Residents of Southern Maryland
might have noticed a strange silhouette flying in the skies over
the Patuxent River Naval Air Station recently. Marking another
Naval milestone, the Naval Research Laboratory recently accepted
delivery of the Navy's first CEC/HAWKEYE 2000 equipped NP-3D.
In an acceptance ceremony at Lockheed's Greenville, South Carolina
rework facilities, NRL's Commanding Officer, Captain Bruce Buckley,
heralded the mission capabilities the newly modified P-3 would
bring to the Navy, not only in its present configuration, but
as a platform for future Naval science and technology applications.
On top of the orange and white
painted P-3 sits a radar dome similar to that found on E-2C Hawkeye
Airborne Early Warning aircraft. Inside, not only does the P-3
contain the HAWKEYE 2000 airborne early warning suite, but also
a Combined Engagement Capability (CEC) common equipment set,
designed to provide battle force commanders with detailed battlespace
updates.
P-3 aficionados may be interested
to know that Airborne Surveillance Command and Control (ASC2)
is achieved through numerous aircraft and missions systems modifications.
The HAWKEYE 2000 system incorporates numerous enhancements,
including CEC and a state-of-the-art computer that processes
information to Advanced Control Indicator Set (ACIS) displays.
Also included is a satellite communication suite, a fifteen-ton
vapor cycle environmental control system (to meet the increased
equipment cooling requirements), a fourth electrical generator,
and the addition of a second ground power receptacle to meet
the extraordinary AEW/CEC power requirements. The aircraft has
wing wiring to support six external wing mounted pods, fore and
aft mounted antenna platforms, a retractable infrared detection
system (IRDS) and internal 115V/60hZ electronics equipment mounting
areas. Intercom switches and navigational data are available
at all stations.
The aircraft concept was developed
jointly by teams at the Naval Research Laboratory, the Cooperative
Engagement Capability program office (PMS-465) and the E-2C program
office (PMA-231). Initial airworthiness tests are complete and
the aircraft is now located at the Naval Research Laboratory
Flight Support Detachment, NAS Patuxent River, MD for further
ground and mission flight tests. As configured now, NRL's unique
P-3 will enable command and control (C2), electronic warfare
(EW), and electro-optics (EO) research and development well into
the 21st century.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of nearly 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 85 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit the NRL homepage or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
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