EA-18G Growler: Navy Jamming Jet Gets Next Generation Jammer
The EA-18G Growler jams enemy radars for the Navy and Australia. New jammer pods, an $876M Low Band award and the end of the production line explained.
The U.S. Navy has one aircraft built to fight in the electromagnetic spectrum from a carrier deck: the Boeing EA-18G Growler. On 23 September the Department of War announced an $876.4 million award to keep developing the jet’s next jamming pod, and six days later it ordered Boeing to plan the shutdown of the production line that built it. Together the two contracts show where the Growler stands in 2026: new electronics on an airframe that is no longer being made.
What the Growler is
The Growler is a two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet fitted with an electronic warfare suite. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) says it was built to replace the EA-6B Prowler and is “the first newly-designed electronic warfare aircraft produced in more than 35 years,” while keeping the Super Hornet’s multi-mission abilities. The first test aircraft flew in August 2006, the first production jet reached training squadron VAQ-129 on 3 June 2008, and initial operational capability followed in fall 2009.
NAVAIR lists a unit cost of $68 million, two F414-GE-400 engines and a crew of two: a pilot and an electronic warfare officer. The listed combat load is three ALQ-99 jamming pods, two AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles and two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, with a combat range of more than 850 nautical miles.
The electronic attack mission
Electronic attack means jamming or deceiving an enemy’s radars and radios so that strike aircraft can reach their targets. The Growler does this two ways: it jams air-defense and communications systems with its pods, and it can fire HARM missiles that home in on radar emissions. NAVAIR describes the jet as able to “perform a wide range of enemy defense suppression missions.” Within the Pentagon, the Navy is the only operator, so Growlers also fly from land bases in support of the Air Force.
ALQ-99 vs. the Next Generation Jammer
The ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System was inherited from the Prowler era. NAVAIR says the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) will “augment, and ultimately replace” it, using digital, software-based electronics and electronically scanned arrays that bring more power at longer range and allow rapid software updates as threats change. NGJ is being bought in increments, each covering part of the frequency spectrum.
| ALQ-99 TJS | AN/ALQ-249 NGJ Mid-Band | NGJ Low Band | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Legacy pod, still in service | In the fleet; IOC declared December 2024 | Engineering and manufacturing development |
| Builder | Legacy system | Raytheon (RTX) | L3Harris |
| Frequencies | Multiple bands | Middle bands | Lower bands |
| Key dates | Prowler-era design | Milestone C 2021; first fleet pods July 2023 | $587.4M EMD contract August 2024 |
Sources: NAVAIR NGJ program page and NAVAIR releases.
The Mid-Band pod, designated AN/ALQ-249, reached initial operational capability in December 2024. Rear Adm. John Lemmon, the program executive officer for tactical aircraft, said it “provides enhanced capabilities to deny, distract and disorient adversaries’ radars.” The Low Band pod targets the low-frequency end of the spectrum. The Navy awarded L3Harris $587.4 million for its development in August 2024 after protests delayed a 2020 award, and the 23 September modification adds tooling, cybersecurity work and demonstration test pods for both the Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force, with work running to fiscal 2031. Only $26.7 million was obligated at award: $3.65 million in Navy research funds and $23.04 million in Australian cooperative funds.
Squadrons and fleet size
According to Navy Region Northwest, the Navy has 12 operational electronic attack (VAQ) squadrons at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, and one, VAQ-141, forward deployed to Japan. Each squadron typically has four aircraft and about 200 personnel. Four expeditionary squadrons support land-based operations, NAVAIR says. On numbers, the Defense Contract Management Agency reported in December 2017 that Boeing had delivered the 150th Growler and that the contract would end with the 160th aircraft.
Combat and recent deployments
NAVAIR dates the Growler’s first combat to Operation Odyssey Dawn over Libya in 2011. In 2024 VAQ-133 became the first squadron to deploy with the ALQ-249; the Navy said its jets aided strikes on Houthi weapons storage sites in Yemen. The same squadron returned to Whidbey Island on 1 October 2026 after a 10-month deployment aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) supporting U.S. Central Command. A Navy release distributed through DVIDS said the squadron flew 1,190 sorties and 2,284 flight hours, including 720 combat hours. The release did not describe individual missions.
Australia’s Growlers
Australia is the only other operator. The Royal Australian Air Force says 12 Growlers fly with No. 6 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and that initial operational capability was declared in April 2019. Because NGJ Low Band is a joint U.S.-Australian program, Australian funds are part of each development award.
End of production and what comes next
Boeing no longer builds new Growlers. The 29 September order, worth $16.7 million, pays Boeing to inventory government-owned tooling for both the Super Hornet and Growler lines and recommend what to keep, store or dispose of, with work in St. Louis, El Segundo and Bethpage through November 2030. NAVAIR says a Growler Block II is in development, with the advanced cockpit and internal upgrades shared with the F/A-18E/F Block III and improvements to the electronic attack suite.
Analysis, based on the sources cited in this article:
With the line closing, the existing jets have to last, and new capability will come mainly through pods and software rather than new airframes. The Navy’s F/A-XX program is meant to replace Super Hornets in the 2030s, but no dedicated Growler successor has been announced. Drones such as the MQ-25 Stingray and the systems in our military technology report point to a carrier air wing where jamming may eventually be shared between crewed and uncrewed aircraft. For now, every deploying carrier still relies on its Growler squadron.
What to watch: Low Band test pod deliveries and a fielding date, which the September notice did not give; full-rate production of the Mid-Band pod; Block II funding; and whether the Navy names a future electronic attack aircraft.
FAQ
Is the EA-18G Growler still in production?
No. Boeing has stopped building new Growlers, and the Navy is paying Boeing to plan the shutdown of the shared Super Hornet and Growler line.
What replaced the ALQ-99 jammer?
The Next Generation Jammer is replacing it in stages. The ALQ-249 Mid-Band pod is in the fleet, and the Low Band pod is still in development.
Has the Navy named a Growler replacement?
Not yet. The Navy has not announced a dedicated successor; see the analysis above for how F/A-XX and carrier drones fit in.
Sources
- Naval Air Systems Command, EA-18G Growler (program page).
- Naval Air Systems Command, Next Generation Jammer (program page).
- U.S. Department of War, Contracts for Sept. 23, 2026.
- U.S. Department of War, Contracts for Sept. 29, 2026.
- Naval Air Systems Command, Navy to boost fleet’s electronic attack capability with Next Generation Jammer Low Band contract award, 10 September 2024.
- Commander, Navy Region Northwest, Electronic Attack Wing.
- DVIDS via EIN Presswire, Electronic Attack Squadron 133 returns from deployment, 14 October 2026.
- Royal Australian Air Force, EA-18G Growler.
Additional sources
- Naval Air Systems Command, US Navy declares initial operational capability for the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band system, 6 January 2025.
- U.S. Navy, VAQ-133 Wizards complete historic first Next Generation Jammer deployment, December 2024.
- Defense Contract Management Agency, DCMA Boeing St. Louis delivers 150th Growler, 14 December 2017.
- L3Harris, L3Harris Advances US Navy Next Generation Jammer Low Band Program, 19 October 2026.
