Plane Down: The U.S. Navy Just Lost a EA-18G Growler

What You Need to Know: A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler crashed east of Mount Rainier during a routine training flight from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The aircraft, part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130) "Zappers," was returning from a recent deployment with Carrier Air Wing 3.

-The EA-18G Growler, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, is equipped with advanced electronic warfare capabilities, including the ALQ-99 jamming system.

-The "Zappers" had recently completed a combat deployment, where they employed the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) and downed a Houthi drone. Search and rescue operations for the crew are ongoing.

EA-18G Growler Down in Washington State

On Tuesday evening, a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler crashed east of Mount Rainer. A search for the crew continues as of Wednesday morning.

According to reports, the aircraft was operating out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and was taking part in a routine training flight when it crashed. The aircraft was in service with the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130) "Zappers," which had returned to their homeport following a combat deployment as the only EA-18 Growler squadron with Carrier Air Wing 3. 

A U.S. Navy MN-60S helicopter was dispatched from NASWI to support the search and rescue operations.

EW Aircraft

The two-seat EA-18G Growler is a variant in the F/A-18 family of aircraft and even shares 90% commonality of components. It combines the proven Super Hornet platform with a sophisticated electronic warfare suite that performs a variety of functions, including communications jamming and countermeasures. It is the most advanced airborne electronic attack (AEA) platform and is the only one in service today.

Yet, whereas the Super Hornet is a multirole fighter, capable of conducting a wide array of mission profiles including air-to-air and ground attack attacks, the Growler was developed specifically as an electronic warfare aircraft that can be employed to identify, disrupt, and destroy an enemy's air defense system. It was developed as a replacement for the U.S. Navy's previous carrier-borne EW aircraft, the EA-6B Prowler.

Writing for The National Interest, Harrison Kass explained, "The EA-18G Growler made its combat debut in 2011, enforcing a UN no-fly zone over Libya during Operation Odyssey Dawn. To date, the Growler does not have the extensive combat experience of its ancestor, the F/A-18. Currently, eighteen Navy squadrons proudly fly the Navy's 172 Growlers."

The EA-18G Growler is equipped with the ALQ-99 integrated jamming system.

"Designed by EDO Corporation, the ALQ-99 includes receiver equipment and antennas that mount in a fin-tip pod, plus jamming transmitters and exciter equipment that is held under an aircraft’s wings, in pods," Kass noted. "The system is very clever; it can intercept, process, and jam radio signals. Then, the system can detect, identify, and direction-find those radio signals, which results in signals intelligence (SIGINT)."

Back From the Middle East

VAQ-130 – the oldest electronic warfare squadron in service with the U.S. Navy – was deployed aboard the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in support of Operation Prosperity Guardian.

Operating from the carrier, the Zappers "executed continuous combat operations in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden to maintain the freedom of navigation in international waterways," the U.S. Navy announced in July. "The 'Zappers" were the first to employ an Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) in combat. VAQ-130 was also the first Growler squadron in Navy history to score an air-to-air kill."

During this year's deployment, an EA-18G successfully downed a Houthi drone while deployed to the Red Sea. In addition, the Growlers operating as the USS Eisenhower's air wing also employed the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGM) for the first time in combat during the recent deployment. The ordnance was employed to destroy a Mi-24/35 (NATO reporting name Hind) attack helicopter while on the ground.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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