Northrop Grumman has appointed Bart LaGrone vice president, airborne early warning and battle management command and control (AEW/BMC2) programs. In this position, LaGrone is responsible for the continued development and production of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye supporting the U.S. Navy's future AEW/BMC2 requirements.

The company has delivered nine E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, including the program's two system design and demonstration aircraft, and is under contract to build 20 more.

The U.S. Navy is expected to purchase 75 through 2021. It has also received E-2D export authorization from the U.S. government for the United Arab Emirates and India.

LaGrone is also responsible for managing the support and sustainment of the E-2C Hawkeye currently flown by the U.S. Navy, France, Japan, Taiwan, Egypt and Singapore, and the support and sustainment of the C-2 Greyhound, the U.S. Navy's carrier-onboard-delivery system.

"Bart brings a wealth of experience and hands-on leadership as an E-2D program manager and naval aviator to now lead our AEW integrated product team," said Pat McMahon, sector vice president and general manager, Battle Management and Engagement Systems division of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

"He's a great choice to lead the program because he understands both perspectives-from the needs of the warfighter to the importance of successful program performance."

Most recently, LaGrone was the deputy integrated project team (IPT) leader for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program.

In previous assignments, he served as the IPT lead for the Advanced Hawkeye system development and demonstration program successfully leading that program through its critical design review, first flights and milestone C.

LaGrone joined Northrop Grumman in 1997 as a weapon system operator responsible for conducting the flight test program for the E-2C Hawkeye 2000 and the Cooperative Engagement Capability. He was then assigned as the NC-130H IPT lead before joining the AHE team as the product test IPT lead.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, LaGrone was a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) with the Navy. While in the Navy, he was chosen as the first E-2C Group II NFO and assigned to VAW-113 to support the squadron's transition from Group 0 to Group II aircraft and to conduct the E-2C Group II OPEVAL.

He was also an instructor at the Naval Strike and Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon. He retired from the Navy Reserve in October 2010-having spent much of his time supporting various projects for the NAVAIR Reserve Program.

LaGrone graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science and earned a graduate certificate in project management from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.