Growler Ball 2016 presents an account of the EA-18G crews’ intense flight activity in the United States Navy.
Growler Ball 2016 is being held by the EA-18G Growlers of the Pacific Northwest.
This post’s video compilation includes the most sierra hotel footage of Pacific Northwest Growlers in action from across the fleet. Even though the video is only a few minutes long, Growler Ball 2016 provides a picture of the US Navy EA-18G crew’s hectic flying activity, from night traps aboard the carrier to air-to-air refuelings from USAF KC-10 Extender tankers.
The EA-18G Growler is a combat-proven derivative of the F/A-18F Super Hornet that performs airborne electronic attack missions. The aircraft can perform a wide range of missions thanks to its array of sensors and weapons, including Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), Stand-off and Escort Jamming (where the Growler not only performs the traditional stand-off jamming mission but also serves as an escort for other air assets thanks to the speed and agility inherited from the Super Hornet), Non-Traditional Electronic Attack (where the EA-18G achieves an unmatched level of situational integration with ground operations (where thanks to its Advanced Electronically Scanned Array [AESA] radar, digital data links, and air-to-air missiles, the EA-18G has self-protection capability and is also highly effective for target identification and prosecution).