@biped19 It's due to the saving in maintenance costs and because the F-18 is easier to modify. It's also because Grumman does not exist as their own company. They got incorporated into Northrup, which is probably more concerned about stealth aircraft than about an aging USN fighter that was originally designed in the early 70s.
quick question guys: Is there any easy way to visually differentiate between a normal F/A-18 and an EA-18? With the EA-6B, you could differentiate it from the A-6 by the red, 4 man cockpit, the lump on the tail, etc.,
yes the EA-18 has no gun on the front of the radome, has wingtip pods that dont normally come off, the pods it carry look different, it has more antennas, and for the most part thats really about it, as far as visual appearance goes.
I doubt this plane will be as robust and be able to take as many hits as the prowler/intruder series. At least this plane can make a mad dash outta there though, and perhaps defend itself! Awesome stuff!
The intruder is a bomber, and the prowler is a electronic warfare version of the intruder. The growler is replacing the prowler, the first Growlers enter service this year.
Intruder is not a fighter jet, it is helpless against other aircraft. it is a bomber. the first carrier based all weather attack aircraft, first aircraft with terrein avoidance radar which means it could fly really low even at night or in bad weather & place it's bombs in the general area of the target.
Radar, Communications, & datalink jamming. the Intruder was a bomber with a secondary role as an aeral refueler. EA-18G will do all of that less expensively, & has room for expansion.
But the Prowler was a victim of politics.The aircraft could have been improved as one doesnt need a mad dash to conductESM,ELINT,SEAD missions.The Navy made a big mistake converting the F18 to perform ECM missions.The ALQ-218 and its associated systems evolved from the EA-6B.I worked on its on-board systems 22 years and in my opinion,pound for pound still a damn good platform.I would go to war in that jet any any time.
yes, but what about fatique, does the prowler enough airframe life to justify keeping it in service? what about the in service rate? are the squadron maintanence people killing themselves to keep enough airframes up? how hard is it to fit digital systems into an analog airframe? questions that have to be asked. Semper Fi!
@airdale001 Stop saying the any aircraft replaced by an F-18 is a victim of politics. The EA-18G happens to be a worthy replacement for the EA-6B. Reasons:
-The EA-18G has more hardpoints than the EA-6B.
-The EA-18G could reach Supersonic speeds unlike the subsonic EA-6B
-The EA-18G carries 2 crew. The pilot, and Electronic Attack officer unlike the EA-6B's crew of 4.
-The EA-8G is so advanced, that it only needs 1 electronic attack officer.
And don't forget: the EA-18 Growler has defensive weapons. The Intruders/Prowlers never did, but that never stopped them from doing a bang-up job...literally.
@SenorSpode Yes it is. F-14 fanboys says its the crappiest thing that happenned to America.
The Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet is badass, easily a match for the current firepower and performance of the USAF F-16's and F-15's, and is more versatile and high tech than both.
It can knife fight like a Falcon, strike hard and long range like an Eagle, and take out all air defense along the way. This is the plane they test the F-22 against, which it has beaten.
The fan boys & shills don't get it. Free market capitalism is dead in America. Weapon acquisitions are purely political now. I've been studying aircraft design for ~15 years. You cannot have a jack-of-all-trades aircraft that is 25% larger than the original design and just "tweak the engines" without impacting performance. The rest is navy propaganda. The original F-18 series were beautiful aircraft & performed their mission admirably, as medium fighter/attack aircraft.
The growler is a new aircraft, they are currently in Operational Evaluation. the first 3 production Growlers are at NAS China Lake, california being tested by VX-9. this is the final step before they go to the fleet.
awesome, a fighter that looks normal, unlike those retarded looking stealth planes, nice to know the US are still concerned about electronic warfare, aircraft that provide electronic support are still vital
How do you know he didn't? If he were at landing speed, roughly 135 knts for an f-18, and suffered twin engine failure, his aircraft would have been entirely too heavy to glide it anywhere.
I haven't studied the incident enough to conclude anything; i'll let the marine corps make their own determination. 70% of all aircraft crashes are pilot error; we'll see.
It's basically the same airframe with a few modifications. Visually the most obvious is that it seats a crew of 4 instead of 2. It has some different avionics and electronics, jamming equipment of course.
The A-6 Intruder is a 2 seater bomber.The EA-6B Prowler is a 4 seater electronic attack jet that uses high power RF transmitters,sensitive receivers to defeat enemy radar,communications,datalink equipment.Also it can carry and fire the AGM-88 HARM missile to take out the enemy's emitters
To be totally correct, "EA" mean Electronic Attack. EA-6As and EA-6Bs were electronic attack long before EA-6Bs carried HARM.
They attacked with RF energy in the form of blinding the hell out of RADAR sites and disrupting communications.
During the First Gulf War, Hornet and Tomcat pilots all took notice of the fact that Prowlers saved their asses more than once. That was the first time you saw them on the flight deck checking the Prowlers out. ;)
I was with VAQ-129 FRAMP for almost a year,then assigned w.VAQ-131 for 2 cruises.The Lancers went to Grenada,and Lebanon(1983-84 cruise).Then the1984-85 Med/IO on the USS Independence.I then did 4 yrs shore duty at VAQ-129 then in1989 went to VAQ-139 on the Independence and was the first carrier to respond to the Kuwait invasion of1990,Desert Shield.I was an O-level AT(ECM/CNR)with the Prowler on active duty and I/Olevel in the reserves.The Prowlers I worked on were,ICAP1/2,EXCAP.
The "super lemon" Boeing shills & fanboys are out in force. Some forum /you-tube posts are out of control:
The Super lemon Vs. F-14-15-16-18. Super Lemon wins!
The Super lemon Vs. Pak/fa. Super Lemon wins!
The Super lemon Vs. Rafale. Super Lemon wins!
The Super lemon Vs. EF-2000. Super Lemon wins!
The Super lemon Vs. Firefox. Super Lemon wins!
The Super lemon Vs. Star Destroyer. Super Lemon wins!
The navy is replacing everything with them because America is bankrupt. Period. Paragraph.
biped19 1 year ago
@biped19 It's due to the saving in maintenance costs and because the F-18 is easier to modify. It's also because Grumman does not exist as their own company. They got incorporated into Northrup, which is probably more concerned about stealth aircraft than about an aging USN fighter that was originally designed in the early 70s.
336kgf 1 year ago
@biped19 super hornet as a bomber is above averege but as a fighter is worst at best
/watch?v=AtOS2EtQgsQ
dunno if you saw this video if not go look at the comments i think you will like it if you start reading from the last page to the first
zedeco 2 months ago
quick question guys: Is there any easy way to visually differentiate between a normal F/A-18 and an EA-18? With the EA-6B, you could differentiate it from the A-6 by the red, 4 man cockpit, the lump on the tail, etc.,
TallGuyProductionsNC 1 year ago
@TallGuyProductionsNC
yes the EA-18 has no gun on the front of the radome, has wingtip pods that dont normally come off, the pods it carry look different, it has more antennas, and for the most part thats really about it, as far as visual appearance goes.
madjoker4 1 year ago
So here's my questions regarding the most excellentl Growler-
1) Any idea as to when it's fully replacing the Prowler?
2) Can it still function as an air to air fighter like the regular Hornet or is a dedicated aircraft like the Prowler or the old F4G?
336kgf 1 year ago
where is te E for?
TheMax212 1 year ago
@ TheMax212
EA = Electronic Attack
TopGunSGA 1 year ago
@TopGunSGA Ah thx! But what do you mean with electronic attack, something like laser guided rockets?
TheMax212 1 year ago
@TheMax212
No, what I mean is electronic countermeasures ie jamming
TopGunSGA 1 year ago
@TopGunSGA Ok, thanks! ;)
TheMax212 1 year ago
@TheMax212 E basically means it's used for intelligence-electronic warfare, AWACS etc.
336kgf 1 year ago
@336kgf ok thx!
TheMax212 1 year ago
whoa heavy plane
Inklebonker1 2 years ago
Nice, it's all puffed out. It need a bigger nose for a SAR.
ad2181 2 years ago
Looks like a F/18 Super Hornet.
TheChunkyMonkey3 2 years ago
Very much is, just modified for electronic warfare like the E/A-6B Prowler. This is the aircraft that is replacing the Prowler.
nakedguitarplyr 2 years ago
because it is the same body. its just a modification.
halls865 2 years ago
bellieve it or not this is the most feared aircraft specially by enemy air defence teams.
immortal4942 2 years ago
good thing some of australia's fa18f order will be these, save the whole thing from being a total waste of time and $billions
lollerzor55 2 years ago
I doubt this plane will be as robust and be able to take as many hits as the prowler/intruder series. At least this plane can make a mad dash outta there though, and perhaps defend itself! Awesome stuff!
TripleZ89 2 years ago
Prowler/Intruder gets less robust every day. most of the airframes have between 5000-10,000 hours on them.
kdraper2007 2 years ago
The intruder is a bomber, and the prowler is a electronic warfare version of the intruder. The growler is replacing the prowler, the first Growlers enter service this year.
cpfourlife 2 years ago
they been in the military for sometime now. they had em in china lake in 07 and in whidbey island last year in one of the VAQ squadrons.
SwickAce 2 years ago
the prowler is for jamming or something like that and the intruder is a fighter jet
grudaone 3 years ago
Intruder is not a fighter jet, it is helpless against other aircraft. it is a bomber. the first carrier based all weather attack aircraft, first aircraft with terrein avoidance radar which means it could fly really low even at night or in bad weather & place it's bombs in the general area of the target.
kdraper2007 2 years ago
"kd" know's his shit...the Intruder was a bomber/tanker, in it's prime it's total payload was second only to the B-52. Ugly, but a tough mofo.
trotp3 2 years ago
Radar, Communications, & datalink jamming. the Intruder was a bomber with a secondary role as an aeral refueler. EA-18G will do all of that less expensively, & has room for expansion.
kdraper2007 2 years ago
But the Prowler was a victim of politics.The aircraft could have been improved as one doesnt need a mad dash to conductESM,ELINT,SEAD missions.The Navy made a big mistake converting the F18 to perform ECM missions.The ALQ-218 and its associated systems evolved from the EA-6B.I worked on its on-board systems 22 years and in my opinion,pound for pound still a damn good platform.I would go to war in that jet any any time.
airdale001 2 years ago
yes, but what about fatique, does the prowler enough airframe life to justify keeping it in service? what about the in service rate? are the squadron maintanence people killing themselves to keep enough airframes up? how hard is it to fit digital systems into an analog airframe? questions that have to be asked. Semper Fi!
kdraper2007 2 years ago
@airdale001 Stop saying the any aircraft replaced by an F-18 is a victim of politics. The EA-18G happens to be a worthy replacement for the EA-6B. Reasons:
-The EA-18G has more hardpoints than the EA-6B.
-The EA-18G could reach Supersonic speeds unlike the subsonic EA-6B
-The EA-18G carries 2 crew. The pilot, and Electronic Attack officer unlike the EA-6B's crew of 4.
-The EA-8G is so advanced, that it only needs 1 electronic attack officer.
Source? The US Navy and NavyTimes newspaper.
SuperHornetTV 2 years ago 9
And don't forget: the EA-18 Growler has defensive weapons. The Intruders/Prowlers never did, but that never stopped them from doing a bang-up job...literally.
SenorSpode 2 years ago
@SenorSpode Thats one of the major reasons that the EA-18G is a worthy replacement to the Prowler.
SuperHornetTV 2 years ago
Exactly. The F/A-18 Hornet is one of the best things to happen to the US arsenal in years.
SenorSpode 2 years ago 7
@SenorSpode Yes it is. F-14 fanboys says its the crappiest thing that happenned to America.
The Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet is badass, easily a match for the current firepower and performance of the USAF F-16's and F-15's, and is more versatile and high tech than both.
It can knife fight like a Falcon, strike hard and long range like an Eagle, and take out all air defense along the way. This is the plane they test the F-22 against, which it has beaten.
SuperHornetTV 2 years ago
@airdale001
The fan boys & shills don't get it. Free market capitalism is dead in America. Weapon acquisitions are purely political now. I've been studying aircraft design for ~15 years. You cannot have a jack-of-all-trades aircraft that is 25% larger than the original design and just "tweak the engines" without impacting performance. The rest is navy propaganda. The original F-18 series were beautiful aircraft & performed their mission admirably, as medium fighter/attack aircraft.
biped19 1 year ago
i thought the growler does not exist, ive never seen one.
lukepevensie 3 years ago
The growler is a new aircraft, they are currently in Operational Evaluation. the first 3 production Growlers are at NAS China Lake, california being tested by VX-9. this is the final step before they go to the fleet.
kdraper2007 3 years ago
They're wearing the colors of VAQ-129, the training squadron at NAS Whidbey Island.
They look like they're showing off and performing carrier breaks and approaches. Is that the normal Air Force approach pattern for Nellis?
ut000bs 3 years ago
I love the way those **** planes land, man... its completely kickass
wh306 3 years ago
awesome, a fighter that looks normal, unlike those retarded looking stealth planes, nice to know the US are still concerned about electronic warfare, aircraft that provide electronic support are still vital
kp66pk1616 3 years ago
Cool the new "F-18"!!!!!
DerReclaimer117 3 years ago
a fa-18 crashed in sandiego 2 day in landing
planesfreek 3 years ago
I've seen it on the news,3 dead and 1 missing,may they rest in peace.
does anyone know what was wrong with the fighterjet?
planecrazynl 3 years ago
I could be wrong, but apparently, both engines failed on approach. The F-18 had taken off from an aircraft carrier.
ThatTorontoGuy48 3 years ago
yeah I heard it was engine failure. But honestly I want to know if the pilot tryed to get the plane away from those peoples houses before he crashed
CplNavrasMEC 3 years ago
I think the engine failure happened long after the window of opportunity came for maneuvering the plane away safetly came and went.
By the time the engines went down, he couldn't have had adequate airspeed to fly the plane out of the way of the houses.
I think you're more likely to be struck by lightning then to have a twin engine failure.
odessaboy 3 years ago
Its best glide speed. You learn it in ground school for basic flying. Theres no excuse for it. Atleast give it a shot before ejecting.
CplNavrasMEC 3 years ago
How do you know he didn't? If he were at landing speed, roughly 135 knts for an f-18, and suffered twin engine failure, his aircraft would have been entirely too heavy to glide it anywhere.
I haven't studied the incident enough to conclude anything; i'll let the marine corps make their own determination. 70% of all aircraft crashes are pilot error; we'll see.
odessaboy 3 years ago
y is it called an EA-18 instead of just a f-18?
carsrulewtcfela94 3 years ago
Its for electronic warfare and stuff
QuincyGD4456 3 years ago
It's replacing the EA-6B Prowler... which Im sure the Prowler pilots are excited they get to fly supersonic in their new Super Hornets. :D
kickZtailout 3 years ago
what is the difference between the intruder and the prowler
lukepevensie 3 years ago
It's basically the same airframe with a few modifications. Visually the most obvious is that it seats a crew of 4 instead of 2. It has some different avionics and electronics, jamming equipment of course.
kickZtailout 3 years ago
The A-6 Intruder is a 2 seater bomber.The EA-6B Prowler is a 4 seater electronic attack jet that uses high power RF transmitters,sensitive receivers to defeat enemy radar,communications,datalink equipment.Also it can carry and fire the AGM-88 HARM missile to take out the enemy's emitters
airdale001 2 years ago
the EA-18 G will not be able to go supersonic with the jammer pods aboard. the pods can't handle supersonic flight.
kdraper2007 2 years ago
@kdraper2007 Well the US Navy says it will go supersonic.
SuperHornetTV 2 years ago
it can, but the pods cause severe buffeting, & would likely rip off. the pods were not designed for supersonic flight.
kdraper2007 2 years ago
@kdraper2007 Well the US Navy is designing the pods to survive supersonic flight. The US Navy is smart enought to know that.
SuperHornetTV 2 years ago
the wingtip pods and the pods on the pylons wont allow for supersonic flt.
airdale001 2 years ago
i can go mach 1.8 dumbass
directed to 'airdale001'
scottrules95 2 years ago 2
@scottrules95
lol thats awesome! i love it when someone doesnt know what they are talking about and someone makes them look like a jackass
madjoker4 1 year ago
The letters designate a plane based on its job.
F for fighter; b for bomber; c for cargo; a for attacker f/a for fighter/attacker etc.
In this case, the EA means Electronic Warfare/Attacker.
odessaboy 3 years ago
To be totally correct, "EA" mean Electronic Attack. EA-6As and EA-6Bs were electronic attack long before EA-6Bs carried HARM.
They attacked with RF energy in the form of blinding the hell out of RADAR sites and disrupting communications.
During the First Gulf War, Hornet and Tomcat pilots all took notice of the fact that Prowlers saved their asses more than once. That was the first time you saw them on the flight deck checking the Prowlers out. ;)
ut000bs 3 years ago
yep,I was there with the EA-6B in Lebanon,Grenada,Desert Shield.Nothing will ever replace the MIGHTY Prowler!!
airdale001 2 years ago
Outstanding. I was on the Saratoga with VAQ-132 during Desert Shield/Storm and VAQ-129 then VAQ-137 after that.
I agree with you. Just like nothing actually "replaced" the Intruder. :) They just stuck something in there to take up a little slack.
ut000bs 2 years ago
I was with VAQ-129 FRAMP for almost a year,then assigned w.VAQ-131 for 2 cruises.The Lancers went to Grenada,and Lebanon(1983-84 cruise).Then the1984-85 Med/IO on the USS Independence.I then did 4 yrs shore duty at VAQ-129 then in1989 went to VAQ-139 on the Independence and was the first carrier to respond to the Kuwait invasion of1990,Desert Shield.I was an O-level AT(ECM/CNR)with the Prowler on active duty and I/Olevel in the reserves.The Prowlers I worked on were,ICAP1/2,EXCAP.
airdale001 2 years ago
@ut000bs Ha I was in VAQ-137. The Rooks baby!
Magician1607 2 years ago
Nice./
SuperHutWeenie 3 years ago