on a Navy nuclear submarine before becoming a pilot. “We can drop bombs and shoot missiles, but it’s a benefit to enter a military exercise where we can concentrate on jamming. We’re really good at jamming.” The Growler aircrew often don’t get feedback on their jamming efforts until a mission is completed. They usually can’t know the electronic disruption they caused, other than having all accompanying strike aircraft return safely from the mission. Enemy forces, however, have been known to let their frustration with the Growler slip on occasion, offering clues. Lt. Eric H. was returning from an operation overseas when he was alerted by ground-crew members that his plane’s electronic attack efforts that day had been successful. Intercepted grumbling was the confirmation. “The mission was over and I was talking to JTAC (joint terminal air controller) support on the ground, and they said, ‘We really appreciate you and what you’re doing—we don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re really making the enemy angry,’ ” the New York native said. “I don’t know how they heard them.” As technology evolves, the Growler won’t miss much. The jet soon may be able to pinpoint the location of insurgent forces hiding on the ground using little more than an intercepted cellular phone signal, according to Dan Gillian, Boeing’s F/A-18 and EA-18G programs vice president. He shared how three Growlers working together could narrow the search to a small target area, using their electronic pods to measure the time it takes for the transmissions to go from the ground to each aircraft. The Growler’s listening capability already is an effective one and only will increase as technology matures and budgets allow, Gillian said. Over the next Photos: (Top) Afterburners provide flash as Growlers perform touch-and-go maneuvers at Whidbey Island. (Bottom) Ground crew, who can’t be identified for security concerns, carry covers that protect the engines of parked Growlers from blowing debris and foreign object ingestion. June 2015 29 Continued from page 24
Frontiers June 2015 Issue
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