August 11, 2014: Strategy Page

Between May and June 2014 the U.S. Navy conducted tests using a Nimitz class carrier off the coast of California to determine if there was any benefit in expanding the EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft squadron on each Nimitz class ship from five aircraft to eight. The tests were a success and the navy is trying to use that success to get Congress to provide cash to buy another 33 EA-18Gs to expand the squadrons on all the large carriers. The navy has enough support in Congress to get some additional EA-18Gs but defense budgets are being cut and there are too many worthy (or not) projects seeking cash that is not there anymore. The EA-18G manufacturer would like to keep production going into 2017 but it looks like they’ll be lucky to keep the line going into 2016.

Meanwhile the navy is getting some money for EA-18G upgrades. In 2013 that included new communications technology that allows the EA-18G to share data instantly with other EA-18Gs and other types of aircraft (combat and support, like E-2 and E-3 AWACS). The new capability is JTIDS (Joint Tactical Information Data System). Development (by the U.S. Air Force) of this system began 30 years ago and mature examples of the technology only began showing up in the last decade. JTIDS is a datalink that gives the pilot complete and real-time situation reports, showing what other pilots (and planes like the E-3) are seeing. Pilots who tested JTIDS reported drastic increases in their situational awareness (a “sense of where you are”). For example, during combat training exercises pilots with JTIDS had a 4-to-1 kill ratio in their favor against pilots without JTIDS.

Noting results like this the navy began adopting JTIDS, not only to improve the capabilities of its own aircraft but also to improve data sharing with air force warplanes, which often carry out joint operations with the navy. JTIDs is just one of several new technologies navy aircraft will need to get their “combat Internet” working. The EA-18G was the first navy aircraft to test JTIDS because the EA-18G is designed to work with air force and navy aircraft as the EA-18G now provides electronic warfare support for both services.

 EA-18G saw combat for the first time over Libya in 2011 and got to use a lot of its high tech gear in combat for this first time. This included the ALQ-99 radar jamming pod and an APG-79 phased array (AESA) radar, which also has some jamming capability (via the right software) as well as the ability to fry electronics. It was suggested that the EA-18G might have done this to some Libyan armored vehicles.

It was only in 2007 that the navy received its first operational (as opposed to developmental) EA-18G and in 2008 the first EA-18G squadron entered service. In early 2014 the hundredth EA-18G was delivered and there are only 17 to go on the original order. Meanwhile the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps are planning on developing an electronic warfare version of the new F-35, or use a UAV, if the EA-18Gs are not plentiful or powerful enough to provide all the electronic protection needed in future wars.

The EA-18Gs have replaced the aging navy EA-6Bs that long provided electronic protection against enemy radars and missiles for navy and air force aircraft. The air force retired their EF-111 electronic warfare aircraft in 1998, on the assurance that the navy would get the EA-18G into service before the EA-6Bs died of old age. The older 27 ton EA-6B carries a crew of four, while the highly automated 29 ton EA-18G will have only 2 people on board. The EA-18G carries up to 5 electronic warfare pods, plus 2 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and 2 anti-radiation (HARM) missiles. It may be the last manned aircraft to handle the EW job. UAVs are becoming more capable and will eventually take over this dangerous task.

The US Navy's unfunded list for 2015 included 22 EA-18G Growler aircraft. (US Navy)

Apr. 3, 2014 - By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS – Defense News

WASHINGTON — Although titled an “unfunded priority list,” the US Navy’s document giving Congress options to add to the 2015 budget is neither prioritized, nor a list of unfunded programs.

Rather, it is largely a list of programs and endeavors that suffered cuts as the Pentagon strove to reduce spending across hundreds of areas, with funding amounts reflecting what it would take to get those areas back to previously-planned levels. Defense News obtained a copy of the list .

There are some key exceptions — the single most expensive item, $2.14 billion for 22 EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft — is a request for planes beyond current requirements.

The second-largest cost item is to reprogram purchases of the P-8A Poseidon multimission maritime aircraft. The Navy wants $1.1 billion to double the amount of planes purchased in 2015 from eight to 16, although the total number of aircraft bought through 2019 would not change.

Most strikingly, there is no mention in the list of funding to refuel the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington, nor to keep its strike group or air wing operating. Debate has shifted back and forth over whether to include the carrier in the unfunded list, and Navy sources confirmed that the carrier was on the list in mid-March.

Internal changes to the lists have continued to virtually the last minute, vexing the military services.

“The frustration of the services comes from the lack of communication and the back-and-forth decision-making from the Office of the Secretary of Defense,” said one defense official.

But, as explained by Adm. Jon Greenert, chief of naval operations, in his cover letter accompanying the report, the carrier “transcends FY 2015 — it is a Future Year Defense Program (FYDP) requirement” covering several years.

“Retaining this aircraft carrier would require $7 billion across our FYDP,” Greenert wrote. “Thus, the decision to refuel or inactivate [the ship] is dependent upon the fiscal outlook in FY 2016 and beyond, and whether we will be forced to return to sequestration levels.”

Previously, the Navy has said it would need $796 million in the 2015 budget in advanced procurement to refuel the George Washington and operate its strike group, but the entire overhaul of the carrier would approach $4 billion.

Navy leaders have adamantly maintained they wish to keep the carrier in service, viewing the issue purely as one of funding.

“Congress has legally required the Navy to maintain an 11 aircraft carrier fleet, and the administration’s efforts to forego the USS George Washington’s (CVN 73) refueling shows an intent to ignore the will of Congress,” Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., chairman of the House Seapower subcommittee, said in a statement. “I remain concerned, as well, that the Navy is refusing to execute funds appropriated for this fiscal year that would allow it to perform the work needed to allow CVN 73 to reach its full service life. I will continue working to restore funding for CVN 73 and to ensure that our Navy retains the carrier force it requires to protect American national security interests.”

The list, explained Lt. Rob Myers, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon, “includes items not fully funded in this year’s budget request. These items are meant to accelerate readiness and restore shortfalls from fiscal years 2013 and 2014.”

Overall, there are few, if any, surprises on the list, with many of the cuts already having been discussed.

Together, the P-8A and EA-18G aircraft programs comprise $3.27 billion of the Navy’s requests under the modernization category. The other 77 items under that category come only to $1.9 billion. Items range in cost from $1 million to $190 million.

Items are also listed under the categories of Maintenance, Afloat Readiness, Critical Spares, Shore Readiness and Manpower and Training.

Altogether, the Navy’s unfunded list totals $10.6 billion, highest of the armed services.

The Navy’s list appears difficult to understand without prioritization or further explanation, several Congressional sources said.

“At first glance, I thought the priorities were the ordering of the bullets. But on reading further, I agree this is difficult to understand without further guidance,” said one congressional source. “Maintenance might be a higher priority than modernization, but is the last item on the maintenance list really a higher priority than the first item on modernization? Or pick any two categories the same way.

“The letter is not clear, so if I were on the Hill, my first question to the service would be: If I have $1 billion to spend, where should it go?”

Another source agreed.

“Look at all the dinky stuff!” said the second congressional source, reacting to a myriad of relatively low-cost items and programs. “This is small potatoes. I don’t know that they’ve ever had so many small items as this on an unfunded list.”

A third Hill observer agreed with the lack of order.

“It just encourages a feeding frenzy. People can pick and choose depending on their parochial interests.”

11/27/2013 Strategy Page

PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 24, 2013) An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Diamondbacks of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, right, and an E/A-18G Growler from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 prepare to launch from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) during night flight operations. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Peter Burghart)

September 18, 2013: Strategy Page

Four years after entering squadron service, the U.S. Navy's EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft is being upgraded with a communications technology that allows the EA-18G to share data instantly with other EA-18Gs and other types of aircraft (combat and support, like E-2 and E-3 AWACS). The new capability is JTIDS (Joint Tactical Information Data System). Development (by the U.S. Air Force) of this system began 30 years ago and mature examples of the technology only began showing up in the last decade. JTIDS is a datalink that gives the pilot complete and real-time situation report, showing what other pilots (and planes like the E-3) are seeing.

Pilots who tested JTIDS reported drastic increases in their situational awareness (a “sense of where you are”). For example, during combat training exercises pilots with JTIDS had a 4-to-1 kill ratio in their favor against pilots without JTIDS. Noting results like this the navy is adopting JTIDS not only to improve the capabilities of its own aircraft but also to improve data sharing with air force warplanes, which often carry out joint operations with the navy. JTIDs is just one of several new technologies navy aircraft will need to get their “combat Internet” working.

While a great idea in theory, the “combat Internet” has proved difficult to implement because of the need to make these digital data transfers robust enough to survive jamming and enemy efforts to eavesdrop. The required tech has gotten light, powerful and cheap enough for this in the last decade and now it’s just a matter of installing and testing it for the major types of combat and support aircraft. The air force is ahead of the navy in this respect but the navy is catching up, despite the recent budget cuts. Even with that most naval aircraft won’t be equipped with this data sharing technology until the end of the decade.

JTIDS was first tested on the EA-18G because this navy aircraft was designed to support navy and air force warplanes in combat. EA-18G saw combat for the first time over Libya in 2011. The EA-18G is equipped with the ALQ-99 radar jamming pod and an APG-79 phased array (AESA) radar, which also has some jamming capability (via the right software) as well as the ability to fry electronics. It was suggested that the EA-18G might have done this to some Libyan armored vehicles.

The EA-18Gs are replacing the aging navy EA-6Bs that now provide electronic protection against enemy radars and missiles for navy and air force aircraft. The air force retired their EF-111 electronic warfare aircraft in 1998, on the assurance that the navy would get the EA-18G into service before the EA-6Bs died of old age. The older 27 ton EA-6B carries a crew of four, while the highly automated 29 ton EA-18G will have only two people on board. The EA-18G carries up to five electronic warfare pods, plus two AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and two anti-radiation (HARM) missiles. It may be the last manned aircraft to handle the EW job. UAVs are becoming more capable, and will eventually take over this dangerous task.

In 2007, the navy received its first operational (as opposed to developmental) EA-18G. The navy has received 52 EA-18Gs (by the end of 2013), and another 30 will come after that (at the rate of about five a year). The U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps are planning on developing an electronic warfare version of the new F-35, or use a UAV, if the EA-18Gs are not plentiful, or powerful enough to provide all the electronic protection needed in future wars.

Despite the high expense all the electronic gear, the F-18G is not the most expensive combat aircraft out there. The F-22 costs $355 million each. The low budget F-18E costs $94 million each, while the F-18G goes for $105 million. The F-35 costs over $130 million (and growing). Even unmanned aircraft are pricy, with the Global Hawk costing $182 million each (with high end sensors). Older fighters, like the F-16, cost $60 million, and an F-15E goes for about $100 million. These prices constantly fluctuate because of the need to incorporate a share of the development cost for each aircraft built. While most development expense occurs before mass production begins, there is sometimes considerable additional development expense, or major refurbishment, later in the lifetime of an aircraft. Many modern warplanes cost more than most warships, and have the same high maintenance (periodic refurbishment and development of new components) expenses.