The need for an advanced airborne early warning system (AWACS) did not go unnoticed by the US Navy. The result was the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, the aircraft charged with the task of protecting the carrier squadrons during the last four decades. The E-2 was remarkable in being the first aircraft developed from the outset as an early warning system and not based on any previous military or commercial airframe, being instead a twin turboprop-engined design with a peculiar quadruple-tail empennage and a large radome housing the powerful surveillance radar. Despite almost half a century of service, the E-2 continues to be the eyes of the US Navy's carrier fleets and has performed admirably in nearly every US naval operation from the Vietnam War up to today. It has also been adopted by a number of foreign users including Egypt, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Israel, Mexico and France (the only other operator besides the USN to use deploy it on carriers). Aside from their military role, E-2s have been increasingly used lately for anti-drug operations.

First flown on 21 October 1961, the E-2 (known as the W2F before the 1962 designation change) entered service at the start of 1964 as the E-2A and immediately saw action in Vietnam. Installation of an improved Litton L-304 computer led to the E-2B, later upgrades to the E-2C included a more powerful radar to replace the earlier APS-120 allowing it to track as many 250 targets while controlling 30 interceptors. The E-2C Hawkeye 2000 is currently the major Hawkeye variant in active service and has received new engines, sensors and displays allowing it greater integration with ship-borne Aegis systems. A further upgrade known as the Advanced Hawkeye is scheduled for introduction in the next decade.