The E-2 Hawkeye coordinates air defence and supports strikes with a wider battle-management role. Its powerful radar can feed information to aircraft farther forward and direct responses to interceptors or ground defences. Stealth fighters can keep their own active sensors off while receiving data that lets them engage before an opponent detects them or approaches the Hawkeye. The May 2024 discussion treats four Hawkeyes as the customary carrier detachment. Expanding duties and the loss of other aircraft that once shared related work could make six or eight attractive, though that is a possible development rather than an agreed new requirement.
Notable Point · 1:06:08-1:08:38
Hawkeye turns early warning into networked battle management
Modern airborne early warning extends beyond carrier defense by directing strikes and supplying sensor data that lets stealth aircraft remain electronically quiet.