Northrop Grumman Marks 50 Years of Airborne Electronic Attack Expertise

EA-6A Prowler With the first flight of the EA-6A on April 26, 1963, Grumman Aerospace, now Northrop Grumman Corporation, launched its l...

EA-6A Prowler

With the first flight of the EA-6A on April 26, 1963, Grumman Aerospace, now Northrop Grumman Corporation, launched its long and successful legacy as a leader in airborne electronic attack key component of all military contingency operations, as well as combat operations including Vietnam, the Cold War, Grenada, Panama, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

The EA-6A "Electric Intruder" was a specialized electronic warfare derivative of the A-6 service with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Equipped with an AN/ALQ-86 electronic warfare was phased out of active duty in the mid-1970s as its successor, the EA-6B Prowler, a more specialized aircraft, was introduced in 1971.

The primary mission of the EA-6B Prowler is to intercept and jam enemy radar and communications and perform electronic surveillance.

It has flown in almost every U.S. combat operation since being introduced in the 1970s. The most recent upgrade for the EA-6B, Navy, is the Improved Capability (ICAP) III system, which includes new cockpit displays, improved systems connectivity and improved system reliability.

EA-18 Growler

In 2009, the U.S. Navy began transitioning from the Prowler to the new EA-18G Growler, which enables warfighters to perform an array of airborne electronic attack missions, operating from either the deck of an aircraft carrier or land-based fields.

Featuring a derivative of Northrop Grumman's ICAP III system, the EA-18G integrates the capabilities of the most advanced airborne electronic attack system designed and produced by

Northrop Grumman. Additionally, as principal subcontractor to The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman designs and produces the E/A-18G entire center/aft fuselages and center barrel replacement assemblies, integrates all associated subsystems including the electronic attack capabilities, and conducts after-delivery product support.

The EA-18G, currently being delivered to the U.S. Navy, is the cornerstone of the naval Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) mission. Derived from the combat proven F/A-18F hornet aircraft, the EA-18G incorporates advanced AEA avionics bringing transformational capability for suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) and non-traditional electronic attack operations.

In 2010, Northrop Grumman received a U.S. Navy contract to develop and mature technologies for the Next Generation Jammer airborne electronic attack system.

The Navy's Next Generation Jammer will operate on the EA-18G Growler as the newest, most advanced electronic attack aircraft in the world. It will provide U.S. forces with the ability to suppress and defeat enemy and disable enemy ground-based communications capabilities.

The EA-18G can counter enemy air defenses using both reactive and pre-emptive jamming techniques.The EA-18G is highly effective in the traditional stand-off jamming mission, but with the speed and agility of a Super Hornet, it will also be effective in the escort role.