Sat, Aug 05, 2006
NextGen Radar Jammer Replaces EA-6B
More jamming capability equals more protection for soldiers in
harm's way. That's the word from Boeing Integrated Defense Systems,
that this week unveiled its first next-generation electronic attack
aircraft for the US Navy -- the EA-18G Growler.
The two-seat aircraft -- based on the increasingly ubiquitous
F/A-18 fighter -- comes equipped with a slew of radar tracking and
jamming pods affixed to underwing hardpoints. It also includes an
Airborne Electronic Attack system, to detect an enemy's electronic
radar energy and signal strength... and then shut it off.
The EA-18G is slated to replace the Navy's aging fleet of
four-seat, 30-year-old EA-6B Prowler aircraft.
"This rollout comes none too soon," said Navy Admiral Mike
Mullen, Chief of Naval Operations. "As we speak the Growler's
predecessor, the EA-6B Prowlers (below) are themselves flying vital
missions over Iraq and Afghanistan and they need to be replaced as
soon as possible."
That will come in 2009, when the first Growlers join the Navy
fleet. The Associated Press reports that eventually, the Navy will
have a fleet of 90 such Growlers, as part of a $9 billion
project.
The aircraft will be assembled at the Boeing IDS facility in St.
Louis, MO... and will be based at NAS Whidbey Island, WA.
"I was committed to make sure that they have the very best
possible equipment that they can get," said Missouri Representative
Todd Akin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, on the
unveiling. "Today for me is a little bit like Christmas time."
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