Which platform features a large radar dome on the top of the fuselage used for airborne early warning?

Which platform features a large radar dome on the top of the fuselage used for airborne early warning?

• A. The F-35C Lightning II
• B. The P-8A Poseidon
• C. The E-2D Hawkeye
• D. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is identifying an airborne early warning and control aircraft by its distinctive top-mounted radar dome, a rotodome that houses a powerful radar for 360-degree battlefield surveillance and airborne command and control. The platform that features this is the E-2D Hawkeye, designed specifically to provide wide-area radar coverage from about the carrier strike group, track airborne and surface contacts, and coordinate responses in real time. The large dome above the fuselage is a hallmark of this role. Other platforms shown are built for different missions: stealthy fighters lack such a dome, and a maritime patrol aircraft relies on different sensor layouts, so they don’t match the same airborne early warning capability.

The key idea here is identifying an airborne early warning and control aircraft by its distinctive top-mounted radar dome, a rotodome that houses a powerful radar for 360-degree battlefield surveillance and airborne command and control. The platform that features this is the E-2D Hawkeye, designed specifically to provide wide-area radar coverage from about the carrier strike group, track airborne and surface contacts, and coordinate responses in real time. The large dome above the fuselage is a hallmark of this role. Other platforms shown are built for different missions: stealthy fighters lack such a dome, and a maritime patrol aircraft relies on different sensor layouts, so they don’t match the same airborne early warning capability.