Still devoid of its large AN/ALQ-99 jamming pods, the #1 Boeing AE-18G Growler for the RAAF is seen taking of during a test sortie. Another eleven Growlers will join the RAAF in 2017. ©Boeing
Saint Louis, 29 July 2015 – Boeing and the U.S. Navy presented the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) with its first EA-18G Growler, the electronic warfare variant of the F-18F. Australia is the first country other than the U.S. to obtain this aircraft. In June 2014, Boeing was awarded the contract for 12 Growlers to be acquired by the RAAF under a foreign military sales agreement with the U.S. Navy. For more than eight decades, Australia has collaborated with Boeing and its heritage companies on defense capability development, acquisition and support. The nation currently flies Boeing aircraft that include the E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control, C-17 Globemaster III airlifter and CH-47F Chinook transport rotorcraft, in addition to the Hornet and Super Hornet. Boeing Defence Australia provides lifecycle sustainment services for the RAAF’s Super Hornets, C-17s, Wedgetails and other Boeing and non-Boeing platforms, and is a leading provider of complex network solutions for the Australian Defence Force.
A derivative of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the EA-18G is the only aircraft in production providing tactical jamming and electronic protection. It is the successor to the four-seat Grumman EA-6B Prowler used by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps and first introduced to service in 1971. The Growlers enhance the RAAF’s current fleet – which includes 24 F-18F Super Hornets – and advance ‘Plan Jericho,’ an initiative to transform the RAAF into an integrated, networked force able to deliver air power in all operating environments. The No.1 Growler for the RAAF will fly to Naval Air Station China Lake, California, for flight testing and then Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, where RAAF operators will continue training with U.S. Navy pilots to gain expertise in the highly technical electronic warfare mission. The RAAF is expected to take delivery of the aircraft in-country only in 2017.
“Growlers are the cutting edge of electronic warfare,” said Rear Admiral Donald Gaddis, U.S. Navy Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs. “As the U.S. Navy and RAAF continue to train and operate together we welcome Australia’s strategic step to advance the capabilities of our joint partners for years of future success.”
By Leandro Maldonado
