Profile
- Type
- Carrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraft
- Conflict side
- United States-led coalition
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Introduced to U.S. Navy operational service in 2009 and active in current carrier air wings
Aircraft & UAVs
EA-18G Growler
The EA-18G Growler is a Boeing-built electronic attack derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, fielded to jam, detect, and attack hostile radars, communications, and air-defense networks while retaining missile carriage for suppression missions. U.S. Navy and Australian Growlers provide carrier or land-based electronic warfare support, with recent documented use in Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea operations against Houthi forces, and the U.S.-Iran strike context.
Operation Inherent ResolveU.S.-led coalition and partner forcesRed Sea CrisisUnited States-led coalitionUnited States-Iran ConflictUnited States
- Built by
- Boeing
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- Initial operational capability in September 2009; first deployment by VAQ-132 in November 2010
- Used by
- United States Navy, Royal Australian Air Force
- Wars
- Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea Crisis, United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Boeing and U.S. Navy
- Designed
- Early 2000s; first test aircraft entered production in 2004
- Built by
- Boeing
- Built in
- United States
- Unit cost
- $68 million
- Produced
- 2007-present
- Variants
- EA-18G Growler, Growler Block II
- Developed from
- F/A-18F Super Hornet
Specifications
- Crew
- 2
- Primary function
- Airborne electronic attack
- Electronic warfare suite
- ALQ-218 receiver, ALQ-99 tactical jamming pods, ALQ-227 communications countermeasures, Joint Tactical Terminal-Receiver, and APG-79 AESA radar
- Armament
- Two AIM-120, two AGM-88 HARM, and three ALQ-99 tactical jamming pods in a representative Navy loadout
- Propulsion
- Two F414-GE-400 turbofan engines, each rated at 22,000 lb static thrust
- Combat range
- 850+ nautical miles with two AIM-120, three ALQ-99 pods, two AGM-88 HARM, and two 480-gallon external fuel tanks
- Ceiling
- 50,000 ft
- Dimensions
- 60.2 ft length; 44.9 ft wingspan; 16 ft height
Conflict Usage
- Operation Inherent Resolve
- Side: U.S.-led coalition and partner forces
U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers were documented flying an Operation Inherent Resolve mission over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in December 2024.
- Red Sea Crisis
- Side: United States-led coalition
A VAQ-130 EA-18G from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was documented using an AGM-88E AARGM against a Houthi-controlled ground target in Yemen during February 2024 coalition self-defense strikes.
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United States
USNI News identified EA-18G Growlers in Carrier Air Wing 2 aboard USS Carl Vinson as electronic-attack aircraft available for suppression of enemy air defenses during the June 2025 U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
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F-35 Lightning IIFifth-generation stealth multirole fighterThe F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter family built around sensor fusion, networked targeting, and multirole strike missions. U.S. and Israeli variants have documented post-2015 combat use, including Marine Corps F-35B strikes in Afghanistan, U.S. Air Force F-35A escort and air-defense suppression over Iran, and Israeli F-35I air-to-air combat against Iran.
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F-15E Strike EagleDual-role strike fighterThe F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat U.S. Air Force dual-role fighter built for long-range interdiction, precision attack, and self-escorted air-to-air combat. Its conformal fuel tanks, targeting/navigation pods, radar, and two-person cockpit allow it to strike ground targets day or night while retaining fighter performance, a role documented in Operation Inherent Resolve and later U.S.-Iran combat operations.
F-22 RaptorFifth-generation stealth air-superiority fighterThe F-22 Raptor is a U.S. fifth-generation stealth fighter built for air dominance with supercruise, integrated avionics, and internal weapons carriage. Although designed primarily for air-to-air combat, U.S. Air Force sources document its precision-strike role in Operation Inherent Resolve and its inclusion in the 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer strike package against Iran.
A-10 Thunderbolt IIClose air support attack aircraftThe A-10 Thunderbolt II is a U.S. single-seat, twin-engine attack aircraft built around close air support, austere operations, survivability, and the 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon. U.S. military sources document A-10C use in Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS and in Afghanistan during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, where its loiter time, precision weapons, and cannon gave commanders a dedicated low-altitude support platform.Sources
EA-18G GrowlerPublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports official background, contractor, service-entry details, electronic warfare suite, and specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20F/A-18 Super Hornet & EA-18 GrowlerPublisher: Boeing | Note: Supports manufacturer background and the Growler's airborne electronic attack role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20US Navy 080801-D-8974S-454 An EA-18G Growler conductsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: U.S. Navy public-domain image provenance for the primary image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers fly in formation during an OIR mission over the USCENTCOM AoRPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Directly documents U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers flying an Operation Inherent Resolve mission. | Accessed: 2026-06-20EA-18G Growler Killed A Houthi Mi-24 Hind With An AGM-88E Anti-Radiation MissilePublisher: The War Zone | Note: Directly supports Red Sea Crisis use by documenting a Growler-launched AGM-88E engagement during U.S.-led strikes on Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-06-20U.S. Drops 14 Bunker Busters in B-2 Strike Against Iranian Nuclear SitesPublisher: USNI News | Note: Directly supports the United States-Iran Conflict entry by identifying Carrier Air Wing 2 EA-18G Growlers aboard USS Carl Vinson in the June 2025 strike context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20