What do you call an EA-18G Growler without a jammer? a) Growl-less
b) Meowler
c) Growler Lite
Boeing is going with option C.
As my colleague Andrew Doyle exclusively reveals from Bangalore today, Boeing is proposing the Growler Lite for certain export customers that won't be allowed to buy the ALQ-99 jamming pod.
The details are still sketchy, but Ihere's my best guesses for the EA-18G configuration (see bottom-middle box in graphic above).
I'm guessing it still comes with the ALQ-228 ICAP-III suite and Raytheon communications antenna for situational awareness. Presumably, HARM or AARGM missiles could still be an option. The interference cancellation (ICANS) system would be redundant without a jammer on board, so it's scratched.
Even without the ALQ-99, the EA-18G Lite may still have a limited jamming capability. The AESA radar in the nose could eventually be used as a jammer for X-band transmitters, assuming the US Navy continues to fund the software upgrade and the State Department clears it for export.
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