The Great Growler Gallery

I know the Marines have no interest in purchasing the F/A-18E/F model but what are they going to replace the EA-6B with? Are they thinking of the F/A-18G? When is the EA-6B supposed to be phased out of the Marine Corp inventory?

The most recent plan is for the Navy to get the Growler, and the Marines to get the scraps! This means the Marines will take the Prowlers that the Navy will no longer be flying and use them for themselves. The Growler for the Navy is supposed to come online sometime in 2010. That means it will be much longer, if at all when the Marines get the Growler. More than likely they will be waiting for the JSF EA version. Which I believe is the ultimate goal for both services.

Glenn
Prowler Pilot

EA-18 Growler

Something new that I just came to know about. I did a quick sweep of an article in "Combat Aircraft", and the Growler, actually the EA-18G (a ECM version of the super hornet) will eventually come to replace the Prowler for the Navy, Marines, and Joint AF/Navy "Purple Squadrons". It will not have the 20 mm, but will be able to be eqipeed with [missiles like] the HARM and AIM-120. It will be a two seater, not a four, obviously. So basically it will have most of the capabilities of an -F Hornet but with all the latest jamming/ECM equipment. It will have a good cockpit, based on the suggestions of prowler teams. I'm not sure when rollout will begin, but not for a few more years. All in all, looks like a good type, both from the crew's standpoint and the budget's.

Hehe, thanks for the info, but uh... that's old news

we'll stick it with something else

and yes, very old news

Can we use those AIM-120s to shoot ground targets like the Hornets did in Tears of the Sun?

I have seen super hornets in growler dress and I think they have they same exact ALQ pods as the EA6B. Have you seen it ea6bflyr?

Black, Republican, Jesus... what a mess

wait, wait, when did I say I was black or republican :icon_wink

And they repainted it in between... one was blue and one was red... same serial number on the tail though.

I'm an EA6B and E/F maintainer and I have to say that the Hornet will never be as good as the EA6B. The E/F is a great aircraft from the maintainer stand point compared to the pig but compromises must be made to use one platform for many missions. The un-refueled range of a G loaded with pods is much less that of the Prowler. Talk to any E/F driver and they will tell you having tanks on the outboard stations makes it a pig to fly. We load our birds 5 wet (ARS and 4 480 gal drops) quite often and the pilots make comments about how slow it is. Fact is a pig with a standard load of 3 pods and two drops will fly faster than an A-D (not in burner) with one drop. I have seen it with my own two eyes from the back seat. For some reason that I don't understand station 4 and 8 on the E/F are cantered outward from the airframe. With most loads this makes little difference in drag but with a big-old drop it makes a huge difference. I loved the EA6B for the 11+ years I have worked on it but I admit that having one aircraft that can do the job of 3 or 4 old platforms (although not as well) is better for everyone and saves the Navy money. Add to this the fact that a good portion of the EA6B fleet is now G limited because of wing problems it just makes sense to replace it.

How come there aren't conformal fuel cells developed, like the F-15 has?

Do you mean the F14 external tanks? As far as I know the F15 has the same cylindrical tank design as the E/F. I had a Boeing engineer tell me in class that a 480 gal E/F tank made of composite was lighter than the A-D 330 gal metal and fiberglass tank. Just another perfect example of a engineer that never actually had to work on something he designed. Maybe that’s a contributing factor to the E/F being over design weight?

Actually they are just some kind of stickers, I saw them putting them on a few weeks ago in preperation for a ceremony at Whidbey a few weeks ago. Looked pretty funny, grown middle aged men putting temp stickers on a plane like it was a model.

I think she is one of Boeings test planes, maybe given back after being one of the test birds for the Navy?

F-15E's have conformal external tanks on the sides of the plane next to the engines. They help give the E's damn good range. They have also developed them for the UAE's F-16E/F's, they are on the top of the fuselage next to the engine. A potential problem for carrier airplanes is that they cannot be jettisoned in flight and there is only so much weight you can put on carrier airplanes. Though it is something the Navy should at least look at, if they have not already (anyone heard of that?).

Now that makes perfect sense! bringback weight.

I believe that the 18E/F actually came in UNDER the specified weight. It is the JSF that is heavy....

Growler roll out

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2006/q3/060804b_nr.html

You mean the F/A-18F?

It's the F/A-18F airframe with new electronics/pods to carry. No real structural changes. So basically it's an "F" with new pods and a few more gadgets.