U.S. Navy Photo While at Patuxent River, the EA-18G undergoes Electromagnetic Environmental Effects testing, including intra-system EMC, HERP, HERO, and P-Static tests in the ASIL anechoic chamber.

The Growler, built off the existing F⁄A-18 Super Hornet airframe, replaces the aging EA-6B Prowler as the Navy’s manned air platform for Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA). The aircraft combines the Super Hornet’s proven airframe and mission systems with a next-generation AEA suite.

The EA-18G 5-year SDD (System Design and Development) program runs from FY04 until early FY09 and encompasses all laboratory, ground test, and flight tests from component-level testing through full-up EA-18G weapons system performance flight-testing. The EA-18G is 99 percent common with the F⁄A-18F Super Hornet.

The EA-18G Growler will retain everything that the F⁄A-18F Super Hornet has today with two exceptions. The wing tip stations will have receiving antennas. The gun will be replaced with avionics boxes containing the LR-700 receiver and satellite communications, which interface with the AN⁄ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System pods.

An ambitious regimen of flight tests allowed the EA-18G test team to shorten the development time needed to deliver the aircraft to the fleet. NAVAIR T&E assets and support, often required at a moment’s notice, allowed the program to evaluate the platform’s AEA systems and quickly supply decision-quality data to the Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft (PMA-265).

The EA-18G Growler has been undergoing an ambitious regimen of ground and flight tests since the arrival of the first Growler test prototype aircraft here in late 2006. The test team implemented a new concept of Integrated Test and Evaluation, concurrently completing both system developmental testing and an independent fleet operational assessment within the first 90 days of flight test.

The EA-18G mission systems test team and aircrew from Flight Test and Evaluation Squadrons VX-23 here, VX-31 and VX-9 at China Lake, and Boeing contractor crews have had a single Growler flying up to four times a week to complete the rigorous test schedule.

As one example of its success, as a result of early software delivery and solid system performance, the EA-18G test team demonstrated AN⁄ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System (TJS) capability in December; radiate jammers in-flight at the Atlantic Test Ranges (ATR) by the end of January, to ensure jamming functions did not interfere with safe operation of any on-board systems across the entire ALQ-99 radiation spectrum; and radiate pods in the Air Combat Environment Test & Evaluation Facility (ACETEF) Advanced Systems Integration Lab (ASIL) anechoic chamber here by the end of February. The successful EA-18G AN⁄ALQ-99 jammer flight test was a significant accomplishment for the program because it was one of six criteria needed to support a Milestone C decision last April.

Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane), the cognizant Technical Authority for the AN⁄ALQ-99 TJS pods, teamed with Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and NAWC Point Mugu to integrate the pod on the EA-18G. This effort involved the development of significant electrical and structural modifications to the ALQ-99 components, including the development of the Pod Interface Unit.

During AEA flight tests here, ATR used a wide variety of fixed and mobile Electronic Warfare (EW) emitters to satisfy the wide variety of threat simulations required by the test program. Threat emitters from all three of ATR’s fixed radar sites were employed during EA-18G testing: FES (Fixed Emitter System - at the ATR Cedar Point Complex); RES (Remote Emitter System - at Point Lookout); and LES (Local Emitter System - radar row at ATR). Mobile EW emitters were also deployed to satisfy the wide variety of threat simulations required by the test program.

One mobile threat emitter was set up at the Communications Site and, along with the Automated Communications Test System, were two systems located down the coast from ATR used in support of this phase of Growler testing. Because of construction at the remote radar site at Point Lookout, mobile threat emitters were deployed there to provide uninterrupted support to the Growler program while the RES was shut down, disassembled and moved to the new Point Lookout site. The group also deployed its Triple Ground Threat Emitter to Wallops Island, Va., in response to a last-minute requirement by the program.

EA-18G testing required telemetry data sent from the aircraft using the Real-time Telemetry Processing System to ATR’s Cedar Point facility during East Coat testing; and the Range Control Center and ECR on the West Coast. The various NAVAIR Range sites collaborated to use the common telemetry processing tool to streamline data gathering and efficiently get data to the customer in one format.

Another common tool used across the EA-18G NAVAIR test sequence, including ground testing, was the range processing tool and display system - Avionics Workstation, or Workstation 2000 (WS2K), developed by ATR software programmers. WS2K software combines real-time telemetry data with data from test range radars and simulators and presents it in a manner usable for test and evaluation.

While at Patuxent River, aircraft EA-1 underwent extensive ground testing at ACETEF to assess on-board radar, receiver and jammer compatibility and performance. A barrage of Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) testing, including intra-system EMC, HERP, HERO, and P-Static tests were conducted in the ASIL anechoic chamber.

For this series of ground testing, ACETEF worked with ATR to get the WS2K display system installed in the ASIL. With the common range processing tool and display system installed at ATR, ACETEF and ECR, the same exact series of displays is available to the program engineer in the exact same data format. Before this integration, ground and flight test data correlation was challenging because of the different formats and data recording processes. With the integration of WS2K at these multiple NAVAIR sites, test engineers are able to use the same data displays and logging capabilities during testing for both ground and flight test missions.

According to Dan ‘‘Biz” Ensminger, EA-18G AEA Flight Test Lead (AD), the test team was able to ‘‘evaluate performance in repeatable, mission-representative, high-density threat environments, with WS2K providing the underlying data to the engineering stations in the control room. This achievement is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of all involved.”

In February 2007, EA-1 transited the country to China Lake, to continue AEA testing at ECR. This phase of flight testing was also a success.

As was the case at ATR, at ECR, a wide range of individuals from across the range operations and instrumentation spectrum supported this next phase of Growler testing: from threat systems and data systems to test management, range safety and test communications.

The Electronic Combat Range installed new equipment to be compatible with the East Coast’s use of WS2K. This gave ECR the ability to ship telemetry data, video and hot-mic to ATR in real-time. It also gave the Growler test team access to the same RangeView telemetry displays they had used at ATR and ACETEF, allowing them to configure different displays on the fly. Further, the team was able to take that telemetry data and use it to slave threat systems.

ECR supported the Growler program with a vast array of modes and conditions requiring many extra calibrations that, on most occasions, were obtained on the fly. Exemplary support was supplied by radar crews that began 15 minutes before the scheduled range time and very often continued until after the test aircraft departed the range - many times requiring crews to put in long days.

In an e-mail update, Ed Pillers, EA-18G AEA Weapons Division Flight Test Lead, commended the successful cross-country test team, writing, ‘‘We flew a critical mission at Pax on Wednesday, ferried the jet across the country on Thursday landing at 1600 local time and then turned the jet around and launched a very successful Echo Range mission at 0920 on Friday at China Lake - WOW!”

Four additional aircraft have been produced under modifications to the SDD contract and the F⁄A-18E⁄F Multi-Year II production contract. The first of those aircraft, designated G-1, was delivered to the Pax River in September ahead of schedule and within budget.

The Growler is expected to complete flight testing later this year. In June 2008, the first in-service aircraft is expected to arrive at VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island. Initial operational capability is expected in 2009.

(Additional information from the Boeing Company, Northrup Grumman, and NSWC Crane contributed to this article.)