The electronic warfare attack system for the Boeing EA-18G Growler, a staple aircraft at Naval Air Station Whidbey, is getting major upgrades.
Last year, the Navy contracted Boeing for the next generation electronic attack program for the Growlers, called Block II, until a replacement aircraft is eventually chosen. Boeing and the Oak Harbor-based supplier, Northrop Grumman, are about a year into these efforts, broken up into pre-phase 1, phase 1 and phase 2, though much of this is happening simultaneously, said Boeing Global Media Relations Officer Mary Ann Brett.
NAS Whidbey had the first Growler fleet in 2008. Considered the most advanced airborne electronic attack platform, the Growler provides tactical jamming and electronic protection to U.S. military forces and allies worldwide.
Northrop Grumman, collaborating with Boeing, is working on prototyping, developing software and integrating the changes onto the platform, said Elizabeth Fahrner, public affairs officer for the Navy’s executive office for tactical aircraft.
Engineering and manufacturing at Boeing makes phase 1, set to be complete in late 2025, and phase 2 is focused on upgrades directed to the Growler’s flaps, Brett said.
Today’s Growlers carry what’s called an ALQ-218 receiver, ALQ-99 tactical jamming pods, ALQ-227 communication countermeasures set and joint tactical terminal-receiver satellite communications.
The next generation jammer mid-band will ultimately replace the ALQ-99, Fahrner said. The new system will address advancing threats and increased threat density using the latest software, called active electronically scanned array. This will significantly increase jamming capability, radiated power and rapid beam steering. In other words, more effective jamming to more targets.
Growlers will also receive an advanced cockpit system that the F/A-18 Super Hornets use, Brett said, featuring a 10×19-inch touchscreen display, the largest of any fighter plane in the world.
Any more specifics regarding the upgrades are classified, she said.
Both Brett and Fahrner declined to provide the value of this contract between Boeing and the Navy.
