Posted on 11/15/2005 8:21:22 AM PST by kingattax
WASHINGTON — The Navy’s new airborne jamming aircraft will be known officially as the EA-18G “Growler,” its informal moniker for the last several years, the Pentagon has announced.
The designation comes two years after the Navy petitioned the Air Force Materiel Command, which assigns aircraft names and numbers for all the service branches, for the title.
About 30 names, including “Shocker,” “Demon ” and “Gator,” also were considered, said Chuck Wagner, a spokesman for the Naval Air Systems Command.
The plane, which is to enter service beginning in 2009, replaces the EA-6B “Prowler,” a Vietnam War-era workhorse that is being retired.
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-Email this Page -Print this Page -Get Email Newsletters The Growler will be based on the Navy’s F/A-18F Super Hornet, a two-seat fighter-bomber, but equipped with radar jammers and HARM anti-radar missiles rather than the Super Hornet’s complement of bombs and missiles.
The first two Growlers, both test models, are expected to roll out of Boeing Inc.’s Super Hornet assembly plant in St. Louis next year. The Navy expects to buy 90 of the planes by 2013 and spread them among 10 electronic warfare squadrons.
Each operational Growler will cost about $66 million, the Navy estimates, and the service is spending an additional $1.5 billion on research and development.
All the Growlers are expected to be based at Whidbey Island, Wash., home of the Prowler
I like it. I am going to miss those Prowlers...great planes.
Wasn't there a WW2 fleet submarine named "Growler?" Its sounds familiar to me.
I believe that is a term generally synonymous with "wife."
I understand the rationale behind having one platform for all tasks, but aren't we ending-up with a 'jack of all trades, master of none'?
Am I wrong in assuming a Tomcat would still kick a Hornet's ass?
USS Growler (SS-215) was lost on 8-Jul-1944 with the loss of 84 officers and men when it was sunk in South China Sea
Personally, I like the idea of dropping a Growler on enemy radar...although giving the enemy the Shocker has a nice sound to it as well.
????????
Dunno. I think we're gonna miss the huge load-liftin' capacity of the A-6 and its loiter time. Hornets are just too short-legged...
Many thanks! Great pic!
Thank you for a great pic!
LOL! Thank you. Take my wife...please!
yw
I was in an EA-6B squadron, VAQ-140, the Patriots and stood up with them in 1985. From what I have heard, the Prowler was one of the most demanding planes to fly and very unforgiving.
a container for beer (as a can or pitcher) bought by the measure;
a small iceberg or mass of floe ice large enough to be a menace to ships;
an electromagnetic device with two adjustable pole pieces used for finding short-circuited coils and for magnetizing and demagnetizing.
-- Webster's III.
Retiring the Phoenix missile with it's 130 mile range was a big mistake, too.
They retired the phoenix?
What is out standoff missle?
U.S. Navy Eyes New Jammer, Other Upgrades For EA-18G
By Marc Selinger
11/09/2005 08:34:55 AM
The U.S. Navy's EA-18G program is considering pursuing a next-generation jammer and other upgrades that could be fielded on the electronic attack jet after it enters service in a few years, a government program official said Nov. 8.
While the ALQ-99 radar jamming system has done "a great job" on other Navy aircraft and initially will be adequate for the EA-18G, it might eventually have to be replaced due to high support costs and the need to keep up with changing threats, said Capt. Steve Kochman, the Navy's EA-18G program manager.
The program is also exploring adding weapons and replacing the satellite communications receiver, among other changes, Kochman said at a press briefing on the EA-18G. The various upgrades are under consideration as part of the fiscal 2008 budget planning process.
The Boeing Co., the program's prime contractor, indicated in March that it was starting to survey future users of the EA-18G to find out what type of upgrades they would like after the Navy starts fielding the jet in 2009 (DAILY, March 24).
On track
Navy and industry officials said the program continues to remain on track for its first flight on Sept. 1, 2006. In St. Louis, Boeing is converting two F/A-18F Super Hornets to the EA-18G configuration to serve as test assets.
Bob Feldmann, Boeing's EA-18G program manager, said the program, which entered its system development and demonstration (SDD) phase almost two years ago, is about 3-4 percent under cost so far. Boeing has a $979 million contract for SDD.
Feldmann and Dan Roper, who oversees Northrop Grumman's work on the program, said the program has grappled with several technical challenges, including making Northrop Grumman's wingtip-mounted ALQ-218 radio-frequency receiver system durable enough to withstand harsh weather. But they said the program believes it has found solutions for those challenges.
Although budget constraints have fueled speculation that many Navy aviation programs, including the EA-18G, could be cut, Kochman said he believes his program has "great analysis" to defend its plan to buy 90 aircraft to equip 10 squadrons and meet training and other needs. He said budget discussions have looked at potential increases in the number of aircraft, as well as potential decreases.
The Navy plans to award a contract on Nov. 30 for the first four production EA-18Gs, as well as for 38 more F/A-18E/Fs, said Lisa Nyalko, the Navy's F/A-18-EA-18G deputy program manager.
The EA-18G's name is no longer a source of speculation. After more than two years of waiting, the Navy announced that it has finally received approval to use the "Growler" name.
Find this article at:
http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/JAM11095.xml
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