Northrop Grumman Boosts E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Maintenance, Training with Augmented and Virtual Reality

Summary

Northrop Grumman is enhancing maintenance and training for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, using company-developed AR/VR technologies like Armor and E-2D LITE to improve mission readiness and reduce repair times through innovative, data-driven solutions.

• Augmented and virtual reality systems boost E-2D Hawkeye maintenance efficiency, cutting downtime and increasing fleet mission readiness.
  
  
• Integrating AR/VR with advanced analytics accelerates maintenance and drives operational excellence across the Northrop Grumman enterprise.

Northrop Grumman is using augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) tools to improve training, maintenance and sustainment of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. As the most tasked aircraft in the U.S. military’s inventory, the E-2D is an airborne command center, using its advanced 360-degree radar to provide unparalleled situational awareness for joint and coalition missions.

X-Ray Vision

AR, AI and machine learning are equipping E-2D maintainers with a better understanding of the aircraft’s performance, usage patterns and maintenance needs with X-ray vision. The model-based sustainment team for digital transformation developed Armor, a tool that combines AR with predictive and fleet analytics. This capability gives maintainers a better understanding of the aircraft’s performance, usage patterns and maintenance needs. Armor offers animated, step-by-step instructions through visual aids accessible via tablet or AR goggles. Maintainers can virtually explore the inside of the aircraft, pinpointing trouble spots with precision.

“Armor can reduce training and labor time, keeping the aircraft operational in hours instead of weeks,” said Kenney Crooks, Northrop Grumman fellow, product support.

Virtual Reality Training

VR training immerses maintenance teams in a 360-degree digital environment. The enhanced training is highly efficient, allowing trainees to interact with components that are hard to access or would be too costly to transport to multiple locations.

Early results show VR training improves task performance and reduces repair times by up to 75%. Trainees report higher confidence after completing the VR scenario, translating into better performance in real-world repairs.

Cleared for Takeoff: E-2D LITE

The E-2D engineering team in Melbourne, Florida joined forces with the data analytics team in Redondo Beach, California, to create the Learning Intelligence Tools Ecosystem (LITE), a machine learning tool that transforms maintenance efficiency.

The tool helps maintainers quickly identify the root cause of maintenance issues, significantly improving mission readiness. LITE reduced maintenance rework in the radar pressurization and cooling system by 67%, saving weeks of testing and getting the aircraft back to the fleet faster.

Sharing Innovations Across the Enterprise

Northrop Grumman is investing across its 30 million square feet of manufacturing space to develop and implement innovations that directly benefit mission readiness and reduce downtime. Training, sustainment and maintenance enhancements for E-2D are also used to enhance operations for platforms like the F-35 Lightning II, B-2 Spirit and other strike platforms. Over 1,000 AR solutions have been deployed across Northrop Grumman’s programs, supporting everything from visual work instructions to facility layout planning, accelerating maintenance schedules and keeping platforms in the fight. Northrop Grumman teams are setting the stage for a new era of operational excellence.