today the single most powerful military force in the world is the u.s navy's carrier strike group
which is capable of performing many missions including strike maritime and air superiority
along with power projection because of its prominent role in the world stage adversaries are
continuously looking for ways to disable or deter a carrier as a result a carrier is always escorted
by ships designed to protect it from destroyers to cruisers and the occasional submarine all of
these units work in conjunction with each other to form a defensive network to protect the carrier
yet there is another critical component to this network that often gets overlooked
the ea-18g growler the growler not only provides defensive and reconnaissance
data to the carrier strike group it also provides escort jamming to strike aircraft to
and from a target in many ways the growlers at the tip of the spear and the defender of
the fleet while also being able to provide its own offensive capabilities built on the combat proven
super hornet airframe today we will take a look at the development of the growler the aircraft
it replaced its operational history what roles it plays today and some potential future capabilities
the boeing e-18g growler is a carrier-based electronic warfare attack aircraft and is a
specialized purpose-built variant of the combat proven super hornet
the growler is the most advanced airborne electronic attack or aea aircraft and the
only one in production today providing tactical jamming and electronic protection to us military
forces and allies around the world the growler systems are continuously being upgraded to ensure
continued protection to all strike aircraft during high threat missions for decades to come
let's take a look at the development of the e-18g growler back in november of 2001 boeing completed
successful initial flight trials of a two-seat fa-18f which was fitted with the alq-99 electronic
warfare system this demonstrator proved that the super hornet could serve as an airborne electronic
attack aircraft but some modifications were needed ultimately the modifications necessary to perform
the aea role were so significant that a new type designation was assigned dubbed the ea-18 growler
the first test aircraft which was known as ea-1 flew in 2006. the second test aircraft designated
ea2 flew later in 2006 and after spending time at nas pakistan river both were transferred to the
naval air weapon station china lake in california these initial growlers were operated by vx-23
also known as the salty dogs by 2008 there were five growlers flying in the testing program
in 2009 the ea-18 growler was introduced to the fleet and has been in service ever since the
growler replaces the venerable ea-6b prowler which served with the navy and marines up until 2019
the prowler was an amazing aircraft and will be the subject of its own video
however the ea-18 growler has many advantages over its replacement we'll take a look at those in a
moment but first here are some specifications for the boeing e18g growler length 60 feet 1.25 inches
wingspan 44 feet 8.5 inches height 16 feet empty weight 33 094 pounds maximum takeoff weight
66 000 pounds engines two general electric f4 and four ge400s each which produces 14 000 pounds
of thrust dry or 22 000 pounds of thrust with afterburner maximum speed mach 1.8 at 40 000 feet
range 1275 nautical miles combat range 390 nautical miles for an interdiction mission
service ceiling 50 000 feet thrust to weight ratio 0.93
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in order to make room for the electronic suite that controls the an alq 218 and assists with
coordinating the an aoq 99s the growler removes the 20 millimeter cannon found in the nose
however there are still 9 hardpoints 6 under wing and 3 under the fuselage with a total capacity
of 17 750 pounds for external fuel and ordnance typically the inboard pylons carry 480 gallon fuel
tanks while the midboard pylons can carry the an alq-99 high band jamming pods and outboard pylons
are typically reserved for anti-radar missiles such as the agm-88 harm and the agm-154 j-style
air-to-surface missile furthermore two multi-mode conformal fuselage stations can equip air-to-air
aim-120 am-rams allowing the growler to protect itself or prosecute airborne threats and finally
the centerline fuselage hardpoint can be fitted with an an alq-99 low-band jamming pod the ability
to carry both amrams and anti-radiation missiles allows the growler to perform time-sensitive
strike missions in an evolving combat situation additionally the two wingtip missile launcher
rails typically used for aim9 sidewinders are replaced with an alq-218 detection pods
while carrying limited weapons options compared to the super hornet the growler's sensor suite is
definitely its strong point the growler makes use of the an apg-79 actively electronically
scanned array or aesa radar which provides the air crew with a high level of situational awareness
since this radar is based on an entirely solid state construction
the beam of the issa radar provides nearly instantaneous tracking updates and multi-target
capability the apg-79 can also operate multiple air-to-air and air-to-ground modes simultaneously
as mentioned previously the growler makes use of the alq-99 high and low band tactical jamming pods
each pod contains jamming transmitters and is powered by a ram air turbo generator or rat gen
these pods work together with the wingtip mounted alq 218s to form a full spectrum electronic
warfare suite that is able to provide detection and jamming against all known surface-to-air
threats the aoq-99 can be operated in three primary modes automatic where threats are detected
prioritized and jammed by the computer system semi-automatic where the operator selects and
controls the jammers and manual where the operator also identifies and prioritizes the threats
furthermore the growler implements the northrop grumman an alq-227 communications countermeasure
set electronic attack unit or ccs eau which is an electronic device designed to intercept
process and jam signals while also determining their direction the interface cancellation system
or in cans allows voice communication while jamming enemy communications a capability which
was not available on the growler's predecessor the ea6b in addition to the radar warning and
jamming equipment the growler possesses a communications receiver and jamming system
that provides suppression and electronic attack against airborne communication threats the growler
is also fitted with a helmet-mounted cueing system or hmcs that provides first look first shot
high off foresight weapons engagement capability this system enables the pilot to accurately detect
or cue the weapons against enemy aircraft while performing maneuvers the pilot points his or her
head at the target and weapons are directed to the target aircraft and mission data such as targeting
queues and aircraft performance parameters are displayed directly on the pilot's visor
along with electronic jamming the growler provides critical electronic intelligence
surveillance and reconnaissance or isr data to other joint force aircraft further enhancing
its value to the fleet and allies and since the growler is built on the super hornet airframe
it brings fighter aircraft speed and maneuverability to the electronic
attack aircraft platform something which was lacking in its predecessor the ea6 prowler
the ea6 served with distinction for decades and with the retirement of the ef-111 raven in 1996
was the only dedicated electronic warfare aircraft until the growler was deployed in 2009
the prowler leaves a great legacy but since the growler shares some 90
commonality with the super hornet maintenance and operational costs have been reduced significantly
the growler is designed to perform as a support jamming aircraft which can be tasked with two
primary mission types escort jamming and standoff jamming in the standoff jammer role the growler
would orbit outside the lethal radius of hostile defenses and jam radar and communications from
a distance in the escort jammer role the growler would accompany strike aircraft
into hostile airspace and jam acquisition radars and communications from close range
since the growler has the speed and maneuverability to keep up with the
carrier strike group's super hornets both mission types can be performed as needed additionally as
mentioned previously the growler can carry weapons to strike air or ground targets on its own if a
situation warrants immediate action because of this it is not difficult to see that the growler
can also perform the critical suppression of enemy air defenses or seed role as well
using its extensive sensor suite the growler can also provide critical electronic intel
surveillance of reconnaissance or isr data to other joint force aircraft all of these
capabilities ensure that the growler can provide advanced survivability and electronic protection
to allied ground air and maritime forces there isn't an allied commander that wouldn't want a
growler flying overhead protecting its forces in today's environments
today the growler is in operation with the u.s navy and royal australian air force or r-a-f
making australia the first country ever to be offered the highest level of airborne electronic
attack capability by the united states some of the navy squadrons operating the growler include
vaq-130 the zappers which is the oldest electronic warfare squadron in the u.s navy
vaq-134 the garudas vaq-135 the black ravens vaq-142 the grey wolves and vx-31 the dust
devils interestingly the us air force's 390th electronic combat squadron provides training
for navy electronic warfare officers by augmenting vaq-129 with usaf instructors many of the growler
squadrons are based out of nas whidbey island with deployments spread out among the active carrier
battle groups australia's growlers belong to the reaf's number six squadron and make use of the
an asq-228 targeting pod the australian growlers can also equip the am9x heat seeking sidewinder
electronic warfare is constantly evolving while the alq-99 system has proven effective
there is already work underway for its replacement dubbed the next generation
jammer or ngj initiative the program is looking to make extensive use of esa radar technology
one esa application could be to incorporate cyber attack capabilities to insert tailored
data streams into remote systems causing them to be disrupted or disabled another proposal
is the system which would use six asa radars for 360 degree coverage around the aircraft
additional upgrades are already underway for example the growler's alq-218 receiver system
is receiving the airborne electronic attack system enhancements modification which will
enable growlers to operate in increasingly complex electromagnetic environments further improvements
in data processing speeds and data links should also allow the growler to perform as a drone
controller which could send lower cost drones to either perform strike missions or set off enemy
defenses while the growler remains outside of the engagement zone in this way the growler would act
as a quarterback or conductor orchestrating an attack or a multi-layer defensive plan
based on the super hornet the growler airframe is a proven design which has demonstrated decades
of continual carrier operations upgrading the electronic suites and sensor platforms
will ensure that the growler continues to play a key role in reconnaissance deterrence and escort
jamming for strike aircraft for decades to come the growler is the most forward deployed protector
of the fleet keeping the carrier strike group safe and ensuring that strike aircraft make it to and
return from their targets what do you think is the growler an underrated aircraft will it continue to
serve well into this century let me know in the comments below thanks for watching i'd like to
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