TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Air Force will not repair an E-2K Hawkeye early-warning aircraft damaged last month as it would cost NT$2 billion (US$65.16 million), reports said Wednesday (Nov. 25).
When the plane returned to base in Pingtung County on Nov. 25, its landing gear failed to deploy, resulting in a belly landing before it skidded off the tarmac. The crash, in which nobody was injured, nevertheless caused damage to the plane’s sophisticated electronic systems, the Liberty Times reported.
A preliminary investigation showed that human error had caused the incident, with the two-member crew failing to deploy the landing gear the correct way, per UDN. The Air Force was also asking the manufacturer, Northrop Grumman of the United States, to analyze the data.
Repairs would only be sufficient to return the aircraft to E-2K level, which was not sophisticated enough to track stealth planes, the Liberty Times reported. Due to the cost, the Air Force had decided to give up on repairs and use the damaged plane for on-the-ground training and for spare parts, though the Ministry of National Defense still had to give its approval.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye would cost between US$425 million and US$660 million per aircraft, with Taiwan’s military having given up an earlier application to buy six of the early-warning planes. France procured three E-2D aircraft in 2020 at US$660 million a piece.