In Memoriam

Here in the United States, it is Memorial Day. This holiday was set aside to honor those who fell in service to their country, thereby making the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of their fellow countrymen. So please stop to think about what you have and enjoy, then about the people who have died to make that possible.

I am grateful to the fallen understand that freedom is purchased at a very high cost. Sadly, too few appreciate this today, if the ceremonies locally are any indication. While a local auditorium was packed, the average age of the attendees had to be in their sixties or higher.

So if you are treating this as just an extra day to the weekend, I implore you to stop and think on why the holiday was established.

Smart Procurement: USMC Buys British Harriers

I had seen rumors of this, but this is the first confirmation I’ve run into. This is a great deal and gives the Marines what they want and need rather than forcing more F/A-18 Hornets on them. Having forward based aircraft is important to close air support due to the benefits of having very fast turnaround.

Since the new used Harriers will be rebuilt with U.S. hardware, I have to wonder if they plan to use the radars from the retiring Hornets to make some of them AV-8B+ configurations in the future. It is probably being considered but we will have to wait and see on that.

This is a wise investment for the Corps and I am pleased to see the U.K.’s folly being salvaged in some way.

UPDATED:

It looks like the Harriers will only be used for spare parts according to this report. If correct, it is a sad end to some still very useful airframes. It is still a smart move by the Marines and protects their AV-8B’s from being taken out of service.

Navy Starting to Growl

One of the more esoteric missions in military aviation is that of electronic warfare.  While most people are familiar with the ideas of fighters, bombers, reconnaissance and attack planes, they will draw a blank when you mention “jammer planes.” The latest US design is the EA-18G Growler and it finally has been declared operational.  Deployment will begin next year.

A modification of the F/A-18F two seat Super Hornet, the Growler is replacing the much older EA-6B Prowler design.  The Prowler is a four seat derivative of the A-6 Intruder attack jet that served so well from the Vietnam War to Desert Storm.  The main advantages of the new design are the youth of the airframes, ease of maintenance, and ability to defend itself from aerial threats. 

So the Navy has their new jamming bird, but where does this leave the Air Force?  One of the more boneheaded decisions made was to get rid of the EF-111A Raven’s that did a bang up job in Desert Storm.  They had many years left in them and were a perfect match in performance to the F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16’s they escorted.  Since 1998, the Air Force has been dependant on the Navy Prowlers to do the same job and now they will have nothing.

Meanwhile, the Prowler isn’t done yet.  The Marines are keeping theirs and I haven’t run into a retirement date for them yet. 

While I’m not a fan of the Super Hornet (or Super Bug), I do like the Growler as a platform.  My chief complaint about the F/A-18E is its limitations as an interceptor/fleet defender compared to what an upgraded F-14 Tomcat could have been. Thankfully, AEGIS cruisers have only gotten more capable in taking out incoming attacks. Then there is the range problem. 

But what is done is done and cannot be undone. Hopefully the F-35 won’t be cancelled and I believe it will give air superiority back to the carrier wings in any future engagement.

So it may be surprising to read that I’d like the USAF to consider buying the EA-18G instead of thinking drones will do the job.  This looks to be a very capable platform for electronic warfare and there will be a need for it before all is said and done.