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United States Boeing
EA-18G Growler
Dedicated electronic-attack derivative of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, replacing the EA-6B Prowler in US Navy service. Carries the ALQ-99 jamming pod suite to suppress enemy air defenses and retains a residual air-to-air self-defense capability.
In service since 2009 · 2 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
1,900
km/h
2,350
km range
15,000
m ceiling
8,050
kg payload
0.93
T/W
💲 ≈ $68,200,000 — Unit flyaway cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Limited · 2 operators
In service since 2009. Status: active · ~160 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$171M – $239M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 1,900 km/h Stronger than 18% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 1.8 Mach Stronger than 31% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 2,350 km Stronger than 28% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 1,275 km Stronger than 73% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 15,000 m Stronger than 13% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 0.93 Stronger than 24% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- None (gun bay replaced by mission systems)
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 9 Stronger than 47% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 8,050 kg Stronger than 70% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- ALQ-99 tactical jamming pods, ALQ-214 self-protection EW suite, chaff, flares
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 18.31 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 13.68 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 4.88 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 15,320 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 21,320 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x General Electric F414-GE-400 afterburning turbofans
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 98 kN Stronger than 49% of fighters
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 6,767 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- AN/APG-79 AESA
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- ALQ-218 wideband receiver, ALQ-99 jamming pods
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Link 16, CDL
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $68,200,000 Stronger than 35% of fighters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 160 Stronger than 38% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 2 Stronger than 50% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Boeing and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Boeing EA-18G Growler? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler has a maximum speed of 1,900 km/h.
What is the range of the Boeing EA-18G Growler? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler has a maximum range of 2,350 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Boeing EA-18G Growler? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler can carry up to 8,050 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Boeing EA-18G Growler weigh? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler has a combat weight of 21,320 kg.
How many crew does the Boeing EA-18G Growler require? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler requires a crew of 2.
What is the main armament of the Boeing EA-18G Growler? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler's primary weapon is the None (gun bay replaced by mission systems).
What engine does the Boeing EA-18G Growler use? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler is powered by the 2x General Electric F414-GE-400 afterburning turbofans.
What is the Boeing EA-18G Growler used for? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler is a fighter aircraft typically used for isr, multirole combat.
How many countries operate the Boeing EA-18G Growler? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler is operated by 2 countries.
How much does the Boeing EA-18G Growler cost? +
The Boeing EA-18G Growler has an approximate unit cost of 68,200,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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