| Grumman E-2 Hawkeye
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About the Fujimi model: As is the norm for Fujimi, this is a GREAT kit. Unfornately, it has since gone out of production, which is a shame. ALso, like most of my "early" planes, I bit off a bit more than I could chew with this one, and as a result this wasn't the most enjoyable kit, at least at the time. Assembling the landing gear and engines was certainly a chore, and the decal under the support structure for the radar was just painful (tip: paint the model and decal the uppersurfaces BEFORE installing the rotodome). The tail assembly didn't seem to fit well, but I don't know if that is a kit flaw or a mistake on my part. About the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye: The Grumman E-2C Hawkeye is the Navy's version of the E-3C AWACS, and fills the same role as its big brother. But unlike the AWACS, the E-2 is powered by two turboprop engines, and only carries five crewmen: pilot, copilot and three systems operators. Its massive radar dome can see out up to 300 nautical miles at altitude, and is capable of tracking over a hundred air and surface targets at once. Hawkeyes have been in service since before the Vietnam War and played a critical part in that conflict. They later worked alongside the E-3 AWACS during Operation Desert Storm. Working in conjunction with the Carrier Air Traffic Control Center (CATCC, pronounced cat-see), Hawkeyes identify any unwelcome airborne and surface targets, then vector in F-14 Tomcats, F/A-18 Hornets, and A-6 Intruders to deal with the threat. During periods of EMCON (emissions control), when all of the battle group's radars are shut down to keep it from being pinpointed, the Hawkeye will take itself over 100 miles from the carrier and data-link its radar readings to the CATCC and orbiting fighters. Each carrier has five of these valuable aircraft at their disposal. Several other countries, including Isreal and Japan, have purchased Hawkeyes for their own use. The C-2 Greyhound is a cargo version of the Hawkeye, developed for the Navy as a COD (carrier on-board delivery) aircraft, and has been in service for as long as the Hawkeye. C-2s can carry up to 28 passengers or up to 10,000 lbs of cargo. Seeing a C-2 trap onboard is one of the most pleasing sights during a long deployment because it means mail from home.
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Copyright ©2003 David Jong [Jong Productions, Ltd.], All Rights Reserved. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: December 8, 2003. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
