 1968. | Photo: USN

FLIGHTLINE: 168 - GRUMMAN E-1 TRACER

Developed from the C-1 Trader COD airplane, the Tracer was the first purpose built airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft for the USN.

In February 1944 the US Navy ordered its first airborne early warning aircraft under Project CADILLAC. Based on research done at MIT in the early 1940s, the Cadillac radar, designated AN/APS-20, was fitted to a newly built TBM-3 Avenger. This XTBM-3W took its maiden flight on 5 August 1944 and was followed up by an emergency order for 27 additional conversion. Delivery of the TBM-3Ws began in March 1945, and the Navy anticipated four each of the aircraft deployed onto the carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Bunker Hill in time for Operation OLYMPIC, the planned invasion of Kyushu. Ultimately, the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki cancelled Olympic, but the TBM-3Ws, nicknamed Guppy, continued to serve with the Navy into the 1950s.

-A Guppy at the Naval Air Training Center, NAS Pax River, in 1946. | Photo: USN

AEW support for the Navy passed from the Guppy to variants of the A-1 Skyraider, Lockheed WV-2 and various blimps, but by the mid-1950s a new aircraft was desired. Grumman Aircraft offered a plane based on their C-1 Trader, itself based on the S-2 Tracker.

-Orthograph of the E-1 Tracer. | Illustration: Dr. Dan Saranga

One C-1, BuNo 136792, was pulled from the production line and modified with a new tail and mockup radome, but no electronics. The XTF-1W (later changed to XWF-1) took its first flight on 17 December 1956. After serving to validate the aerodynamic properties of the new aircraft's radome, -6792 was rebuilt as a standard C-1 (though it retained the modified tail) and served as a utility aircraft until 1983. The plane is now on display at the Quonset Air Museum in Rhode Island.

-792 after conversion to C-1A Trader. | Photo: USN

The production aircraft, designated WF-2, was 45ft long, and had a wingspan of 72ft. The wings were fitted with Grumman's Sto-Wing folding system, modified to fold the wing horizontally along the fuselage. The aircraft were powered by Wright R-1820-82A Cyclone piston engines, each developing 1,525hp at takeoff. The WF-2 had a cruise speed of 163mph and a max speed of 238mph, with range of 1,035mi and almost 7 hours endurance. Tracers were not aerial refuellable. The large radome, extending from the end of the cockpit to almost the rudder, contained a Hazeltine AN/APS-82 radar antenna, which incorporated an early Airborne Moving Target Indicator, which would differentiate an aircraft from surface clutter. Unlike the later E-2 Hawkeye, the Tracker's radome did not rotate, though the antenna did rotate within it. The standard crew of four was evenly split between the flight crew and radar/intercept controllers.

-An E-1B of VAW-121 "Griffins", operating from the USS FDR (CVA-42) in 1971. | Photo: USN

The WF-2 was accepted for Naval service in 1958, and was soon flying from carriers in both the Atlantic and Pacific. A total of 88 Trackers were produced. Although officially called 'Tracer', crews took to calling the aircraft 'Willy Fudd' (from its WF designation) or 'Stoof With A Roof' (the WF-2 was based on the S2F Tracker, hence 'Stoof', with the radome providing the 'Roof'). Under the 1962 tri-service designation reorganization, the WF-2 became the E-1B. Depending on the operating altitude, the APS-82 radar had a search range of 250-300 miles, and was capable of handling up to four simultaneous intercepts.

-An E-1B from VAW-11 "Early Eleven" unfolds its wings prior to being catapulted from the carrier USS Hancock (CVA-19) in 1962. | Photo: USN

WF-2s from VAW-12 "Bats" were deployed on USS-Essex, USS Randolph, USS Independence and the USS Enterprise during the 1961 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Willy Fudd saw extensive use early in the Vietnam War, providing vectors to MIG-CAP (MiG-combat air patrol) fighters, as well as controlling strikes over North Vietnam. Tracers also assisted during Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, as well as vectoring aircraft to tankers.

-An E-1B from VAW-11 "Early Eleven" in flight. | Photo: USN

Upgrades over the aircraft's lifespan increased their capacity and kept them current, but also added weight. Almost as soon as the E-1B entered service, the Navy began seeking a replacement, and Grumman was selected in 1957 to develop and build the new plane, initially designated the W2F-1, but was eventually christened the E-2 Hawkeye. Replacement of the Fudds began in 1966, but the war in Vietnam and the slow production of Hawkeyes saw the type remain in service until the early 70's. Up through 1973 E-1s were retired to Naval Reserve squadrons, and by 1977 the type was completely withdrawn from USN service. Five Tracers have been preserved in museums around the US:

E-1B, BuNo 147212: Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, New York City

E-1B, BuNo 147217: New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, Connecticut

E-1B, BuNo 147225: On board the USS Yorktown (CV-10), Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

E-1B, BuNo 147227: Pima Air & Space Museum, adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona

E-1B, BuNo 148146: National Naval Aviation Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola

Another 11 E-1s are in storage at United Aeronautical's surplus yard just outside Tucson, though their status is unknown

#aircraft #aviation #avgeek #airplanes #cold war #airplane #cold war history #coldwar #aviation history #us navy #usn #grumman #grumman e1 #e1b tracer #e 1b tracer #aew #airborne early warning

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