NEWS Joint E-2 Squadron coming?

Very odd choice

E-2 Hawkeye Replaces USAF E-3 Sentry, E-7 Cancelled In New Budget

The E-2D is far smaller than the E-7 and lacks some of its abilities, but it can fly from austere forward bases where the E-7 cannot.

www.twz.com

 

[ChuckMK23]

Nothing to see here. Big AF is vested in the wedge tail. Boeing is not going to let it go

 

[Swanee]

We have USAF pilots flying wedge tails in Australia and maintainers working on them. The initial cadre is built.

The airplane does things satellites cannot.

 

[Brett327]

Seems highly improbable IMO. Do they think that NGC is just going to be able to shit a significant number of airframes for this plan? Are we going to now have Exped E-2D to support USAF ops like the VAQ community? This sounds like budgetary hand waving to me.

 

[OscarMyers]

Seems highly improbable IMO. Do they think that NGC is just going to be able to shit a significant number of airframes for this plan? Are we going to now have Exped E-2D to support USAF ops like the VAQ community? This sounds like budgetary hand waving to me.

You cant even fit the O-6, 3 O-5's, 5 field grades, 2 sad JOs, controllers, wait staff and IFTs on an E-2D! This is a non starter.

 

[Hair Warrior]

“Oy mate, I’ll trade ye an AUKUS sub and a keg of VB for a couple of your old Wedgies.”
-🦘

 

[Griz882]

Anyone here remember when a few were used by the USCG?

 

[taxi1]

Anyone here remember when a few were used by the USCG?

View attachment 42787

Yup, and I remember when they lost one. In fact, it’s that specific plane.

Never learned the details of the loss.

 

[Griz882]

Yup, and I remember when they lost one. In fact, it’s that specific plane.

Never learned the details of the loss.

As I recall it was an onboard fire. I have no idea how it started or where in the airframe it was.

 

[Flash]

Seems highly improbable IMO. Do they think that NGC is just going to be able to shit a significant number of airframes for this plan? Are we going to now have Exped E-2D to support USAF ops like the VAQ community? This sounds like budgetary hand waving to me.

It almost seems like someone with only surface knowledge just saw two 'similar' planes in the budget along with the considerable cost difference and decided on the cheaper option. Seems...amateurish.

You cant even fit the O-6, 3 O-5's, 5 field grades, 2 sad JOs, controllers, wait staff and IFTs on an E-2D! This is a non starter.

While not too far from the truth there is big advantage to the increased number of folks, as long as they are the right folks.

 

[hlg6016]

 

[hlg6016]

Could have stuffed a few GO's and their staff in this baby.

 

[Hair Warrior]

While not too far from the truth there is big advantage to the increased number of folks, as long as they are the right folks.

I would like to see the possibilities of agentic AI onboard to augment human capacity, rather than adding more humans. We’re a little ways off - not because the AI isn’t there yet, but the legal policy, app/system accreditation, and TTPs aren’t mature enough. It would need to be a standalone AI instantiation that performs all compute onboard. There are a couple cloud tactical edge devices that do this today, but it would take pretty rigorous software engineering to RDT&E it. It will happen in the next 20 years for sure, but would be a big lift to get it live in the next 5 years.

 

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

The whole space-based AMTI as a replacement for E-3s is just so incredibly asinine I'm not gonna even dive into it.
Good luck controlling from orbit.

TWZ being a shit show of sensationalism aside, and treating this as hypothetically true and not just speech-ifying...
Obviously I love the Hummer, but this would be a dumb move and would require a seismic shift in how the USAF does Airborne C2 from a manning, technical and operational perspective. And I don't think they as a community have the moxie to do it, given their lack of flexibility and how siloed they are from a CRM perspective alone.

I'll take any VAW AIC over any AWACS AIC every day of the week and twice on Sunday, but the E-2D would be absolutely the wrong tool for the job

 

[Flash]

I would like to see the possibilities of agentic AI onboard to augment human capacity, rather than adding more humans. We’re a little ways off - not because the AI isn’t there yet, but the legal policy, app/system accreditation, and TTPs aren’t mature enough. It would need to be a standalone AI instantiation that performs all compute onboard. There are a couple cloud tactical edge devices that do this today, but it would take pretty rigorous software engineering to RDT&E it. It will happen in the next 20 years for sure, but would be a big lift to get it live in the next 5 years.

'AI' is not going to be a viable option for quite some time when it comes to AEW/AWACS, it may be used as a tool but it won't come close to 'augmenting' the crew any time soon, we still need people to do the job and in a number greater than the E-2 can carry.

I'll take any VAW AIC over any AWACS AIC every day of the week and twice on Sunday, but the E-2D would be absolutely the wrong tool for the job

While the E-2 has gotten some good 'press' lately it would still be a big step back and as you mentioned a sea change in how the USAF does AEW/AWACS, and not in a good way.

It is a bit baffling to me how E-7 procurement could be going sideways as implied in the article, unless some bright idea fairy started adding more and more to the requirements. It is a proven system and has been used in combat for over a decade now, just buy something 'off the shelf' without fucking it up for once DoD.