Boeing has announced that it recently conducted an experiment together with the U.S Navy in
which an EA-18G Growler controlled two other EA-18Gs flying missions semi-autonomously.
The company stated that the aircraft operated from Naval Air Station Patuxent River and
the trial run was carried out as part of the Navy Warfare Development Command’s annual
fleet experiment (FLEX) exercises.
Boeing but did not reveal the exact date when this was conducted.
The flights were intended to prove that F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers can effectively
run combat missions using unmanned systems.
This opens the door for many new prospects - manned aircraft working together with unmanned
once in combat and even a future pilotless avatar of current manned aircraft flying independently.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why demo flight of semi-autonomous EA-18G Growler
aircraft is one of the most important developments of recent times?
Let’s get started
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Area-denial and anti-access (AD/A2) system deny U.S. forces the ability to come within
hundreds or even thousands of miles of an enemy’s territory.
Today these high-end capabilities are being developed and deployed by countries like China
and Russia, but they will soon be available to others as well.
These capabilities include advanced integrated air defense systems with long-range engagement
capabilities able to target and shoot down aircraft from hundreds of miles away, as well
as increasingly capable ballistic missiles that can put America’s fixed installations
and even US carrier strike groups at risk throughout an entire region.
A country with a strong AD/A2 capability has basically created an invisible fortress wall
that can be pushed out thousands of miles from its territorial borders.
For example, Russia has developed S 400 Triumf which is considered to be one of the most
difficult systems to negotiate for an aircraft.
The S-400 is an anti-aircraft weapon system developed in the 1990s by Russia's Almaz Central
Design Bureau as an upgrade of the S-300 family.
It has been in service with the Russian Armed Forces since 2007.
The system has a tracking range of around 600 km or around 370 miles and can intercept
targets 400 km or 250 miles away.
These kinds of systems are a major threat for 4th generation aircraft and can even make
things difficult for the 5th generation once.
One of the most effective ways to counter air defense systems is to employ Electronic
Warfare and this is where Growler comes into the picture.
EA-18G Growler specialized version of the two-seat F18 Super Hornet for Electronic Warfare.
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.
The Growler has more than 90% components in common with the standard Super Hornet, sharing
airframe, Raytheon AN/APG-79 AESA radar and weapon systems such as the AN/AYK-22 store
management system.
Most of the dedicated airborne electronic attack equipment is mounted on a plate in
the space that used to house the internal 20 mm cannon and on the wingtips.
Nine weapons stations remain free to provide for additional weapons or jamming pods.
The added electronics include AN/ALQ-218 wideband receivers on the wingtips and ALQ-99 high
and low-band tactical jamming pods.
The ALQ-218 combined with the ALQ-99 forms a full spectrum electronic warfare suite that
is able to provide detection and jamming against all known surface-to-air threats.
The EA-18G can be fitted with up to five ALQ-99 jamming pods and will typically add two AIM-120
AMRAAM or AGM-88 HARM missiles.
Growler a range of 1,275 nm or 2,346 km and a combat radius of 390 nm or 722 km.
Tom Brandt, Boeing's Manned-Unmanned Teaming demonstration lead, said in a statement.
"This demonstration allows Boeing and the Navy the opportunity to analyze the data collected
and decide where to make investments in future technologies.
It could provide synergy with other U.S. Navy unmanned systems in development across the
spectrum and in other services."
He added,
"This technology allows the Navy to extend the reach of sensors while keeping manned
aircraft out of harm’s way.
It’s a force multiplier that enables a single aircrew to control multiple aircraft without
greatly increasing workload.
It has the potential to increase survivability as well as situational awareness.”
Boeing state that the experiment consisted of a total of four flights, during which the
three EA-18Gs performed 21 "demonstration missions," in total.
As per reports, pilots were on board the two Growlers that flew semi-autonomous during
the experiments and mainly took care of takeoffs and landings and otherwise acting as backups
in case of system failures.
It is unclear what kind of mission was executed as part of the experiment, it is likely that
they may have involved simulated electronic warfare sorties against mock threats.
The main objective seems to be to validate the capability of manned EA-18G to direct
and coordinate the activities of the other two semi-autonomous aircraft.
The U.S is not the only one thinking along these lines.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced last year that Russia’s latest heavy attack drone
‘Okhotnik’ meaning Hunter has performed its first flight with the Su-57 fighter jet.
The ministry said, “The Okhotnik unmanned aerial vehicle has performed its first joint
flight with a fifth-generation Su-57 plane,”
It was reported that the flight was conducted in the automated mode.
The ministry stated that “As part of the ongoing test program, the Okhotnik drone performed
a flight in the automated mode in its full configuration, entering the airborne alert
area,”.
The ministry added that during the flight, the drone and the Su-57 fighter practiced
interaction “to broaden the fighter’s radar coverage and to provide target acquisition
for employing air-launched weapons”
U.S Navy operates 10 Nimitz class supercarriers and is in the process of inducting Ford class
supercarriers.
So, it is clear that American supercarriers will be operating in the foreseeable future.
Each of these can carry more than 60 aircraft and one of the most important components of
the flight group is the EA-18G G Growlers.
Linking the jets together with small groups of unmanned platforms with their own sensors
and electronic warfare packages will significantly enhance the operational flexibility.
This demonstration means that in future the U.S Navy could deploy the unmanned Growlers
in risky airspaces to clear the path for manned once as well as other fighters and bombers.
It is important to note that US Navy along with industry partners like Northrop Grumman
is developing small drones carrying electronic warfare equipment that can be deployed in
swam mode which the EA-18Gs could deploy using modified air-launched canisters.
This means that a group of manned and unmanned EA-18G could someday work together and deploy
hundreds of these drones to confuse and distract hostile air defenses.
This will be a significant step towards countering modern integrated highly capable air defenses.