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By: Yohan Lee

Photo by Jack Sequeira. Used with permission.

What is the E/A-18G Growler? The E/A-18G Growler is an Electronic Attack which means it can disrupt enemies radars and communications. The E/A-18G Growler was an F/A-18F Super Hornet that was built by Boeing for the U.S. Navy. The E/A-18G Growler is fitted with electronic warfare avionics. The avionics are the ALQ-218, CCS Antennas, Long Baseline Interferometer Antennas, Datalink and the AESA radar. The AESA radar replaces the gatling gun so the weight load can be less.

Its history. Development began in 2003 and the first prototype to ever be flown was in 2006. Each flight they worked to improve the avionics and reduce its air to air armament to accomplish its suppression of Enemy Air Defense or SEAD. Once the E/A-18G Growler was ready, it replaced the E/A-6B Prowler which was the Electronic Attack of the A-6B Intruder.

The first deployable squadron was the VAQ-132 “Scorpions”. There are about 9 deployable squadrons and one non-deployable squadron that holds the E/A-18G Grower. The E/A-18G Growler has its own Naval Air Station based at NAS Whidbey Island which is home of the Electronic Attack. The U.S. Navy gave 12 Growlers to the Royal Australian Air Force which is operated in No. 6 squadron at RAAF Base Amberley. But the U.S. Navy will not give any more Growlers out since it’s the U.S.’s Secret weapon.

Its Payload. The E/A-18G Growler can hold the AGM-88 HARM which means Air to Ground Missile 88 High-speed anti Radiation Missile which fires at a ground target. It also carries the ALQ-218 which receives radar warning. ALQ-99 which jams enemy radio and an AIM-120 which is an air to air missile.

The E/A-18G Growler has 2 crews. One is a pilot who flies the aircraft and one is the Electronic Warfare Officer or EWO. The EWO is responsible for some of the E/A-18G Growler’s most important duties. The EWO jams enemy radar and chaffs flares which is a bright and hot material that tricks the missile into thinking it’s the aircraft.

What makes it important to the U.S? The E/A-18G Growler is one of the best Electronic Attack aircraft. For one, it really doesn’t need to be stealth. The only stealth it has is jamming the enemy radio and radar and a special coating that makes enemy radar bounce off making it difficult to track the Growler. The Growler is also a 4.5 generation aircraft so it’s very modern. And if other branches or squadrons need help trying to be more stealthy they can get the E/A-18G Growler for support. The Growler is always first in the battle field so it can quickly jam before the enemy can see any other non jamming planes. Many other countries tried to replicate the Growler but can’t because the Grower is far more advanced than what they have. So, this is why the E/A-18G Growler is important to the U.S. Navy.

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By: Yohan Lee

Imagine flying at the speed of sound and cruising over public places whilst not hearing the sound barrier over you. Well, today I’m going to talk about the X-59 and the history of it.

The X-59 was built by NASA and Lockheed Martin. They both came together to try to build a supersonic aircraft that is quiet when flying over you. The X-59 development began in 2016 and the first machined part was made in 2018, then was revealed to the public on January 12, 2024. The X-59 was built in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.

What is supersonic? Supersonic is a loud sound of an object going over 700 miles per hour. Think of a whip and whipping it. That crackle is exceeding over 700 miles per hour. That crackle is a mini sonic boom. But the X-59 just can’t fly at 700 miles per hour or Mach 1. The X-59 can fly at Mach 1.42 or 940 miles per hour. When the X-59 flies over you at Mach 1 you would only hear a tiny thud. That little thud is about 75 db or just below a jet flying over you at 1000 feet which is about 106 db.

The reason why NASA and Lockheed Martin are trying to quiet the sonic boom is because it’s illegal to fly supersonic over the public for 3 main reasons. They don’t want to startle people thinking we’re going to war, it might kill someone or an animal (out of shock or knocking them over), and it can cause property damage as in breaking windows.

So, how can the X-59 achieve going over Mach 1 while barely hearing the sonic boom? Well, it starts with the nose of the aircraft. The X-59 has a sharp nose that cuts through the air making the aerodynamics much better and thus making the X-59 fly faster. The same goes for the delta wings. The reason why the X-59 has delta wings is because it reduces the effects of the shock waves and makes the sonic boom a quieter sonic boom thump.

The X-59 engines are the f414-GE-100 which are the same engines that are used for the F/A-18E/F/G. But the gears are the same gears that the F-16 uses.

The X-59 comes about 100 feet in length and 30 feet in width. The nose takes up half of the size and since the X-59 nose is long you can’t see much throughout the window. So, that’s why the X-59 is equipped with a camera at the end of the nose to see in front of the nose and to see the other side. The X-59 is equipped with 3 screens, one of them is the camera and the other two are for your basic flight instruments which tell what your plane is doing. Since the X-59 just came out, a lot of stuff is still classified.

So, how can it change aviation? Well, NASA and Lockheed Martin are planning to make a quiet supersonic plane and redesign it to be a commercial plane so we civilians can fly over Mach 1 at 700 miles per hour. For a regular flight from a 737, it takes 5 hours to get to California to Florida flying at a speed of 587 miles per hour. But when you’re flying the X-59 it would only take 3 hours flying at 700 miles per hour.

Why are NASA and Lockheed Martin working together to make the X-59? NASA has its team called QUESST which brings Lockheed Martin and NASA together, and under QUESST is The Quiet Crew. The Quiet Crew is a group assigned specifically to design and fly the X-59. Lockheed Martin collects data and helps build the X-59 since NASA doesn’t own many F-16s and F-18s, and again, the X-59 uses the F-18’s engines and F-16’s gears.

Before NASA had an idea to make the X-59 and convert it to a commercial airplane, the Concorde was the first ever super sonic commercial airliner. The United Kingdom and France made the Concorde in 1969. There were only two airliners who flew the Concorde and it was British Airways and Air France. The Concorde unfortunately retired on November 26, 2003, due to high maintenance and fewer people flying the Concorde since each ticket cost $10,000. Plus, the Concorde was super loud which caused many people to not like the Concorde. The Concorde could fly 2 times faster than the speed of sound or 1,354 miles per hour due to the Concorde having 4 Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engines. Something interesting is that the X-59 and the Concorde had some similarities. They both had a long and sharp nose, delta wings and had stabilizers.

NASA said that the X-59 is going to come out in mid-2030 and hopefully in the future we will have a supersonic commercial airplane. And this is why the X-59 is going to change aviation.

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