EA-18G Airborne Electronic Attack Aircraft
Overview
EA-18G Capabilities
- Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses: The EA-18G will counter enemy air defenses using both reactive and pre-emptive jamming techniques.
- Stand-off and Escort Jamming: The EA-18G will be highly effective in the traditional stand-off jamming mission, but with the speed and agility of a Super Hornet, it will also be effective in the escort role.
- Integrated Air/Ground AEA: Dramatically enhanced situational awareness and uninterrupted communications will enable the EA-18G to achieve a higher degree of integration with ground operations than has been previously achievable.
- Self-protect and Time-Critical Strike Support: With its Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, digital data links and air-to-air missiles, the EA-18G will have self-protection capability and will also be effective for target identification and prosecution.
- Growth: High commonality with the F/A-18E/F, nine available weapon stations and modern avionics enable cost-effective synergistic growth for both aircraft, setting the stage for continuous capability enhancement.
Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) Capabilities
- Full Spectrum: The EA-18G's ALQ-218 wideband receiver combined with the ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System will be effective against any surface-to-air threat.
- Precision Airborne Electronic Attack: Selective-reactive technology enables the EA-18G to rapidly sense and locate threats with a significantly higher degree of accuracy than was previously possible. This improved accuracy enables greater concentration of energy against threats.
- Advanced Communication Countermeasures: Its modular Communication Countermeasure Set enables the EA-18G to counter a wide range of communication systems and is readily adaptable to an ever-changing threat spectrum.
- Interference Cancellation System (INCANS): INCANS dramatically enhances aircrew situational awareness by enabling uninterrupted communications during jamming operations.
Milestones
- 2001: successful initial flight demonstration of EA-18 AEA variant
- 2004: Start of System Development and Demonstration
- 2006: First Flight
- 2009: Initial Operational Capability
The EA-18G program leverages proven processes developed by the Super Hornet program, recognized as a model acquisition program in DoD, to ensure a low-risk executable program that will remain on schedule, under weight, and provide significant cost savings.
For more information, read the EA-18G (PDF) overview.
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