EA-18

The EA-18 Squadrons program, as outlined in Program Element (PE) 0604269N, is a critical component of the Navy's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) budget, specifically focused on advancing the capabilities of the EA-18G Growler. The EA-18G is the Department of Defense's (DoD) sole tactical Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) platform, supporting the Joint Force by providing electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) dominance and enabling survivability and lethality in non-permissive environments. The overarching goal of this program is to maintain and enhance the Growler's effectiveness against rapidly evolving adversary threats. This ensures that the Navy and Joint Forces retain a decisive advantage in EMS operations.

The primary objective of the EA-18G development line is to modernize and upgrade the Growler's AEA capabilities through a series of incremental improvements. This includes the development and integration of advanced avionics, sensors, and software to detect, identify, and suppress hostile emitters at greater ranges. The program is managed by the U.S. Navy, with significant involvement from Naval Air Warfare Centers (China Lake, Patuxent River, and Point Mugu), the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Crane), and industry partners. These agencies work collaboratively to ensure that the Growler remains tactically relevant and interoperable with other assets in the Joint Force.

A major focus area within this program is the Growler Block II (GB2) upgrade, which represents the first generational upgrade to the EA-18G since its initial operational capability in 2009. GB2 is structured as a spiral development, with Phase 1 introducing the Next Generation Electronic Attack Unit (NGEAU) and Reactive Electronic Attack Measures (REAM). The NGEAU leverages an Open Mission Systems (OMS) processor architecture and addresses hardware obsolescence. REAM incorporates cognitive electronic warfare algorithms to autonomously counter advanced and unknown threats. Phase 2, known as Beowulf, will integrate a Multi-Function Array (MFA) into the aircraft's leading edge flaps, further augmenting the Growler's sensor and jamming capabilities and serving as a risk reduction effort for future platforms.

The Flight Plan Engineering component of the program supports ongoing spiral capability development to ensure the EA-18G can meet emerging operational requirements. This includes the integration of the Global Lightning (GL) Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications capability, which will provide resilient, real-time data and voice connectivity across distributed battlespaces. The GL capability is being developed as a common solution for both F/A-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft, enhancing joint and multi-domain operations by enabling assured command and control and targeting from national and off-board sensors.

Another key objective is the continuous enhancement of the System Configuration Set (SCS) software, which delivers evolutionary improvements to the Growler's mission systems. Agile software development practices are employed to accelerate the delivery of new capabilities, including improved kill chain integration, sensor fusion, and operator workload reduction. These software upgrades are coordinated between government and industry to ensure rapid fielding and fleet relevance.

Test and evaluation activities are integral to the program, with developmental and operational testing scheduled for both NGEAU and Beowulf phases. These efforts are designed to validate new hardware and software in both laboratory and flight environments, ensuring that upgrades meet operational requirements before fleet-wide deployment. The program also emphasizes reliability, maintainability, and lifecycle cost management to maximize the availability and affordability of the EA-18G fleet.