EA-18G System Design and Development (SDD)
The EA-18G contract team received its first Pre-SD&D contract in September 2002 to support preparation efforts for the SD&D phase. A contract award for SD&D is now expected shortly. The 5-year SD&D program is expected to run from FY04 until mid FY09 and encompasses all laboratory, ground test, and flight tests from component level testing through full-up EA-18G weapons system performance flight-testing.
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) received Milestone B approval to proceed into System Development and Demonstration (SD&D) of the EA-18G Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) Aircraft , December 18, 2003. Approval was granted by Mr. Michael Wynne, the Acting Under Secretary of Defense, (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics).
On 29 December 2003 the US Navy awarded Boeing a $1 billion contract for system design and development (SDD) of the EA-18G airborne electronic attack aircraft. The 5-year SDD program for the EA-18G runs from FY04 until early FY09 and encompasses all laboratory, ground test, and flight tests from component level testing through full-up EA-18G weapons system performance flight-testing.
Built on the same assembly line as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the EA-18G retains a high degree of commonality with the Super Hornet. Boeing will begin assembly of the second test program aircraft, EA-2, in the third quarter of 2005. Initial Operational Capability for the EA-18G is scheduled for 2009. A total of 56 EA-18Gs are included in a multi-year contract that was signed with the Boeing Corporation in December 2003. The multi-year procurement covers years from 2005-2009.
The EA-18G will provide the warfighter with abundant operational flexibility. It can carry up to five ALQ-99 jamming pods and will typically add two AIM-120 self-defense missiles and two AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation (HARM) missiles. While developing the EA-18G concept and configuration, the Boeing design team maintained as much of the inherent growth capacity in the F/A-18F as possible. The result will be a platform designed to take advantage of the latest airborne electronic attack and networking technologies, enabling significant improvements in threat suppression.
Upon initial fleet introduction the EA-18G will be capable of self-protection, freeing up dedicated escort aircraft for strike and other missions. It will be capable of rapidly locating and destroying surface-to-air missiles.
In addition to standoff and escort jamming missions, speed, maneuverability and advanced systems will enable the EA-18G to perform time critical strike mission targeting support. By combining two proven systems, the Boeing F/A-18F and the Northrop Grumman ALQ-218(V)2 receiver, the U.S. Navy will maximize the benefit of ongoing investments, while allowing for an initial operational capability by 2009.
At a ceremony 22 October 2004 in the Boeing Company’s St. Louis, Mo., facility, Navy and industry leadership commemorated the start up of the production line for the forward fuselage for EA-1, the first EA-18G test aircraft being built under a system development and demonstration (SDD) contract. Attendees watched as the first aluminum bulkhead was hoisted up and installed into the forward fuselage of EA-1. The radar ring bulkhead is a critical component of the forward fuselage, providing support for the Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and the nose cone of the aircraft. This is the first of many parts in the build cycle of the test aircraft, scheduled to fly in September 2006.
The FY 2005 Budget request reflected $359 million for SDD leading to Critical Design Review currently planned for April 2005. During FY 2004, EA-18G efforts focused on risk reduction and development activities concerning the integration of EA-6B Improved Capabilities (ICAP III) electronic attack technologies into the F/A-18E/F air vehicle. The EA-18G was approved to enter SDD on December 18, 2003, as an ACAT ID program. A total quantity of 30 systems will be procured in LRIP with a planned FY 2009 IOC and FY 2012 FOC. The EA-18G will replace carrier- based Navy EA-6B aircraft by 2012.
The Navy’s next generation airborne electronic attack aircraft, designated the EA-18G, officially received the popular name “Growler” in late 2005. The Navy sent a request to the Air Force to officially confirm the name in October, 2003. Air Force Headquarters Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, sent a memorandum confirming the name 12 October 2005. The EA-18G had been informally referred to as the Growler for some time. An aircraft or vessel’s popular name aids in communication and media references, according to joint service instructions. The official confirmation of a common name for an aircraft follows a process governed by the Defense Department and managed by Air Force Headquarters. Following a request from the F/A-18 and EA-18G program office (PMA-265) at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., fleet officers selected possible names. In this case the EA-6B Commodore queried squadron officers who chose Growler as their first choice out of a list of over thirty candidates. The name seems to be a composite of the Growler’s electronic attack predecessor, the EA-6B popularly known as the Prowler, and the “G” designation in EA-18G.
The EA-18G is the fifth time the Growler name has been put into service for the Navy. Two wooden sloops serving during the War of 1812 were named Growler. One served on Lake Champlain and the other on Lake Ontario. The first submarine called Growler, SS-215, was commissioned March 20, 1942 and served in the Pacific Ocean until its sinking during a battle with the Japanese Nov. 8, 1944. The Growler submarine earned eight battle stars during its service. A fourth Growler, the submarine SSG-577, was commissioned August 30, 1958, designed to carry Regulus nuclear missiles. She was stationed at Pearl Harbor performing nuclear deterrent patrols in the Pacific. She was decommissioned May 25, 1964 in favor of larger, modernized Polaris submarines. She is on permanent display at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space-Museum in New York City.
The EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack (AEA) aircraft flew the first time on 15 August 2006, approximately one month ahead of schedule. The first EA-18G, known as aircraft EA-1, successfully completed its maiden flight from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis. Boeing F/A-18 chief test pilot Ricardo Traven and chief weapons system operator Rick Junkin conducted the first flight of the U.S. Navy’s newest AEA aircraft. EA-1 is the first of two test aircraft built under a System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract.
