US Navy ‘Growler’ Aircraft Crashes During Training Flight

A U.S. Navy aircraft crashed in Washington state on Tuesday, with search efforts ongoing for its two crew members.
An EA-18G Growler, an electronic warfare aircraft, crashed east of Mount Rainier during a routine training flight, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. The jet went down shortly before 3:30 p.m., according to local news reports.
As of 7 p.m. on Tuesday local time, “the status of the two crew members remains unknown,” the military said.
The cause of the crash is not yet clear. A Navy MH-60S helicopter has been involved in the search and rescue efforts, the military said.
The EA-18G Growler belonged to Electronic Attack Squadron 130, based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, the premier naval aviation installation in the Pacific Northwest.
The base is home to all U.S. Navy tactical electronic warfare squadrons operating the Growler in the U.S. and the military describes Electronic Attack Squadron 130, or the “Zappers,” as the oldest such squadron in the Navy.
The two-seater EA-18G Growler is part of the F/A-18 collection of aircraft. The U.S. Navy is the only branch of the U.S. military to use the Growler, which is also in service with Australia’s air force, which operates 12 of the aircraft from RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.
The Growler is “capable of disrupting, deceiving or denying a broad range of military electronic systems, including radars and communications,” according to the Australian military.
It can carry AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, AGM-88 HARM tactical, air-to-surface anti-radiation missiles and ALQ-99 tactical jamming systems.
Each aircraft costs approximately $67 million, and the type replaced the EA-6B Prowler.
“The EA-18G’s vast array of sensors and weapons provides the warfighter with a lethal and survivable weapon system to counter current and emerging threats,” according to the Navy.
In September 2017, an EA-18G Growler crashed into another aircraft in midair at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada. Both aircraft landed safely, the U.S. Navy said, and no one was injured.
The Growler then spent years at the facility east of Reno, sustaining weather damage from sitting dormant in the desert before undergoing repairs that “had never been done before,” according to the military. The aircraft was then handed back to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in April 2022.
Electronic Attack Squadron 129, or VAQ 129, is the U.S. Navy’s Growler training squadron, also known as the “Vikings.”
Update 10/16/2024 at 4:27 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.