USAF modern tactical Offensive Jammer (like the Growler)

[Adagosto]

Hi.

What is the USAF current tactical Offensive jamming aircraft similar to the Growler? I read up and found the F-15X has this ability but not in CNO load outs.

There is the EC-37, but I was thinking there was a tactical version similar to the EF-111 or similar.

Anyone know?

[thewood1]

At this point, I think it consists of borrowing Growlers from the Navy. At one point, there was a plan to use F-35s, haven't heard anything else about that.

[ExNusquam]

Not so much "borrow Growlers", since the force is designed so that there are Growlers available for them. There are 5 VAQ (Growler) squadrons that are "Expeditionary" in that they are not deployed to aircraft carriers, but deploy like a USAF squadron (or VP squadron, for that matter) to land bases in response to CCMD requirements. The USAF sends pilots and WSOs to Whidbey Island to train on, and fly/operate the Growler as part of these squadrons.

[Adagosto]

That is very interesting. Thank you guys. Great to know.

[Dragon029]

The USAF uses (as already mentioned) USN Growlers, as well as the EC-130H / EC-37B Compass Call for stand-off jamming of early warning radars and communications systems.

In general however the USAF's F-22s and F-35s are intended to perform their own jamming against X-band radars (which covers a lot of airborne and some surface-to-air fire control radars, as well as a number of radar-guided missile seekers). The F-35 also has the ALE-70 towed decoy / jammer, though its operating band is unknown (could be X-band as well).

Overall the USAF has been a bit wary of stand-in jamming (where in a USN context, something like a Growler is part of a strike package of Super Hornets); while it can be useful, jammers can present themselves as beacons for passive RF sensors, and so when the USAF is sending in stealthy B-2s, F-35s, F-22s, etc to strike a target, they don't want something like a Growler alerting the enemy that they're attempting a strike mission.

Stand-off jamming doesn't pose as much of a risk to the mission, because you can just regularly fly Growlers or Compass Calls at a distance, performing ELINT, etc and then switch on the jamming when the stealth aircraft start putting warheads on foreheads (or get engaged themselves).

[thewood1]

When you don't own it, but someone lets you use it, its borrowed. Even if you have a plan to use it.

[SeaQueen]

What is the USAF current tactical Offensive jamming aircraft similar to the Growler?

The expeditionary Growler squadrons are essentially de-facto Air Force squadrons. Similarly, until they divested from the platform, EA-6s from the USMC was one of their biggest and most important contributions to the Joint force. You'd often see them chopped to the C/JFACC. There's a lot of really skilled but out-of-work Prowler guys out there thanks to them divesting. I wish the USMC had decided to either roll the Prowler squadrons over to Growlers or else made them F-35 squadrons. Sadly, nobody listens to me, and the USMC doesn't like giving its jets to the Air Force or Navy.

The USMC as an institution, has a really weird attitude toward air power. It's really a throwback to WWI. They basically view it as an artillery piece, providing supporting fires. It's very different from the Navy, which uses its air power in support of the fleet, but when they're attacking targets on land, might chop their jets to the C/JFACC for the sake of preserving unity of command and making the most effective use of their jets. The USMC is less flexible doctrinally, and demands they use their jets in support of the ground combat element. That means things they are predisposed against aircraft like the EA-6 which tended to be used mostly as a Joint asset, and don't always have a clear role a ground war. Fundamentally, in spite of supposedly being able to do everything, the USMC is about infantry.

[ExNusquam]

What is the USAF current tactical Offensive jamming aircraft similar to the Growler?

The expeditionary Growler squadrons are essentially de-facto Air Force squadrons. Similarly, until they divested from the platform, EA-6s from the USMC was one of their biggest and most important contributions to the Joint force. You'd often see them chopped to the C/JFACC. There's a lot of really skilled but out-of-work Prowler guys out there thanks to them divesting. I wish the USMC had decided to either roll the Prowler squadrons over to Growlers or else made them F-35 squadrons. Sadly, nobody listens to me, and the USMC doesn't like giving its jets to the Air Force or Navy.

The USMC as an institution, has a really weird attitude toward air power. It's really a throwback to WWI. They basically view it as an artillery piece, providing supporting fires. It's very different from the Navy, which uses its air power in support of the fleet, but when they're attacking targets on land, might chop their jets to the C/JFACC for the sake of preserving unity of command and making the most effective use of their jets. The USMC is less flexible doctrinally, and demands they use their jets in support of the ground combat element. That means things they are predisposed against aircraft like the EA-6 which tended to be used mostly as a Joint asset, and don't always have a clear role a ground war. Fundamentally, in spite of supposedly being able to do everything, the USMC is about infantry.

Yeah, the USMC force contributions are weird. The Component Forces role descriptions in JP 3-01 really highlight the differences in roles for USMC vs. USN. It starts off with a fairly open statement that components will provided resources to the relevant component commanders per JFC guidance, but then caveats that that USMC aviation will almost exclusively be retained under the operational control of the relevant MAGTF. This is different from the Naval forces, which are provided to the JFACC for tasking, with the sole exception that the JFMCC retains tactical control over naval fleet defense assets. I'm sure there's edge cases you could find that would poke holes in the system, but overall it's much more "joint" than the USMC system.