ST. LOUIS — The Royal Australian Air Force on Wednesday got its first look at its inaugural E/A-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, which will be flying in the Australian fleet in 2017.

The Growler will give the RAAF the ability to operate seamlessly with the United States in an increasingly complex and hostile airspace, said Air Marshal Geoffrey Brown, who held the post of chief of the Australian air force until earlier this month. The RAAF is under contract to buy 12 Growlers from Boeing [BA] and is the first international buyer of the plane.

The first Australian E/A-18G Growler makes its inaugural flight.
The first Australian E/A-18G Growler makes its inaugural flight.

“The Growler uses the ability to jam electronic systems in aircraft, land and sea-based radars as well as communications systems,” Brown said during a rollout ceremony at Boeing facilities in St. Louis, Mo. “The ability to shut down surface-to-air missile systems and shut down electronic transmissions across the battlespace really does decrease the risk to all operations.”

Unlike the jets used by the U.S. Navy, the Australian Growlers will be equipped with Raytheon [RTN] AIM-9x air-to-air missiles and an advanced targeting forward looking infrared (FLIR).

The addition of the FLIR might have been inspired by lessons learned by the United States during the air campaign in Libya in 2011, said Rear Adm. Donald Gaddis, the Navy’s program executive officer for tactical aircraft programs. During Operation Odyssey Dawn, the Growlers needed to link with an airplane equipped with a FLIR in order to designate targets.

“That’s one of the reasons they want to put the AT FLIR on the airplane, because when you do that, you’re decreasing the kill chain even more because you don’t have to datalink to another AT FLIR. You have it on your own airplane,” he said.

Because the RAAF is buying a smaller fleet of 12 Growlers, it likely wanted the added capability of the AIM-9x missiles, Gaddis said. The Navy probably will not need to make that upgrade. 

The Australians are likely to remain the only international customer for the Growler, according to Boeing and Navy officials. The company isn’t expecting further foreign sales of the platform over the next couple years, said Dan Gillian, Boeing’s vice president of F/A-18 and E/A-18G programs.

And no other international buyers are asking the Navy questions about possible foreign military sales, Gaddis said.

The first Australian Growler made its inaugural flight on July 13, and the second began flight testing and is awaiting a paint job, Gillian said. After Boeing delivers the second jet to the Navy in August, they will begin flight testing the AIM-9x missiles and FLIR at Naval Air Station China Lake, Calif.

Also during that time, RAAF operators will improve their proficiency at the electronic warfare mission by training with U.S. Navy Growler pilots at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.

Australia is Boeing’s only international customer for both the Super Hornet and Growler, which are produced on the same line. The RAAF has already purchased 24 F/A-18E/Fs and in 2014 awarded Boeing a contract for 12 E/A-18Gs.

However, a slowdown of orders has pushed the company to curtail production from three aircraft to two a month beginning early next year, Gillian said.  

Current domestic and international sales have extended the Super Hornet and Growler production line until fiscal year 2017. However, an anticipated order from Kuwait and the addition of 12 F/A-18E/Fs to the budget—a move that has been proposed by all Congressional defense committees but has not been finalized—could push out production until 2019, he said.

Denmark, Canada and Belgium are other possible customers for the Super Hornet, Gillian said. Denmark is slated to make a decision on its F-16 replacement later this year, while Belgium is kicking off a fighter competition. Canada is leaning toward the F-35, but a change in government could open up possibilities for the Super Hornet, he added.