Posted on 02/12/2025 8:53:38 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
The EA-18G Growler is the "first line of defense in hostile environments" with several sensors and weapons to combat threats, according to the U.S. Navy
A military fighter jet with two service members on board crashed into the San Diego Bay near Shelter Island Wednesday, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue.
Rescue crews responded around 10:15 a.m. to reports that a military plane with two service members on board crashed into the water, the SDFD said.
The U.S. Navy confirmed the plane involved was a U.S. Navy EA-18 Growler — a variant of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet — assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 135, based at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington.
A charter fishing boat with H & M Landing was the first on the scene and pulled the service members out of the water. General Manager Frank Ursitti said the captain of the Premier saw the aviators eject from the military plane and immediately turned around to help.
October 15, 2024. U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 crashed east of Mount Rainier during a routine training flight. Two crew members were killed in that crash.
January 28, 2025. An F-35 Lightning II crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska during a scheduled training event.
The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. The EA-18G replaced the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers in service with the United States Navy. The Growler's electronic warfare capability is primarily provided by Northrop Grumman. The EA-18G began production in 2007 and entered operational service with the US Navy in late 2009.
Chuck Schumer’s’ fault?
Goresuch and Kav’s whirlwind collection?
We’re the pilots male, female? Both?
Active 1 September 1959 - Present
Active 15 May 1969 - Present
We’re the pilots male, female? Both?
Given that less than 8% of military pilots are female the odds are both pilots were male.
Not sure about the crew members today. The October 2024 EA-18 Growler crash on Mt. Rainier, Washington was crewed by two women, Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, 31 (Naval flight officer from California) and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, 31 (Naval aviator from California).
From KOMO News (Seattle), October 21, 2024, it sounds like Cmdr. Evans was an exceptional pilot:
Evans and Wileman had recently returned from a nine-month deployment at sea with The Zappers as a part of Carrier Air Wing Three aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
NASWI said during their deployments, Evans coordinated and executed multiple combat strikes in Yemen in Houthi-controlled territories. Wileman also planned and flew multiple strikes, making each of them one of the few women to fly combat missions over land.
“Following her time at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Evans was commissioned through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and earned her “Wings of Gold” as a Naval Flight Officer out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola,” NASWI wrote in the post. “While familiar with the spotlight, Evans always carried herself as a humble yet strong leader – the quiet professional.”
Evans was a veteran of two sea tours and mentored all ranks and communities who worked with Growlers, according to NASWI. Evans was a member of the historic all-female crew that executed the pregame flyover for Super Bowl LVII in 2023. The flyover included one Growler jet. The flyover was a commemoration of 50 years of women flying in the Navy.
“After completing the challenging 12-week HAVOC graduate-level course at NAS Fallon (the TOPGUN of the Growler community), Evans earned the honor and responsibility of becoming a Growler Tactics Instructor (GTI),” NASWI said. “Living up to this responsibility daily, her approachable and knowledgeable demeanor enabled the training and development of countless junior EA-18G Pilots and EWOs.”
“”it sounds like Cmdr. Evans was an exceptional pilot:
What fraction [by sex] crash into the large Wash. mountains?
The longer the authorities take to identify them, the less likely they're white males. (from Coulter's Law)
I’ll bet the bait-barge guys got a hell of a rush with that.
No kidding. Clean underwear needed all around.
It sure seems like something else is going on beyond bad aviators.
The mountains and The Potomac don’t move.
I hope Coulter’s Law has nothing to do with Ann Coulter
It generally takes a while before the military will officially identify the names of service members killed in mishaps. There's a lot of protocol that must be followed.
This being said, often the names are released quickly on social media by the family members themselves.
Both the pilot and the backseater in that Growler wrote a blank check for my freedom with their bodies they day they enlisted. I'm going to wait until an accident investigation comes back before drawing any conclusions.
NAS Whidbey Island is in Oak Harbor, WA. I graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 1971.
My dad was a Senior Chief Petty Officer with VA-115 “A’rabs”, an A-6 Intruder squadron. First cruise off the coast of North Vietnam, he was the Maintenance Chief. Set Navy wide records for scheduled sorties completed at 97%. Second cruise, he was the Leading Chief.
NAS Whidbey Island is a great place to be stationed if you have a family. Not so great if you are single.
The EA-18G Growlers replaced the EA-6B Prowlers which was a slightly modified A-6 airframe.
During its long history, there was never an EA-6 shot down in combat. In fact, during the Gulf wars, the Air Force insisted on the EA-6 Prowlers go in first to neutralize anti-aircraft sites. They would do it by either using laser guided weapons or electronic assets to fry their radar sites.
It just occurred to me that the pilots in this mishap both survived, in which case the Navy may never publicly name them.
Great post. Thank you.
Ditto!
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