Overview
- The Navy announced Tuesday that the Block II upgrade for the E-2D passed a Critical Design Review completed in May, moving the program from design into integration and test phases.
- Northrop Grumman received roughly $1.2 billion in July to build three Block II-configured E-2Ds and will begin integration work under that contract immediately.
- Flight testing of the Block II configuration is scheduled for fiscal year 2029 and the company and Navy expect deliveries of upgraded aircraft by the end of the decade.
- Block II adds an Open Mission Systems software architecture, a modernized cockpit, greater computing power and stronger cybersecurity to allow rapid, non‑proprietary capability insertions and easier use of commercial off‑the‑shelf components.
- The upgrade will be applied to new-production jets and retrofitted to in-service airframes as the Navy pursues a stated requirement of 86 E-2Ds, a move that officials say preserves supplier jobs and boosts the platform’s ability to track missiles and attack drones in operations.