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Photo of Italy - Air Force Grumman S-2 Tracker (MM13041) by qalimar (Sigonella, Italy) - Airport IATA code: NSY / ICAO code: LICZ - taken on Sep 26th 2019 and published by www.airplane-pictures.net on Nov 9th 2020

The aircraft for today is the one that was the first purpose-built ASW (Anti Submarine Warfare) aircraft of the US Navy. The aircraft’s name is Grumman S-2 Tracker which was designed and then manufactured by the aircraft manufacturing company named Grumman. The initial design of the Grumman S-2 Tracker was a conventional one which had propeller-driven two radial piston engines along with a high wing that could be folded for providing optimum storage space on the aircraft carriers. As for the undercarriage of the aircraft, it was of tricycle arrangement. The Grumman S-2 Tracker was heavily exported to several of the world naval forces after it was introduced to the world back in 1952. The Grumman S-2 Tracker and its variant aircraft named E-1 tracer went on to see its military service well until mid 1970s whereas the C-1 Trader variant served well until mid 1980s. As for the current status of the Grumman S-2 Tracker, many of its units are still in service across the US as well as other countries in limited roles mostly including that of firefighting pones. The only countries that use the Grumman S-2 Tracker for military purposes are the Brazil and Argentina. Origin and First Flight:- The origin of the Grumman S-2 Tracker occurred as the replacement aircraft for the Grumman AF Guardian which was also the first purpose-built ASW aircraft of the US Navy which used 1 airframe for 2 versions of the Guardian. As for the Grumman S-2 Tracker, it utilized the functions of both those Guardian versions into a single aircraft featuring a prototype with a large wing monoplane which had twin radial piston engines with a yoke arrestor hook. The US Navy ordered Grumman for production of the aircraft’s two prototypes under designation XS2F-1 and the series production of the 15 aircraft under designation S2F-1 at the same time back on June 30th, 1950. As for the first successful flight of the Grumman S-2 Tracker’s first prototype, it occurred back on December 4th, 1952 with the aircraft entering service of the US Navy in February of 1954. Nicknames for Grumman S-2 Tracker:- Other followed on versions of the Grumman S-2 Tracker were the Grumman C-1 Trader and the Grumman E-1 racer aircraft designed back in 1962. The S-2 designation in the name of Grumman S-2 Tracker allowed for the aircraft to have the nickname “Stoof” which is S-two-F whereas the variant of the Grumman S-2 Tracker E-1 Tracer had the nickname “Stoof With A Roof”. Powerplant:- Power was delivered to the Grumman S-2 Tracker via its 2 Wright R-1820-82WA air-cooled radial position engines, each of which would deliver a power of about 1525 HP to power its three-bladed propeller assemblies. This power allowed for the Grumman S-2 Tracker to fly at a top speed of about 280 mph while the cruising speed was 150 mph. the aircraft’s ferry range was about 1350 miles at a service ceiling of about 22000 feet. All in all, the Grumman S-2 Tracker was able to operate for about 9 hours of flying time which allowed it to be a great hunter aircraft against the enemy’s submarines. The aircraft was used for its ASW roles well by US Navy against the Soviet Union’s submarines during the Cold War era. Armaments:- The Grumman S-2 Tracker was built to have an internal bay for carrying torpedoes which allowed for it to carry 2 lightweight torpedoes or a single nuclear depth charge. The aircraft also featured the 6 hardpoints under its wings which allowed for the aircraft to utilize its load-bearing capacity of 4800 lbs to carry depth charges and rocket pods or 4 additional torpedoes. Sensors and Other features:- The Grumman S-2 Tracker was also fitted with a retractable radome for housing the AN/APS-38 radar as well as a MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) AN/ASQ-8 rear boom. Early models of the aircraft also featured the ESM (Electronic Surveillance Measures) pods and the smoke particle detector nicknamed as Sniffer. In later models of the aircraft, these Sniffers were removed along with the ESM antennas being moved to the 4 extensions on the wingtips. The aircraft also was fitted with a searchlight on its starboard wing which would have the 70 million candlelight power. The engine nacelles also had the smoke dispensers on the port ventral side of them in groups of 3. Military service with US Navy:- The Grumman S-2 Tracker entered the service of the US Military back in February of 1954 after undoing several tests and modifications back from 1950 to 1953. One variant of the Grumman S-2 Tracker designated as TS-2A was used by US Navy as the training unit which was used by following squadrons. Training Squadron 27 (VT-27) Training Squadron 28 (VT-28) Training Squadron 31 (VT-31) The aircraft served the US Navy well until 1976 when its role for being the ASW aircraft was taken over by the Lockheed S-3 Viking. Used as Firefighter aircraft:- Despite the Grumman S-2 Tracker getting retired by the US Navy in its military roles, the aircraft still went on to have the post-military career as a firefighting aircraft. Many of its operators have since then its military role have handed it over to government for being used as the firefighting aircraft. Civilian service:- Back in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, one company named Convair Aviation located in the Abbotsford British Columbia, Canada bought the retired Grumman S-2 Trackers from the US and Canada. They converted them into aircraft named Firecat which would then feature a retardant tank in place of its torpedo bay. These Firecats were built into 2 variants with the first one being a piston engine aircraft named “Firecat” and the second one being the turboprop-powered aircraft named “Turbo Firecat”. Retirement and replacement:- US Navy retired their fleet of Grumman S-2 Tracker back in 1974 after the better and all modern jet-powered Lockheed S-2 Viking was introduced and even that has been superseded in its roles since the introduction of aircraft like P-C3

detailed technical data, specifications and photos of Anti-Submarine Aircraft Grumman S-2 (S2F) Tracker

Ex USN S2F-1 Bu Aer. Nº 133249a. Fecha de fabricación diciembre de 1954. A partir del 29 de enero de 1962 alistamiento final en el Hanga...

A/C had been assigned to Carrier Airborne Early Warning Sqdn. 121 (VAW-121), It has been restored,and is currently on display at the National Museum of naval avaition. - Photo taken at Pensacola - NAS / Forrest Sherman Field (NPA / KNPA) in Florida, USA on February 19, 2003.

Grumman S-2 Tracker drawing - Category:Grumman S-2 Tracker - Wikimedia Commons

Lockheed’s S-3 Viking carrier-based antisubmarine aircraft was developed to replace the venerable Grumman S-2 Tracker.

Pingtung Air Base, Taiwan

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Grumman Tracker

The Grumman S2 Tracker was an anit-submarine warfare aircraft

The aircraft we introduce today is the all-weather, carrier-borne tactical AEW (Airborne Early Warning) aircraft. The name of this aircraft is Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye which was the twin-turboprop aircraft that was designed and manufactured by the company named Grumman Aircraft Company back in the 1960s for the USAF (the United States Air Force). The aircraft was designed to replace the US navy’s aging fleet of the piston engine-powered aircraft; E-1 tracer. The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye has been upgraded to variants designated as E-2B and E-2C with major changes being made in the radar and its radio communications following the advancements in the electronic integrated circuits as well as the other electronics. The 4th major model of the earlier Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is the one named E-2D which took its first flight back in 2007. The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye holds the title for being the aircraft that was introduced back in 1960 and it is still in production which makes it the longest serial production carrier-borne aircraft today. The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye was also given the nickname Super Fudd and previously it was known as Willy Fudd. As for the latest nicknames of this aircraft, it is Hummer because of the very distinct sound that the turboprop engines of the aircraft produced unlike that of the turbofan jet and the turbojet engines. Although the US navy is the primary operator for this aircraft, the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye has also been sold to other following military forces across the globe. Egypt France Israel Japan Singapore Taiwan Mexico Background and First Flight:- The very first carrier-borne aircraft of the US navy was named Douglas AD Skyraider which was then replaced by the Grumman E-1 Tracer which was then also modified to be the S-2 Tracker; an anti-submarine warfare aircraft which also carried the radar system in its radome located above the fuselage section. Back in 1956 US navy asked for an aircraft with the requirement of being an AW aircraft, the data of which could be then integrated with the NTDS (Navy Tactical Data System) located on the ship of the navy. The Grumman Aircraft was chosen for this project with the delivery of design to be made in March of 1957. The aircraft’s original designation was W2F-1 which was later changed to be E-2A Hawkeye. The very first prototype of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye was ready for its aerodynamics test back in October of 1 960 and took its first flight on October 21st of the same year. As for the fully equipped prototype, it made its first flight back on April 19th, 1961 and entered the service of the US Navy back in January of 1964 designated E-2A. Serial Production canceled due to Systems overheating:- It was not until 1965 that the E-2A model of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye underwent major problems mostly in its development that led to the aircraft order being canceled only after 59 units were manufactured. The major problem was the heating problem that led to insufficient cooling of the avionics compartment as well as the computer systems resulting in failures due to extreme heat. This led to even the whole fleet of the E-2A aircraft to be grounded from active service. This led to the upgrading of the E-2A already manufactured and re-designated as E-2Bs and nearly 49 of them were created. The design was improved by replacing the rotary drum computer with the Litton L-304 digital computer as well as other avionics also being changed. Birth of E-2C Hawkeye:- In 1968 another modification and reliability improvement was carried out on the E-2B models of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye series which led to the creation of 29 of E-2Cs. The upgrades this time were made in the computer and radar performances. Powerplant and Performance:- Power was delivered to the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye by twin Allison/Rolls Royce T56-A-427 which delivered about 5100 SHP each. This allowed for the aircraft to fly at a top speed of about 400mph while the cruising speed was about 295mph. as for the ferry range, the aircraft could cover a range of about 1682 miles while its endurance measured to be 6 hours. The aircraft’s service ceiling was 34700 feet. US Navy Nickname as “Eyes of Fleet”:- The very first fleet of the E-2A entered service of the US navy back in 1964 whereas the very first deployment of this aircraft from aboard an aircraft carrier was back in 1965 from the USS Kitty Hawk. The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye served initially the US navy during the Vietnam War and since then has helped the US navy in all their global conflicts. The aircraft even has a nickname the electronic “Eyes of the Fleet”. Service with other US government departments:- In addition to serving the US Navy, the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye has also been of service to other non-military US government departments like the US Customs Service and the US Coast Guard as well as the US federal state police forces for their anti-drug missions. Other operators:- The export of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye was also carried out to the other world militaries as well regulated by the US Federal Government under the FMS (Foreign Military Sales) to the following nations. France Egypt Taiwan Singapore Japan Israel Unofficial names of E-2 series and Current Status:- The E-2 series of the aircraft are also known by their unofficial nicknames like the Hummer and Super Fudd. The nickname Hummer is given because of the aircraft’s turboprop engines creating distinct sounds unlike those of the turbojet engines. While the nickname Super Fudd is given due to the aircraft replacing the E-1 series which was known by its own nickname of Willy Fudd. The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye s still in use with the latest variant in its line being designated as E-2D Hawkeye which had its first fight back in 2007. Related Content Grumman S-2 Tracker: The First ‘Purpose-Built’ ASW Aircraft of

Photo of Italy - Air Force Grumman S-2F Tracker (MM136556) by Davide Olivati (Vigna di Valle - Italian AF Museum, Italy) - Airport IATA code: / ICAO code: LIRB - taken on Nov 2nd 2012 and published by www.airplane-pictures.net on Jan 1st 2013

Belonging to the Naval Aviation Museum based at Nowra. - Photo taken at Nowra (NOA / YSNW) in New South Wales, Australia on December 5, 1993.

You have to love the sound of a twin engine radial. This Grumman Tracker withdrawn from active Royal Australian Navy service on the 12th August 1984, registered under VH-NVX, flies for the spectators at the Fleet Air Arm's 1996 Air Show at HMAS Albatross, New South Wales. The tracker was carrier based & was capable of carrying weapons, sonobouys, and other submarine detection equipment, such as a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) & search radar. Here the carrier arrestor hook & MAD boom is clearly visible. - Photo taken at Nowra (NOA / YSNW) in New South Wales, Australia in 1996.

Doing a taxi run with folded wings during the HMAS Albatross 60th Anniversary Air Show. - Photo taken at Nowra (NOA / YSNW) in New South Wales, Australia on October 26, 2008.