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Originally Posted by JA Boomer
However, it seems to me that the Navy is also losing in a few categories. There are currently 2 electronic warfare officers in the Prowler, and I believe the copilot also helps out in this respect during missions. In the EA-18G, there is only one man running all the equipment, and the pilot will more than likely have his hands full most of the time. Reducing the manning from 2.5 to 1 in the electronic attack profile seems like a capability loss to me. Or maybe the new avionics and hardware can make up for this?
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Automation is the difference. The slightly more modern EF-111 had only one operator. The EF-18G is considerably more modern than the avionics suite in the EF-111.
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Also, there’s a big decrease in mission radius when going from the EA-6B to the EA-18G.
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Inflight refueling. No strike package is going without it these days.
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Is it just me, or in the Navy's quest for a Super Hornet nest of a carrier wing, have they lost some of the best features of the current platform. The Navy is gaining in a lot of areas no questions, but the reduced crew and lack of range would seem to impair the EA-18G in its role. Thoughts?
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If you mean that more availablility is a bad thing, then the EF-18 is definitely a bad idea. Right now, the EA-6 takes multible manhours of service and maintenance per flight hour. Whereas the EA-18G should reduce that significantly. If experience with the F-18E/F is any guide, the difference will be the same as having half again as many aircraft.
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Also, tactical fighters have become faster, more maneuverable, more lethal, yet their combat ranges seem to be dropping. I know the F-111 and A-6 were attack aircraft, but they had some monster ranges. Why is it that modern fighters like the F/A-18 seem to struggle with mission radius, or is that all in my head?
Thanks, Boomer
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The F/A-18 is NOT a replacement for the A-6 or F-111. The latter are medium attack aircraft. The F/A-18 is a light attack type. The F-18E/F is the medium attack aircraft of the near term, until the F-35C arrives. Do not attempt to compare light attack with medium. Different missions, different specifications.