Jane’s Defence Weekly
January 12, 2000

Many Options On Table To Replace Ageing Prowlers

By Greg Seigle, JDW Staff Reporter

Washington DC -- Officials studying radar-jamming successors to the USA's fleet of ageing Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers are considering a wide range of options, from stand-off Boeing 757s to close-in Bell-Boeing MV-22s.

Although the leading contender to fill the electronic warfare duties of the Prowler appears to be a 'G' model of Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, dubbed the Growler, US military officials involved in a two-year analysis of alternatives (AoA) are considering other possible replacements. In addition to the Growler, the 757 and the MV-22, other considerations include futuristic options such as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).

"Kosovo really showed the importance of electronic warfare," US Marine Corps (USMC) Lt Gen Fred McCorkle, deputy commandant of the USMC for aviation, told Jane's Defence Weekly. NATO's air war against Yugoslav Serbs last year highlighted a shortage of and dependence on radar-jamming aircraft such as the EA-6B.

"At one time, within a 24-hour period, we had 100% of our electronic warfare assets deployed," Gen McCorkle continued. "When we came out of there we said 'what can we do about it'?"

By March, with the addition of a new US Navy (USN) Prowler squadron, the navy and the USMC expect to have "more" than the 95 EA-6Bs they had available at the start of last year's air war over Kosovo, a fleet that should be "sufficient", Gen McCorkle said. By mid-year, the USN and USMC hope to have 123 Prowlers, with 104 of them available at any given time. However, US military planners are concerned that they need even more.

"Is that enough electronic warfare assets? In [my] opinion it probably isn't," Gen McCorkle said, adding that the Prowler fleet would not be able to handle two major theatre wars. "The department of the navy has worked very hard to get additional EA-6s" out of a life extension programme, Gen McCorkle said. "Because we haven't had the money, we've actually had Prowlers parked against the fence waiting to go through re-work."

Some involved in the two-year AoA for US radar-jamming assets believe there should also be a simultaneous, short-term study, to choose an interim replacement to the Prowler. In that scenario, the F/A-18G would likely have the advantage, although modified 757s and MV-22s are believed to cost less.

The 757 would offer a stand-off approach, plus provide more capabilities due to its ability to carry more pods and systems. It is, however, a large, cumbersome aircraft, and officials involved in the continuing AoA are worried that it would not be able to get close enough to the action to be effective, Gen McCorkle said.

Conversely, the tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey, which is now in the operational and evaluation stage of development and is expected to be in service next year, would enable jammers to get in close to a target. However, there are concerns that it might be too slow to keep up with strike aircraft.

"I think [the replacement] aircraft is also going to be very expensive," no matter which option is chosen, Gen McCorkle said. "It's something that is not right now in the budget and we're going to have to figure out how we're going to afford to pay for it."