E-2 Hawkeye Illustrated Paperback – January 19, 2024

The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye was the first aircraft developed specifically to provide commanders a “God’s Eye” view of the battlespace. The phrase “The Fog of War” was coined by Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), the Prussian strategic theorist who died before completing his masterpiece “On War”. He was referring to the loss of situational awareness that develops when armies clash. That enduring dilemma has confounded commanders since the beginning of organized conflict. The Hawkeye gives the U.S. Navy the ability to defend the fleet and provide that critical situational awareness when enemy forces are engaged. The basic airframe has proven so adaptable that the Hawkeye has been able to accommodate technological advances over the more than a half a century of its operational life. It has been in continuous prodcution since 1960, which makes it the carrier aircraft with longest production run. The militaries of several other nations recognized the tactical advantages of the Hawkeye and E-2s have been sold to the armed forces of Egypt, France, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan. The Hawkeyes predecessor, the E-1 Tracer had the unimpressive nickname of “Stoof With A Roof”. The Hawkeye was more fortuate. It’s popular name was derived from the sound of it’s turboprop engines, becoming the “Hummer”. (It had to overcome the less impressive “Super Fudd” name.) As they did with their successful S-2 Tracker, Grumman used the basic E-2 design to produce a cargo/passenger version of the Hawkeye. The C-2 Greyhound became the carrier onboard delivery vehicle depended upon to provide logistical support to the fleet. Both the Hawkeye and the Greyhound continue to provide effective support to the wide-ranging American naval forces. Includes hundreds of color photos of all versions of the Hawkeye and Greyhound. Read more