What Are Your Thoughts About The E/A-18 Growler

[Skyviper 1,101]

 

So we have a new QAF video discussing the E/A-18 Growler. The mission for these videos is to feature an aircraft's history and purpose in 3 minutes or less. While fun and challenging to make these videos I do have to admit it would be nice to really dive into an aircraft's history more. This leads to the QAF series other mission, which is to get interested ones in looking up and talking more about an aircraft with experts such as you that frequent forums such as CombatACE.

When researching the Growler I came across things about how some of the pods weren't working as advertised and that problems are being looked into. The other that I did find interesting which is briefly discussed in the video was the workload placed on the Growler's (Grizzly's) crew of 2 vs the Prowler's crew of 4.

So I'm wondering; what are your thoughts and concerns not only about the Growler but other advances made in aviation in recent years?

[JosefK 911]

Oh where do I begin?

I love the afterburners, the vapes, the precision flying at OLF Coupeville, the fact I'm a civilian that gets to see a slice of the history of this platform play out.

See all my 1,528 EA-18G pictures here: 

 

Me, I think the EA-18G Growler makes modern war impossible.  Remember modern war is so dependent on unhindered access to the electromagnetic spectrum for everything from triggering IEDs to radio communications to call in kinetic force to radars that see... in fact the Australians and likely Luftwaffe are buying Growlers.  The People's Republic of China is modifying a 2-seat Flanker to have EW capability.  Eurofighter is offering an EW version of their Typhoon with jammer pods & anti-radiation missiles.  That's how inspirational and landmark the Growler is.

Granted its predecessors the EA-6B Prowler, EF-111 "Sparkvark", & EA-3 Skywarrior are all remarkable.  But none of these jets got exported or imitated, plus all of them had drawbacks. Remember the F-15 & F-16 families inspired at least the Su-27 family, the MiG-29 family, the J-10 - which came from the Lavi which was based on the F-16, the JASDF F-2A spinoff of the F-16.  That seems to be the benchmark of how good a combat aircraft design is.

The EA-18G Growler is a doggone good fusion of computers, pods and airframe - the airframe being the F/A-18F Super Hornet.  Although the pods on the Growler are still canted out like the F/A-18F that creates substantial airframe drag issues the jet still has good range and will be getting conformal fuel tanks.

I also like the Growler self-escorts with two AIM-120 AMRAAMs, not just packs jammer pods and the occasional AGM-88 HARM.  Might look odd but certainly not ugly.