Summary Boeing EA-18G Growler has advanced avionics & communication suites differentiating it from the Super Hornet. The Growler lacks a Vulcan cannon but boasts air attack equipment & increased noise levels. EA-18G Growlers successfully engaged in combat, showcasing their effectiveness as electronic warfare aircraft.
The Boeing EA-18G Growler shares over 90% of its characteristics with the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. They are both built at Boeing's St. Louis, Missouri assembly plant, the most extensive Boeing assembly line after Boeing's Everett, Washington facility.
Focused on defense, the St. Louis plant also builds the MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueler and the T-7A Red Hawk flight training system. The Boeing EA-18G Growler incorporates several specialized technologies and modifications that differentiate the Growler from the traditional Super Hornet.
What the Growler has that the Super Hornet does not is: An extra avionics suite Improved radio frequency receivers An enhanced communication suite An ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System radio-frequency jamming pods Unlike the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, the Boeing EA-18G Growler does not have an M61 Vulcan six-barrel electrically fired 20mm Gatling-style rotary cannon. Instead of the gun, the Boeing EA-18G Growler uses the space for its dedicated airborne electronic attack equipment. Despite not having a gun, the aircraft has nine other weapons stations that can be used for missiles or jamming pods.
As part of its efforts to counter Iran, the US Navy is forward positioning Super Hornets in Jordan. Despite the two aircraft sharing the exact General Electric engines, the Boeing EA-18G Growler is noisier than the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. The Growler is louder when flying due to the turbulence caused by its underwing jamming pods.
About the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet is a tandem-seat supersonic twin-engine aircraft carrier-based multirole fighter jet in service with the United States Navy (USN). After the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991, military spending was cut drastically, leading to the cancelation of many of the United States Air Force (USAF) and USN experimental aircraft programs. At the time, the USN relied on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat for fleet defense and as an interceptor and air superiority fighter.
While it was a competent aircraft, the plane was built using 1960s technology, and the USN wanted something more advanced. Because of spending restraints, it was decided to modify the existing McDonnell Douglas Super Hornet rather than go with a more expensive clean sheet design. While retaining the F/A-18 name to help sell the project to the United States Congress, the USN placed an order for the aircraft in 1992.
The Super Hornet made its maiden flight on November 29, 1995, and then its first aircraft carrier landing two years later, in 1997. The Super Hornet entered service with the USN in 1999 and gradually replaced the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, with the last F-14 being retired in 2006. Operational history of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet On November 6, 2002, two F/A-18Es were deployed to take out two surface-to-air missile launchers in Al Kut and an air defense command and control bunker at Tallil air base.
On September 8, 2006, the Super Hornet was used to bomb Taliban fortifications and fighters near Kandahar, Afghanistan. On August 8, 2014, two Super Hornets from the USS George H.W.
Bush bombed Islamic State forces to protect US forces in Irbil and to protect cargo aircraft delivering supplies to Yazidi civilians in northern Iraq. Later in the day, four Super Hornets bombed an Islamic State convoy and a mortar placement. On June 8, 2017, a Navy Super Hornet shot down a Syrian Air Force Su-22 fighter bomber after it bombed the American-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Tabqa.
On December 26, 2023, Super Hornets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower intercepted attack drones fired by Houthi forces in the southern Red Sea. Specification and general characteristics of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Crew Pilot and weapon systems officer Length 60 feet 1.
25 inches Wingspan 44 feet 8.5 inches Height 16 feet Wing Area 500 square feet Empty Weight 32,081 lbs Gross Weight 47,000 lbs MTOW 66,000 lbs Internal Fuel Capacity 13,760 lbs External Fuel Capacity 13,040 lbs Powerplant 2 × General Electric F414-400 turbofans with afterburners Performance Maximum speed Mach 1.6 Range 1,458 miles Combat Range 511 miles Ferry Range 2,070 miles Service Ceiling 52,300 feet Rate of Climb 44,882 feet per minute About the Boeing EA-18G Growler The Boeing EA-18G Growler is a specialized version of the two-seat Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, which is used by the United States Navy (USN) as a carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft.
On November 15, 2001, Boeing completed an initial flight demonstration of an F/A-18F fitted with an AN/ALQ-99 airborne electronic warfare system, which was initially fitted to the Grumman EA-6B Prowler. The Boeing EA-18G Growler made its maiden flight at St. Louis on August 15, 2006, and made its first carrier landing aboard the USS Harry S.
Truman on August 5, 2009, entering service a month later. As of 2021 172 Boeing EA-18G Growlers have been delivered to the United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Operational history of the Boeing EA-18G Growler The Boeing EA-18G Growler was first used for combat during Operation Odyssey Dawn in March 2011.
The mission involved helping enforce a no-fly zone during the Libyan Civil War, and five EA-18G Growlers were redeployed from Iraq. EA-18G Growlers saw combat again as a part of Operation Prosperity Guardian in 2023 when the Houthi movement in Yemen attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea. A Growler destroyed a Soviet-built Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter on the ground with an AGM-88E AARGM air-to-ground missile.
A Growler also got its first air-to-air kill when it downed a Houthi drone. Specification and general characteristics of the Boeing EA-18G Growler Crew 2 Length 60 feet 1.25 inches Height 16 feet Wingspan 44 feet 8.
5 inches Wing Area 500 square feet Empty Weight 33,094 lbs Gross Weight 48,000 lbs MTOW 66,000 lbs Internal Fuel Capacity 13,940 lbs External Fuel Capacity 9,774 lbs Powerplant 2 x F414-400 turbofans with afterburners Performance Maximum Speed Mach 1.8 Range 1,458 miles Combat Range 449 miles Ferry Range 2,070 miles Service Ceiling 50,000 feet The United States Western District of Washington District Court’s Judge Richard A. Jones has ordered the US Navy to study possibly changing its Boeing EA-18G Growler operations from NAS Whidbey Island in Washington State to Southern California’s NAF El Centro.
This follows ongoing litigation with residents on NAS Whidbey Island who find the Boeing EA-18G Growler too noisy and disruptive. The Judge's order requires the US Navy to update its 2019 Environmental Impact Study (EIS) to address neighbors’ complaints in the suit, which has gone on since 2013. A possible move of training operations to NAF El Centro would affect a larger community and might be impractical.
Meanwhile, in May, news came out that the US is testing chevrons on the Growler’s engine exhaust nozzles to muffle the aircraft's infamous growl. So, what do you make of all this? How should the US Navy address the EA-18 Growler noise issue on NAS Whi.
