EA-18G Growler, the US and Australian plane that fights in the electromagnetic spectrum

Today, technology makes electronic warfare as important as conventional warfare when it comes to aviation.

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The United States has been operating fighter jets dedicated to combat in the electromagnetic spectrum for many years now, degrading, interfering with, and destroying enemy air defenses. Today, one of the best YouTube channels I follow on aeronautical matters, Fly By Wire Aviation, has published an interesting video about the Boeing EA-18G Growler, an electronic warfare aircraft used exclusively by the United States Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The video is in Spanish; you can activate automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player.

The United States already had experience with electronic warfare aircraft. The United States Air Force (USAF) had already operated aircraft specifically for these missions, such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel (made from the F-4E Phantom II fighter) and the General Dynamics/Grumman EF-111A Raven (the electronic warfare version of the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark fighter-bomber).

In addition, the US had already operated two naval electronic warfare aircraft developed from the A-6 Intruder naval bomber: the EA-6A Electric Intruder (a two-seater aircraft operated by the Marines, of which only 18 units were made and which served during the Vietnam War) and the EA-6B Prowler, a four-seater aircraft operated by the Navy and Marines, of which 170 units were built and which entered service in 1971, being retired between 2015 (Navy) and 2019 (Marines).

The development of the EA-18G Growler began in 2001 with the purpose of replacing the EA-6B Prowler. The new aircraft was based on the new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet multirole naval combat aircraft, sharing more than 90% of its components. In 2003, the US Navy signed a contract with Boeing for 90 EA-18Gs. Unlike its predecessor, and as was the case with the Super Hornet, the EA-18G is not operated by the US Marine Corps.

The first Growlers arrived in the US Navy in 2008. Since then, a total of 153 have equipped 16 electronic attack squadrons (VAQ), in addition to three test squadrons (VX). In the US, the Growler is also used by a USAF unit, the 390th Electronic Combat Squadron, based at NAS Whidbey Island (Washington, a naval air station), which provides electronic warfare training to EA-18G crews. Australia decided to purchase the Growler for its Royal Air Force (RAAF) in 2008, having received 13 aircraft (12 from the initial batch, delivered between 2015 and 2017, and one more delivered by the US in 2023 as compensation for an Australian Growler that caught fire due to a manufacturing defect).

Externally, the Growler is very similar to the Super Hornet, but it lacks the M-61 Vulcan cannon in the nose (its place is taken by an electronic attack system, limiting its air-to-air armament to two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles on fuselage pylons), and instead of wingtip pylons for AIM-9 missiles, it has AN/ALQ-218 radar warning receivers. Like the Super Hornet, it has six underwing pylons and three ventral pylons for external stores. Typically, the Growler's underwing pylons carry AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles (a powerful weapon that puts this aircraft at the forefront of any attack), AN/ALQ-99 electronic warfare pods, and external fuel tanks. The EA-18G has two crew members: the pilot and an electronic warfare officer who is in charge of operating the electronic jamming systems of this aircraft.

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Main image: Royal Australian Air Force.