ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — U.S. Central Command said planes just like the E-2D Hawkeye are in the Middle East right now as part of “Operation Epic Fury.”
The company that makes the aircraft, Northrop Grumman, said this is the first time TV cameras have been inside the St. Augustine production facility to see this plane being assembled.
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It takes more than two years from start to finish to build one.
The E-2D Hawkeye is a surveillance aircraft. It’s known as the “eyes in the sky” for the U.S. Navy, using sophisticated, highly classified technology to map out and track everything in the air and on the ground.
“The E-2 is always the first airplane off the aircraft carrier because they want to clear the battle space and make sure that we know what’s around us,” Peter “Q” Quintal, E-2 Chief Test Pilot said.
FOX Business’ Grady Trimble: “What is it looking for? What is it mapping out?”
Quintal: “Everything, literally. Surface ships, airborne targets, big and small, anything that we can see in the airspace will be tracked.”
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In the past five years, Northrop Grumman has invested more than $13.5 billion in infrastructure and research and development to expand production capacity and develop new technology.
To that end, the company is competing with Boeing as the two final bidders for the Navy’s multi-billion dollar sixth generation fighter jet program.
“We have put the infrastructure in place, especially here in the Florida area, with over 8,000 employees already in the state of Florida, with over three million square feet of manufacturing, office, and warehouse space. We’re positioned to grow if given the opportunity to win a program such as the FAXX Fighter for the Navy,” Randy Bradley, Vice President for Northrop Grumman, said.
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The war in Iran has also highlighted concerns over munitions shortages.
However, the Pentagon has said the U.S. military has “sufficient” munitions, and defense companies have been working to increase production.
On Tuesday, Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised workers at facilities like the one in St. Augustine who help the U.S. military by building planes, submarines, missiles, and other equipment, to get them ready for battle.
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