September 21/22: Advanced Capabilities
Mission Computers Boeing won a $51.7 million
contract to procure the final 51 Advanced
Capabilities Mission Computers retrofit kits (49 kits
for
EA-18G aircraft and two kits for software
integration labs) in support of meeting the Navy’s
mission requirements for the EA-18G aircraft. Work will
take place in Minnesota, Missouri and Maryland.
Estimated completion will be in September 2025.
September 14/22: TRU Champion
Aerospace won a $9 million
contract to procure 252 175 ampere (amp)
Transformer Rectifier Unit (TRU) retrofit kits (240 for
the F/A-18E/F fleet and
EA-18G squadrons, and 12 for the EA-18G Growler
capability modification operational test in support of
upgrading the current 150 amp TRU to a 175 amp TRU).
Work will be performed in Liberty, South Carolina, and
is expected to be completed in December 2023.
April 26/22: Deactivation The US Navy
has disclosed its plan to deactivate five
expeditionary electronic attack squadrons and send 25
EA-18Gs to the Aerospace Maintenance and
Regeneration Group at Davis-Montham Air Force Base from
2024. These five squadrons, VAQ-131, 132, 134, 135, and
138, do not deploy on board aircraft carriers and are
sent out to oversea bases to provide electronic attack
capabilities to the joint force.
April 14/22: PBAR Boeing won a $10.8
million
modification, which exercises options to procure
359 Primary Bleed Air Pressure Regulator (PBAR) valves
in support of the Environmental Control System PBAR and
Shut Off Valve Improvement modifications to the
F/A-18 E/F and
EA-18G aircraft. Work will take place in
Connecticut, California and Missouri. Estimated
completion date is in June 2024.
April 1/22: Maintenance DynCorp
International won a $100 million
deal, which provides organizational, selected
intermediate, and limited depot level maintenance, as
well as logistics support services for the Navy
F/A-18C/D/E/F,
EA-18G,
MH-60S,
E-2C, and F-16A/B/C/D aircraft. Work will take
place in Nevada. Estimated completion will take place
in September 2023.
March 23/22: Depot Level Maintenance
Boeing won a $95 million
contract modification, which increases the contract
ceiling to provide depot level maintenance and
modification efforts support for
F/A-18 E/F and
EA-18G aircraft inspections, modifications, and
repairs, as well as F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G inner wing
panel modifications and repairs. Work will take place
in Florida, California, Missouri, Washington and
California. Estimated completion will be by December
2022.
January 31/22: Flight Control
Surfaces Boeing won a $106 million
delivery order for the repair of flight control
surfaces used on the
F/A-18 E/F and
EA-18G aircraft. The US Navy F/A-18 E and F Super
Hornet maritime strike attack aircraft are twin-engine,
carrier-capable multirole fighter. The Growler is a
derivative of the combat-proven two-seat F/A-18 Hornet,
the US Navy’s maritime strike aircraft. The primary
missions of the aircraft are electronic attack (EA) and
suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), particularly
at the start and ongoing early stages of hostilities.
Work will take place in Florida and Missouri. Estimated
completion will be by March 2024.
December 23/21: Horizontal Stabilizers
Boeing won a $30.3 million
delivery order for the repair of 93 EA horizontal
stabilizers used on the
F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and
EA-18G Growler aircraft. The period of performance
for this delivery order begins January 2022 and will be
completed by September 2023 with no option periods.
Work will take place in Florida and Missouri. The
period of performance for this delivery order begins
January 2022 and will be completed by September 2023
with no option periods.
October 19/21:Next Gen Jammer-Mid Band
System Boeing won a $14.5 million
contract modification, which adds scope to provide
test and engineering support necessary to complete the
development of the Next Gen Jammer-Mid Band system in
support of the phased replacement of the AN/ALQ-99
Tactical Jamming System currently mounted to the
EA-18G aircraft. Work will take place in Maryland
and Missouri. Estimated completion will be in September
2022.
October 5/21: Australia The US
government
approved the sale of one Boeing
EA-18G electronic attack jet to Australia. This new
jet will replace A46-311 that was lost in an accident
at Nellis Air Force Base on January 27, 2018. Australia
will pay up to $125 million for the replacement
aircraft, which will come from production Lot 38 or
later.
October 1/21: Spare Engine Modules
General Electric won a $483.1 million
contract, which procures spare F414 engines and
various spare engine modules in support of the
F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet and
EA-18G Growler production aircraft. Boeing
announced the delivery of the first two operational
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets in the Block III
configuration to the US Navy on September 27. The
service will use these aircraft to help complete an
ongoing test and evaluation program for these updates,
as well as support the development of new tactics,
techniques, and procedures to go with them. Work will
take place in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Kentucky, Canada, Germany and North Carolina. Estimated
completion will be in January 2026.
September 16/21: ALQ-218 Northrop
Grumman won a $12.9 million
contract modification, which provides for the
retrofit of Airborne Electronic Attack Weapons
Replacement Assembly with 100 production kits required
for the modification of ALQ-218 avionics in support of
EA-18G upgrades, to include 64 kits for the Navy,
and 36 kits for the government of Australia. Work will
take place in Connecticut and New York. Estimated
completion will be in November 2023.
July 27/21: Weapon Systems Integration
Boeing won a $12 million
order, which provides production engineering
support in support of the integration and installation
of weapon systems on the
F/A-18 E/F and
EA-18G aircraft for the Navy. The US Navy F/A-18 E
and F Super Hornet are maritime strike attack
aircraft. The Growler is a derivative of the
combat-proven two-seat F/A-18 Hornet, the US Navy’s
maritime strike aircraft. The primary missions of the
aircraft are electronic attack (EA) and suppression of
enemy air defences (SEAD), particularly at the start
and ongoing early stages of hostilities. Work will take
place in Maryland and Missouri. Estimated completion
will be in July 2022.
March 23/21: Block 2 Boeing has inducted
the first US Navy (USN) EA-18G Growler electronic attack
(EA) aircraft earmarked for the Block 2 upgrade process.
Announced by the
manufacturer on 19 March, the milestone saw the first
Growler enter the modernization programme at Naval Air
Station (NAS) Whidbey Island in Washington state.
Previously known as the Advanced Growler, the Growler
Block 2 enhancement is based on the
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block 3 upgrade that is now in
its early stages. Features common to both aircraft
comprise 10 × 19 inch large-area display (LAD) cockpits
and conformal fuel tanks (CFTs), while the Growler will
also receive enhancements to the mission systems
including the Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ) and EA sensors
improvements related to the Electronic Attack Unit (EAU)
Surrogate Processor (ESP), AN/ALQ-218(V)4 RF receiver
system, and AN/ALQ-227(V)2 communication countermeasures.
There will also be networking and crew-interface
improvements.
January 8/21: NGJ Raytheon won a $34.3
million
contract, which provides engineering and test support
services for the ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer (NGJ)
currently in development for the Navy
EA-18G aircraft. The scope includes H16/H18/H20/H22
software support for NGJ pod and integration including
requirements analysis, design, development, integration,
testing, training and tools related to and in support of
ALQ-249 and advanced electronic warfare initiatives for
Navy and Foreign Military Sales customers. The NGJ is an
external jamming pod. The AN/ALQ-249 utilizes the latest
digital, software-based, and Active Electronically
Scanned Array technologies in order to address advanced
and emerging threats in the middle frequency bands of the
electromagnetic spectrum. The EA-18G Growler is a variant
in the F/A-18 family of aircraft that combines the proven
F/A-18F Super Hornet platform with a sophisticated
electronic warfare suite. Work will take place in El
Segundo, California. Estimated completion will be in
January 2025.
December 30/20: RFBU Mnemonics Inc. won
a $10 million
contract to procure as-needed engineering support
services in support of the Radio Frequency Blanking Unit
(RFBU) and Electronic Attack Unit (EAU) components of the
Advanced Electronic Attack (AEA) system of the
EA-18G Growler aircraft. The services under this
contract are engineering support services, logistics
management information and fleet support team efforts for
the RFBU and EAU variants and derivative systems.
Technical instructions will be issued in accordance with
the statement of work for this contract to support the
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane EA-18G EAU Organic
Depot. Mnemonics, Inc. supplies electronic products and
services. The Company offers electronics systems
solutions such as hardware, software, and systems
designs, as well as developing and testing of art weapons
and communications systems. Mnemonics operates in the
United States. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated
completion will be by September 2025.
November 17/20: VAQ-131 VAQ-131 has
completed its first expeditionary deployment at NAF
Misawa, Japan on November 6 and
was relieved by VAQ-135. That was the unit’s first
expeditionary deployment. But due to COVID-19, the
EA-18Gs did not detach to any other places. As an
expeditionary squadron, VAQ-131 deploys their EA-18G
Growlers to air bases worldwide and fluidly integrates
with US Air Force and foreign entities. While deployed to
NAF Misawa, VAQ-131’s primary objective shifted from
their previous mission of supporting combat operations
while deployed to the Middle East, to supporting security
and stability operations within the Indo-Pacific Area of
Responsibility.
November 4/20: Fuel Tanks Integral
Aerospace won a $9.3 million
contract modification, which exercises an option for
the production and delivery of 72 external fuel tanks in
support of the
F/A-18E/F and
EA-18G aircraft. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is
the US Navy’s primary strike and air superiority
aircraft. It is an updated version of the F-18C/D,
featuring a 20 percent larger airframe, 7,000 lb heavier
empty weight, and 15,000 lb heavier maximum weight than
the original Hornet. The Super Hornet carries 33 percent
more internal fuel, increasing mission range by 41
percent and endurance by 50 percent over the earlier
Hornet. The EA-18G Growler is the U.S. Navy’s newest
electronic attack aircraft intended to replace ageing
EA-6B Prowlers in the service’s fleet. Based on the F-18
E/F Hornet airframe, the two-seater, twin-turbofan
aircraft integrates the latest electronic attack
technology, including the ALQ-218 receiver, ALQ-99
jamming pods, communication countermeasures, and
satellite communications. Work will take place in Santa
Ana, California. Expected completion is in May
2022.
September 24/20: Next Generation Jammer
Boeing won a $21.9 million
contract modification, which exercises an option for
test and evaluation support for Next Generation Jammer
integration on the
EA-18G aircraft. The Next Generation Jammer is a
program to develop an airborne electronic warfare system,
as a replacement for the AN/ALQ-99 found on the EA-18G
military aircraft. It will reach Initial Operating
Capability in 2021. The EA-18G Growler is an airborne
electronic attack (AEA) aircraft, capable of operating
either from an aircraft carrier or from land-bases. The
Growler was developed as a replacement for the US Navy
EA-6B Prowler aircraft that entered service in 1971 and
retired in March 2019. Work will take place in Missouri
and estimated completion will be in September,
2021.
August 20/20: ALQ-99 Teledyne Defense
Electronics won a $23.6 million
deal for the repair of the electron tubes associated
with the ALQ-99 system in support of the
F/A-18G aircraft. This contract includes a five-year
base period with no options. The AN/ALQ-99 is an
airborne electronic warfare system, found on EA-6B and
EA-18G military aircraft. Receiver equipment and antennas
are mounted in a fin-tip pod while jamming transmitters
and exciter equipment are located in under-wing pods.
Work will take place in Rancho Cordova, California.
Expected completion will be by August 2025.
June 29/20: Display Suites Upgrades
Boeing won a $16.6 million
order, which procures retrofit modification upgrades
to the series aircrafts’
F/A-18 Block II Super Hornet and
Growler display suites within the Block III Super
Hornet and Growler Advanced Cockpit Systems. The Boeing
F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine,
carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants
based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E
single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger
and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D
Hornet. The single-seat F/A-18 Hornet is the nation’s
first strike-fighter. It was designed for traditional
strike applications such as interdiction and close air
support without compromising its fighter capabilities.
With its excellent fighter and self-defense capabilities,
the F/A-18 at the same time increases strike mission
survivability and supplements the F-14 Tomcat in fleet
air defense. F/A-18 Hornets are currently operating in 37
tactical squadrons from air stations world-wide, and from
10 aircraft carriers. Work will take place in Missouri,
Arizona, California and Florida. Estimated completion
date will be in February 2025.
June 12/20: RT-1763C/D AN/APX-111(V) BAE
Systems won a $58.7 million
contract, which provides for the manufacture, test
and delivery of 239 Mode 5 capable RT-1763C/D
AN/APX-111(V) combined interrogator transponders and 397
spare shop replaceable assemblies for the F/A-18 Super
Hornet series and Boeing EA-18G Growler warfare aircraft
for the Navy and the government of Canada. The US
Navy F/A-18 E and F
Super Hornet maritime strike attack aircraft,
manufactured by Boeing, flew for the first time on
November 29 1995. The Super Hornet is about 25% larger
than its predecessor, the F/A-18C/D, but contains 42%
fewer structural parts.
EA-18G Growler is an airborne electronic attack
aircraft, which operates from either an aircraft carrier
or from land-bases. The Growler was developed as a
replacement for the United States Navy EA-6B Prowler
aircraft that entered service in 1971 and is approaching
the end of operational life. Work will take place in New
York and Texas. Estimated completion date will be by
December 2025.
April 30/20: BRR3.1 Software Boeing won
a $9.7 million
contract modification provides engineering,
manufacturing and development support to integrate BRR3.1
software to the Next Generation Jammer on Boeing
EA-18G Growler carrier-based electronic warfare
aircraft, resulting in BRR3.1 software initial operating
capability. EA-18G Growler is an airborne electronic
attack (AEA) aircraft, which operates from either an
aircraft carrier or from land-bases. The Growler was
developed as a replacement for the United States Navy
EA-6B Prowler aircraft that entered service in 1971 and
is approaching the end of operational life. Work will
take place in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be
complete by December 2020.
April 1/20: BRU-32 The US Navy
awarded Marvin Engineering a $25.3 million
modification to procure 428 F/A-18 E/F
Super Hornet and
EA-18G BRU-32 ejector bomb racks for the Navy and the
government of Kuwait. The BRU-32 bomb rack is a gas
operated ejector rack with dual ejector pistons. It
weighs 76 pounds, incorporate 14- and 30-inch suspension
hooks and can accommodate single stores or multiple
carriage racks. The bomb rack features an electrical fuze
safety interlock, automatic sway bracing and store
sensing switches. Work will take place in Inglewood,
California. Expected completion will be by July
2023.
February 27/20: Model Kits Boeing won a
$7.4 million
delivery order, which procures 30 A1 G-Model kits and
66 A3 E-Model kits in support of
F/A-18E/F and
EA-18G modifications. The US Navy F/A-18 E and F
Super Hornet is a maritime strike attack aircraft. The
first low-rate initial production aircraft was delivered
in December 1998, and all 12 of the first batch were
delivered by November 1999. EA-18G Growler is an airborne
electronic attack aircraft, which operates from either an
aircraft carrier or from land-bases. The Growler was
developed as a replacement for the United States Navy
EA-6B Prowler aircraft that entered service in 1971 and
is approaching the end of operational life. Work will
take place in California,Missouri and Texas. Estimated
completion is in October 2023.
December 20/19: Engineering Services
Boeing Aerospace Operations won a $92.3 million
contract action, which provides engineering technical
services in support of Naval Aviation weapon systems and
all associated systems and equipment throughout their
sustainment life-cycle, to include contractor field
services in support of the
AV-8B Harrier II,
EA-18G Growler,
F/A-18 Super Hornet,
C-40 Clipper, and
P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the US Navy and the
government of Kuwait. In March Boeing was awarded
$87.5 million to maintain the AV-B8 Harrier trainers for
Kuwait. In 2017 the contractor received $41 million for
upgrades of the AV-B8 and the F/A-18. Work on the
contract will be performed at various locations in the
United States as well as Kuwait and Iwakuni, Japan and is
expected to complete by December 2024.
November 25/19: Distributed Targeting
Processor-Network The US Navy
awarded Boeing a $24.1 million delivery order, which
exercises the option to procure 34 Group A-1 retrofit
kits, 34 Group A-2 retrofit kits, and 34 Group B retrofit
kits for incorporation of the Distributed Targeting
Processor-Network into the
EA-18G aircraft for the Navy. The EA-18G Growler
electronic attack aircraft, a derivative of the F/A-18
Super Hornet fighter, is manufactured by Boeing. The
aircraft is intended to provide tactical jamming
capabilities and protection to Australian ground, air and
sea forces against enemy electronic warfare systems. The
EA-18G Growler measures 18.3m-long and 4.9m-high and
features large wings with a span of 13.7m. Its empennage
consists of a horizontal stabilizer and two vertical
tailfins that are canted outward. The aircraft
accommodates two crew members in tandem seat
configuration with pilot in front and electronic warfare
officer at rear. Boeing will perform work in Missouri,
California and Washington. Estimated completion date is
in June 2022.
September 10/19: First Images of NGJ-MB
Raytheon
published the first images of the Next-Generation
Jammer Mid-Band on the
EA-18 Growler. According to the company the NGJ-MB is
a high-capacity and high-power airborne electronic attack
weapon system. It will protect Air Forces by denying,
degrading and disrupting threat radars and communication
devices. In
July, the jamming pod was the first of 15 EMD pods to
be delivered to the USN for mission systems testing and
qualification on the Boeing EA-18G Growler, the service’s
carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft.
August 28/19: Kuwait The US Navy
contracted Physical Optics Corp. with a $27.2 million
contract modification in support of the
Super Hornet and
Growler aircraft for the Navy and the government of
Kuwait. The deal exercises an option for data
transfer unit production support, 160 data transfer
units, 160 ground data transfer units, 14 maintenance
access cables, 600 mission data transfer devices, and 459
maintenance data transfer devices in support of the
Navy’s F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G program. In addition, this
option exercise procures 37 data transfer units, 35
ground data transfer units, 11 maintenance access cables,
122 mission data transfer devices, and 90 maintenance
data transfer devices in support of the Kuwait Super
Hornet program. Boeing Super Hornets are
twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft
variants based on the McDonnell Douglas
F/A-18 Hornet. The EA-18G Growler is based on the
Super Hornet airframe. It is an electronic attack
aircraft, which is capable of disrupting, deceiving or
denying a broad range of military electronic systems,
including radars and communications. Work under the
contract modification will take place in California and
estimated completion is in August 2021.
May 29/19: Block II Upgrade The US Navy
kicked off the Block 2 upgrade for the EA-18G Growler
aircraft.
Jane’s reports, that the USN issued a request for
information in late May, in which it announced the
intention to procure non-recurring engineering in support
of
EA-18G Growler Block 2, including Electronic Attack
Unit Surrogate Processor,
AN/ALQ-218(V)4 RF receiver system, and
AN/ALQ-227(V)2 communication countermeasures. The
Growler is a variant of Boeing’s F-18F
Super Hornet. The aircraft provides tactical jamming
and electronic protection to the carrier air wing. The
Navy will have its existing Growler fleet brought in for
the Block II upgrades, which will incorporate new sensors
and some of the Super Hornet Block III upgrades – like
conformal fuel tanks. The Growler’s sensors upgrades will
do some of the analysis work previously done by pilots,
enabling the pilots to process data more
efficiently.
March 8/19: ALQ-249 The US Naval Warfare
Center Weapons Division
awarded Raytheon a $12.2 million for engineering test
support services for the ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer
(NGJ) currently in development for the Navy EA-18G
aircraft. The US Navy selected Raytheon’s ALQ-249 in 2013
to replace ALQ-99 systems used on the EA-18G airborne
electronic attack aircraft. The Boeing EA-18G Growler is
a carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft that entered
operational service in 2009. The
Growler is able to perform escort jamming as well as
the traditional standoff jamming mission. Services
provided under the contract include software support for
NGJ pod and integration, including requirements analysis,
design, development, integration, testing, training, and
tools related to and in support of ALQ-249 and advanced
electronic warfare initiatives. Work will take place in
California and is expected to conclude in March
2024.
February 22/19: EW Drone The US Navy
plans to test its new
electronic warfare (EW) drone this fall. The drones
are part of the „Remedy“ program by the Navy and Northrop
Grumman that sees a small Class II unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) packed into a cluster munition canister
that would then eject from a mothership and fly a
programmed route ahead of stand-off jammers and strike
aircraft. This could mean that electronic EW platforms
like the
EA-18G Growler could soon release swarms of drones
from the aircraft, allowing the smaller vehicles to fly
ahead to scout out for radar and other battlefield
emitters. The drones could even take part in electronic
attack missions themselves by jamming enemy sensor
networks. During the trials in fall, Northrop Grumman
plans to link the drone with an actual Growler as part of
Fleet Tactical Grid 2019.
February 13/19: Sensor system Upgrade
The Naval Warfare Center Weapons Division
awarded Raytheon a $88.4 million contract for the
modification and upgrade of the sensor system software
and hardware of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and
EA-18G Growler aircraft to incorporate updates,
improvements, and enhancements of tactical capabilities.
The deal includes technical support for hardware and
software anomaly investigation, design, development,
documentation, integration, test, and evaluation of
systems and support equipment. The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super
Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole
fighter based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The
Super Hornet is able to carry air-to-air missiles and
air-to-surface weapons. The Growler is a specialized
version of the Super Hornet. It is a carrier-based
electronic warfare aircraft with the ability to perform
escort jamming as well as the traditional standoff
jamming mission. Work under the contract will take place
in El Segundo, California and is scheduled to be finished
by February 2024.
