Editing Grumman E-2 Hawkeye (section)

====Israel====
Israel was the first export customer; its four Hawkeyes were delivered during 1981, complete with the folding wings characteristic of carrier-borne aircraft.

The four examples were soon put into active service before and during the [[1982 Lebanon War]] during which they won a [[Operation Mole Cricket 19|resounding victory over Syrian air defenses and fighter control]]. They were central to the Israeli victory in the air battles over the Bekaa Valley during which over 90 Syrian fighters were downed. The Hawkeyes were also the linchpins of the operation in which the IAF destroyed the [[surface-to-air missile]] (SAM) array in the Bekaa, coordinating the various stages of the operation, vectoring planes into bombing runs and directing intercepts. Under constant escort by [[McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle|F-15 Eagles]], there were always two Hawkeyes on station off the Lebanese coast, controlling the various assets in the air and detecting any Syrian aircraft upon their takeoff, eliminating any chance of surprise.

The [[Israeli Air Force]] (IAF) operated four E-2s<ref name=Eden/> for its homeland AEW protection through 1994. The IAF was the first user of the E-2 to install [[aerial refueling|air-to-air refueling]] equipment.

Three of the four Israeli-owned Hawkeyes were sold to [[Mexico]]<ref name=Eden/> in 2002 after they had been upgraded with new systems; the remaining example was sent to be displayed in the [[Israeli Air Force Museum]]. In 2010, Singapore began retiring its E-2Cs as well. Both Israel and Singapore now employ the [[Israel Aerospace Industries]] (IAI) ''Eitam'', a [[Gulfstream G550]]-based platform with Elta's [[EL/W-2085]] sensor package (a newer derivative of the airborne [[EL/M-2075|Phalcon]] system) for their national AEW programs.<ref>{{cite news |first= Arie |last= Egozi |title= Israeli air force showcases G550 surveillance fleet |work= [[Flight International]] |url= http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/03/23/339637/israeli-air-force-showcases-g550-surveillance-fleet.html |date= 23 March 2010 |access-date= 2010-08-06 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100331015333/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/03/23/339637/israeli-air-force-showcases-g550-surveillance-fleet.html |archive-date= March 31, 2010 |url-status= live}}</ref>