Tossing a Hawkeye around the sky

I've got my eye on you
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Not every plane has a pointy nose.

Some look...funny. Even, dare we say it, homely.

Yet the laws of aerodynamics, aviation, and naval warfare take precedence over the final form of a thing. And considering how critical the airborne early warning (AEW) function is to those who fly into harm's way, this is one of the most beautiful machines to fly off of a carrier deck.

Seriously, that giant radar dish is a work of art.

To oversimplify the importance of the Northrop-Grumman E-2C Hawkeye, it is the eyes and ears of the fleet, a high-altitude air traffic controller with a God's-eye view of the battlespace. It's roughly the Navy's equivalent of the famous AWACS, a precious asset that literally controls everything it can see. Without it, those pointy jets fly blind.

And my goodness, can they be thrown around the sky. Which, on reflection, only enhances its worth.

Because pleasant surprises are always more beautiful than the obvious stuff - in aviation, and well beyond.

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