Online extract from editor Jamie Hunter's exclusive report, featured in issue 10.2. World-exclusive photos taken by Jamie Hunter.

(this online report includes additional images not featured in the printed article)

The US Navy is being very smart these days with some of its acquisition programs - why take risks? Military aircraft procurement is beset with pitfalls that see costs soar and deadlines pass. The Navy has totally rationalized the decks of its carriers, swiftly snuffing out its tired and hard to maintain F-14 Tomcats and S-3 Vikings, despite loyal followers in the fleet. In return it has got right behind the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet as a new all rounder that overcomes many 'issues' the original F/A-18A-D 'Legacy' Hornets have suffered from. The Super Hornet, or 'Rhino' as it has become affectionately known, has taken on the tanker role from the Viking, it is the primary strike fighter alongside the tired 'Legacy' Hornets and it is about to take on a further role.
The Grumman EA-6B Prowler electronic attack (EA) aircraft is the last of the old guard of fast jets still embarked on US carrier decks. Based on the A-6 Intruder, the Prowler is an old airframe, but in its day offered significant commonality with the A-6 attack squadrons in the fleet and introduced a potent EA capability for the Fleet. Today, the Navy is doing the same thing over again - this time it's with the Boeing EA-18G Growler. The Navy still takes the EA mission very seriously - without a stealthy strike platform it has to. While the USAF has effectively turned its back on EA and procrastinating over the B-52 Stand-Off Jammers and relying on the 'Weasel in a can' F-16CM - the Navy is adamant that when the carrier cruises it has to take everything with it.
'We’re very excited to be able to deliver to the Navy the new EA capability the Growler brings to the fight', said Boeing’s Rick Martin, EA-18G program manager. 'Through a lot of effort and teamwork between Boeing and the US Navy, the EA-18G program is on schedule, within budget and ready to provide the Navy warfighter with the remarkable capability of the Growler weapon system'.
Walking around a VX-31 'Dust Devils' test Growler at NAWS China Lake, California, it appears almost identical externally to a standard F/A-18F Super Hornet. It has extra lumps and bumps, new wingtip pods, and it's hauling big external jamming pods, but essentially, it's a Super Hornet. Indeed, according to VX-31 pilot Lt Jason Pattison, it flies better than the Super Hornet thanks to some new aerodynamic modifications. So, just how good is the Growler? Is this aircraft that has marched confidently towards fleet fielding really ready to replace the venerable Prowler in the demanding EA and Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) role by 2013?
The Growler program is remarkable by modern military procurement standards. It's on time and on budget in what was a fairly aggressive five-year development schedule for Boeing. Operational testing at VX-9 began in earnest at China Lake in October 2008 and the Navy is on track to stand up its first Growler squadron at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, this autumn as VAQ-129 'Vikings' converts from the EA-6B to become the Growler FRS (Fleet Readiness Squadron) training unit.
A few software glitches, which are normal for any major software development effort, seem to be the only bad news for the Growler. Indeed, fixes to these software issues are already in flight test in the next version of Growler software. The Navy has certainly played it safe with its new EA aircraft, using the proven F/A-18F airframe and essentially fitting it out with Northrop Grumman's electronic warfare suite straight from the Improved Capabilities (ICAP III) standard Prowler. But how many times has development of what seems like a relatively straightforward project gone spectacularly wrong? Not so with the Growler. To the real credit of Boeing, it has taken the Prowler's ALQ-99 low and high-band jammer pods, the ALQ-218 receivers from the tail and split them to fit nicely into the Growler's new wingtip pods. However, it's not all 'old kit' in the Growler; Boeing has also integrated the new Raytheon ALQ-227(V)1 digital Communications Countermeasures Set (CCS) for communications jamming and the interference cancellation system (INCANS), which allows the EA-18G to continue jamming an enemy radar and communications even while its pilot and WSO continue to communicate with 'friendlies', unlike with the Prowler. But it's true to say the Growler isn't a revolutionary platform, what of AGM-88E AARGM instead of the old AGM-88 HARM as its primary SEAD missile? HARM was adopted as a safer bet initially and AARGM is slated for Growler but since the weapon will not have completed development by the time of the first Growler deployment, it is scheduled to be phased in later. Why not introduce a new digital jamming pod, or even an all-new revolutionary stealthy EA platform? Growler really is the safe option, and at around $60m a copy it not going to break the bank - so it seems that full marks are due to all for carrying it off so well.

Getting to grips with Growler
Developed originally as a private venture for an EA-derivative of the Super Hornet, Boeing made it its business to develop the Growler concept well. The Prowler community was going to take quite some convincing that the Growler, with just one pilot and one weapons system officer (WSO), could outperform the three electronic counter measures officers (ECMO) and one pilot that they were used to. Indeed, developing the EA-18G mission system dates back to at least 1997, when Boeing began evaluations with Prowler crews in a purpose-built simulator in St Louis to develop crew interface software. Indeed, this work helped ensure that Growler was selected from various industry answers to the Prowler replacement requirement.
Cdr Ian Anderson is the executive officer (XO) at VX-31, and has a wealth of experience to bring to the Growler testing that is ongoing at the squadron. 'I have a bit of a unique perspective here. I was originally a Tomcat RIO (radar intercept officer), but when the Navy stood up the land based Prowler squadrons I did a tour there. So I had air to air, photo-reconnaissance and bomb dropping experience in the F-14, before moving over to the EA mission on the Prowler. The A-6 Intruder was previously the primary strike aircraft on the flight decks of aircraft carriers. In the EA-6B they created a derivative of the A-6 for the EA mission with an airframe that was completely compatible flight envelope-wise. We are now seeing the same approach for the Growler'.
'Before coming to VX-31 I was on the operational test side over at VX-9 here at China Lake, so I also now have about 1000 hours on the Super Hornet as a WSO. I am truly excited about the Growler because about a decade ago I was an aide to the Admiral at AIRPAC and we saw the first St Louis concepts and proposals for the type. It made me recall some jokes that were around in the early 1990s that were concepts from someone in the Tomcat community who came up with images of the Hornet fulfilling every mission in the Navy, from Hornet Eye replacing the E-2 Hawkeye to the Horion replacing the P-3 to the Howler replacing the Prowler. So, when the Growler was first proposed there was a lot of talk saying it was just Hornet guys trying to take over the planet!'
'The ICAP III Prowler is nothing like the original aircraft, but these aircraft are getting old and expensive to maintain. The Super Hornet is a much more reliable and easy to maintain aircraft than even the 'Legacy' Hornet. So the Prowler guys will not only be swapping out from the oldest airframes in the Navy, they get an airframe that is new and fresh plus it has state of the art maintainability and reliability technology engineered into it to make it easier to generate sorties'.
'There was initially some conjecture from the Prowler guys who were adamant that there was no way that just two guys can do the job of four. But they hadn't seen the crew vehicle interface concepts from Boeing. Once Boeing started demonstrating the Growler interfaces they soon changed their minds. The manufacturers made it much easier to operate the aircraft sensors and the mission interface. The complex EA mission involves mechanical computers in the aircraft with sensors and systems plus the organic computers (the crew) that are expected to process all that information and fuse it into a tactical execution. . The EF-111A Raven accomplished the mission effectively for the USAF with a two-man crew. The Prowler community is going to be pleasantly surprised how much easier it is in the Growler. Technology has marched on since the Prowler came into service'.
'When I first started flying Hornets in 1996 the Super Hornet vs Tomcat 21 debate was still raging strong. But, after about 50 hours as a WSO in the Hornet after cross-training in the FA-18D, with the Marines at MCAS Miramar, I felt I had just about mastered the airplane. That compared to about 300hrs that it took as a RIO to master the Tomcat. The Advanced Crew Station (ACS) is standard for the Block II Super Hornet and the Growler and is incredible in terms of getting situational awareness out of the airplane. You can set up the three MFDs exactly as is your want - it gives a lot of flexibility and compared to the F/A-18F back cockpit, the Growler is identical except for some extra menu options in the main computer'.

This is an extract from Jamie Hunter's article in Combat Aircraft issue 10.2.

'The Prowler community is going to be pleasantly surprised how much easier it is in the Growler. Technology has marched on since the Prowler came into service'. Cdr Ian C. Anderson, VX-31

 

For their incredible assistance in the preparation of this feature, Jamie Hunter wishes to thank Capt Tim Morey, Cdr Eric Holmberg CO VX-31, Cdr Ian Anderson XO VX-31, Cdr Brady Bartosh CTP VX-31, Cdr Chris Junge CO VX-30, Cdr Stephen Tedford CTP VX-30, Lt Jason Pattison and Lt Todd Morgan. He would also like to thank Phillis Thrower, Doris Lance and Theresa Goldstrand from NAVAIR Public Affairs and Eric Stanford of Boeing and his China Lake Growler team.

Photo captions
All photos: Jamie Hunter/Aviacom