The Nation - News from June 5, 1988

The Navy has grounded 28 of 98 E-2C Hawkeye early-warning radar planes pending overhauls to strengthen their wings, Pentagon officials said. The disclosure that such a large percentage of the “eye-in-the-sky” surveillance planes are now grounded was made during congressional testimony before a House Government Operations subcommittee to discuss proposals to increase the military’s role in the war on drug smuggling. The Navy first disclosed the wing fatigue problem in 1987, stressing that it did not blame the prime contractor, Grumman Corp., and noting that more sophisticated and heavier radar and communications equipment had been added to modernize the plane.