photo #2464917

An E-2D Hawkeye, assigned to the Tigertails of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125, prepares to land on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) as the ship cruises in the South China Sea.What do planes like this do? E-2D Hawkeyes perform tactical airborne early warning missions to provide valuable information to Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 as it plans and executes operations. Why is the carrier in the South China Sea? The USS Ronald Reagan is the flagship of CSG-5. It provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region. The ship and the strike group routinely deploy throughout the region.