on 2009 Electronic Awareness Warfare Appreciation Day at Joint Base Andrews Stephen Trimble from Flight Global noticed something unusual on a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler
Here’s what Stephen Trimble from Flight Global (who also took the photo) wrote about the picture:
I noticed a Boeing EA-18G parked on the side and struck up a conversation with the pilot.
As we chatted about interference cancellation systems, I couldn’t help but notice an odd decal decorating the side of the fuselage. I asked the pilot: What’s that aircraft decal on the fuselage?
“That’s an F-22,” he said.
Well, why is it there?
“Because this is the EA-18G that killed an F-22,” he explained.
Um, really?
Alas, after that bombshell, the conversation quickly dried up. I did learn the EA-18G kill was courtesy of a well-timed AIM-120 AMRAAM shot. And I learned the simulated combat exercise took place at Nellis AFB. How the EA-18G escort jammer got the shot, and whether it’s jamming system played a role in the incident were not questions the
Here is the famous picture of U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler (specifically aircraft EA-1, the first of two Lot 27 F/A-18Fs converted into flying prototypes for the EA-18G program) featuring an F-22 Kill Mark.
Photo Credits Stephen Trimble from Flight Global
Related link: The A-10 Warthog that killed a Cow during a Close Air Support Mission
Noteworthy since the Growler scored the simulated aerial victory against the Raptor, no further details have been provided on how the EA-18G got a missile lock on the F-22.
So could the EA-18G jamming system realistically make the difference in aerial engagements against fifth-generation fighters such as the F-22 or F-35?
By means of AN/ALQ-99 jamming pods, the E-18 Growler with can severely degrade F-22 and F-35’s radar performance, a feat very few aircraft can do. This will make stealth fighters’ radar ineffective against Growler from long ranges. However, in doing so the Growler will make itself vulnerable to the most sophisticated EW suites ever put on a fighter.
