Australia Seeks Growler EA Fighter Variants

The Royal Australian Air Force could be the first non-U.S. military service to operate EA-18 Growler electronic attack aircraft under a deal announced in Australia Feb. 27.

The deal also is noteworthy for the fact that it indicates the U.S. is willing to share some of its most advanced technology with close allies — neither the EA-6B nor EF-111 jammers were exported.

The EA-18G deal comes not long after the Pentagon agreed to let Britain buy RC-135 Rivet Joints, the highly sensitive signals intelligence system.

Australia is not buying new Growlers; instead it would modify 12 of the F/A-18E/Fs the country previously committed to buying under an A$6.6 billion ($4.2 billion) program.

“Wiring 12 of the Super Hornets as Growlers will give us the opportunity to provide taxpayers with better value for money,” Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says. A final decision on buying Growlers, including the jamming kit, is expected around 2012.

The EA modification “will also provide the Super Hornets with counter-terrorism capability through the ability to shut down the ground-based communications and bomb triggering devices of terrorists,” Fitzgibbon notes.

At this point, the government is making an A$35 million ($22 million) downpayment so half of the 24 F/A-18E/Fs on order could be turned into Growlers. Making the wiring and other internal modifications now, while the fighters are being built, is cheaper than a retrofit program, the Australian government says. A further A$300 million ($192 million) would be needed to complete the Growler effort.

“If finally pursued, the relatively small investment will significantly enhance the Super Hornet’s capability, by giving electronic attack capacity and therefore the ability to nullify the systems of opposing aircraft,” the minister asserts. “It will also provide the Super Hornets with counter-terrorism capability through the ability to shut down the ground-based communications and bomb triggering devices of terrorists.”

The Rudd administration official also was quick to claim the move as making the best of a controversial decision by the predecessor Howard administration.

“If the Howard Government had taken a more prudent approach in making the Super Hornet decision rather than rushing to fill their impending air combat capability gap, they may have realized that this was a more effective approach to take.”

Photo: US Navy

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