The Navy's next generation airborne electronic attack aircraft,
designated the EA-18G, has officially received the popular name
"Growler."
The Navy sent a request to the Air Force to officially confirm the
name in October, 2003. Air Force Headquarters Materiel Command,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, sent a memorandum confirming
the name Oct. 12 of this year. The EA-18G has been informally
called the Growler for some time.
An aircraft or vessel's popular name aids in communication and
media references, according to joint service instructions.
The official confirmation of a common name for an aircraft follows
a process governed by the Defense Department and managed by Air
Force Headquarters. Following a request from the F/A-18 and EA-18G
program office (PMA-265) here, fleet officers selected possible
names. In this case the EA-6B commodore queried squadron officers
who chose Growler as their first choice out of a list of lmore than
thirty candidates. The name seems to be a composite of the
Growler's electronic attack predecessor, the EA-6B popularly known
as the Prowler, and the "G" designation in EA-18G.
"We are excited to have approval for the name, one selected by the
fleet. The name is aggressive, and the Growler is inherently an
offensive weapon, so it fits," said Capt. Steven Kochman, EA-18G
program co-lead at Patuxent River. "We are also proud of the name
because it continues the legacy of the Prowler and a great
tradition of Growlers in Navy history. At the same time it looks
forward, saying we bring more tooth to the fight."
The EA-18G Growler is being developed to replace the fleet's
current carrier-based EA-6B. EA-18G will host the EA-6B's latest
electronic attack suite of equipment including the ALQ-218(V)2
Tactical Receiver, ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System Pods and the
Multi-Mission Advanced Tactical Terminal (MATT). It will integrate
additional capabilities such as Communications Countermeasures
System Receiver and Interference Cancellation technology in an
F/A-18F Block II aircraft.
The first two EA-18G developmental flight aircraft, the EA-1 and
EA-2, are scheduled to begin testing in September and November
2006. The two Super Hornet aircraft are currently undergoing
conversion to the EA-18G configuration at Boeing's plant in St.
Louis, Mo. All follow-on Growlers will be built on the existing
F/A-18E/F production line. The Initial Operational Capability (IOC)
of the first EA-18G squadron is scheduled for 2009.
The EA-18G is the fifth time the Growler name has been put into
service for the Navy.
Source : http://www.dcmilitary.com/navy/tester/10_46/features/38318-1.html