NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY
ISLAND, Wash., June 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S.
Navy's venerable EA-6B Prowler tactical jamming aircraft, designed
and built by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), has been a
fixture at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and in the nation's
carrier-based strike forces since 1971.
On Saturday, June 27, the longest
serving carrier-based aircraft in history passed that electronic
attack baton to its successor, the EA-18G Growler, with a
ceremonial final take-off and flyaway from its longtime home base.
It was the culmination of a two-day event honoring the legendary
aircraft.
Photos accompanying this release are available at:
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=34123.
Several hundred current and former naval aviators, support
personnel, aerospace leaders and aviation enthusiasts gathered on a
lawn overlooking the tarmac that afternoon to help turn this page
in aviation history.
As the Navy's last operational EA-6B Prowler, bureau number
163890, rolled down the runway and lifted off, each of them said
farewell in their own way – some cheered, some waved American
flags, some quietly remembered fallen comrades. But all of them
applauded the spirit, the history, and the operational excellence
of the Navy's longest serving electronic attack aircraft and the
community that has supported her.
"Without question, the arrival of the EA-6B Prowler on the
carrier deck established airborne electronic attack as an
invaluable, 'don't leave home without it' part of every Navy and
Marine strike mission," said Rick
Morgan, LCDR, USN (Ret.) and historian for the Prowler
Association. "The men and women of the Whidbey EA-6B community who
served her are incredibly proud of their role turning this 'little
airplane that could' into a true national asset."
"Northrop Grumman salutes the sailors, naval aviators and
maintainers whose service and sacrifice shaped the remarkable
career of the Navy EA-6B Prowler," said Pat
McMahon, vice president and general manager, military
aircraft systems division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.
"We're proud to be partners with the U.S. Navy, then and now, in
defining and producing some of the nation's most advanced airborne
electronic attack capabilities."
The departure of the last Navy Prowler from Whidbey Island,
noted McMahon, does not mark the end of the Prowler's service to
the U.S. military. The U.S. Marines, who have operated the aircraft
since 1977, plan to keep flying the jet from Marine Corps Air
Station Cherry Point, North
Carolina through 2019.
Northrop Grumman is the principal subcontractor to The Boeing
Company in producing the EA-18G Growler, which entered service in
2009. The company produces the aircraft's primary electronic
warfare subsystems at its Bethpage Electronic Attack Center of
Excellence, and provides mission systems software maintenance and
support services for the jet at Naval Base Ventura County, Point
Mugu, California.
The company also produces the Growler's center/aft fuselage
section, twin vertical tails and integrates all associated
subsystems at its El Segundo
(California) Manufacturing
Center.
The final Navy EA-6B fly-away culminated three days of Northrop
Grumman-sponsored "Prowler Sunset" festivities at NAS Whidbey
Island that included a Navy Prowler memorial ceremony, a public
Prowler-themed base open house and exhibition, and much more. The
weekend events were organized and produced by the Whidbey Roost
Chapter of the Association of Old Crows.
The EA-6B Prowler is a long range, all-weather electronic attack
aircraft originally derived from the A-6 Intruder aircraft. Its
primary mission is to detect, identify and disrupt enemy air
defense radar system and related communications systems in support
of airstrikes.
Between 1966 and 1991, 170 EA-6Bs rolled off Northrop Grumman's
aircraft assembly line in Calverton, New
York on Long Island. The
first EA-6B entered service at NAS Whidbey Island in January 1971 and deployed to Vietnam in 1972.
Over the years, the Prowler has been operated by the Navy and
the Marines, in combat zones that included Vietnam in the 1970s, Grenada and Libya in the 1980s, Kosovo and Iraq in the 1990s, and Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya
and Syria during the first two
decades of this century.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
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SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation