when was the grumman E-2 Hawkeye built?

Question

when and why?

I need to know exactly when

Answer 1

The all-weather E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning/command and control aircraft (AEW&C) has served as the "eyes" of the U.S. Navy fleet for more than 30 years, and current production E-2C aircraft possess the most advanced AEW&C capabilities in service today. The Hawkeye provides simultaneous air and surface surveillance, strike and intercept control, search and rescue support, and drug interdiction.

Continuous modifications and upgrades have kept the aircraft's mission systems current with the evolving operational environment, and the U.S. Navy is continuing to invest in a number of system upgrades to keep the aircraft viable for at least another twenty years.

The Grumman design featured twin turboprop engines fitted beneath a high-mounted wing. The long fuselage housed a crew of five, including three mission specialists, and featured a large rotating radome mounted on a pylon above the wing juncture. To compensate for the airflow around the radome, the tail assembly incorporated four fins on a horizontal tail with significant dihedral. This design, first flown in 1960, was originally known as the W2F-1 but was later redesignated the E-2A Hawkeye before entering service.

The Navy took delivery of 59 E-2A airframes by 1967, but these were quickly upgraded to the E-2B standard with the installation of a more powerful processing computer and inflight-refueling equipment. Shortly thereafter, Grumman began production of the new E-2C model that included far superior avionics and more powerful engines. These aircraft have been continuously upgraded with new radar and sensors, improved avionics, more powerful processing equipment, and software upgrades allowing the E-2C Hawkeye to track over 250 targets and control 30 interceptors at once.

In addition to protecting the US fleet, the E-2 has also been used in cooperation with law enforcement agencies to interdict drug trafficers. The E-2 has also proven popular with the French Navy and a variety of foreign air forces. Some 150 E-2C Hawkeyes have been built to date with low-rate production still underway.

Data below for E-2C
Last modified 29 November 2005

HISTORY:
First Flight (W2F-1) 21 October 1961
(E-2C) 20 January 1971
Service Entry

(E-2A) 19 January 1964
(E-2C) November 1973

CREW: 2 pilots, 1 radar operator, 1 air control officer, 1 combat information center officer

ESTIMATED COST: $51 million

Answer 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-2_Hawkeye

It's an AWACS plane for surveillance.