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ADF-SERIALS RAAF A46 Boeing EA-18 Growler |
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On 3 May 2007, the Australian Government signed a contract to acquire 24 F/A-18Fs for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), at a cost of A$2.9 billion, as an interim replacement for the F-111s of 1 and 6 Squadrons under Project Air 5349 Phase 1 (Bridging Air Combat Capability). The total cost with training and support over 10 years was announced as A$6 billion. In 2008 the Australian Government requested export approval from the US government to purchase up to six EA-18Gs, which would be part of the order for 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets. On 27 February 2009, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon announced that 12 of the 24 Super Hornets on order would be wired on the production line for future fit-out as EA-18Gs. The additional wiring would cost A$35 million. A final decision on the conversion to EA-18Gs, at a cost of A$300 million, was planned at that stage to be announced in March 2012. Meanwhile, the first RAAF Super Hornet was completed in 2009 and first flew from Boeing's factory in St. Louis, Missouri on 21 July 2009. RAAF pilots and air combat officers began training in the USA in 2009, with No. 1 Squadron planned to become fully operational with the F/A-18F in 2010. The RAAF's first five Super Hornets arrived at RAAF Base Amberley on 26 March 2010. These initial aircraft were joined by six more aircraft on 7 July 2010. With the arrival of another four aircraft in December 2010, the first RAAF F/A-18F squadron was declared operational on 9 December 2010. On 23 August 2012, the Australian Government announced that 12 RAAF Super Hornets would be fitted with Growler capability at a cost of $1.5 billion; making the Royal Australian Air Force the only military other than the U.S. to operate the Growler's electronic jamming equipment. In December 2012, the Australian government sought information from the United States government about the cost of acquiring a further 24 F/A-18Fs. These aircraft were being considered as purchasing option to avoid a potential capability gap developing due to delays to the F-35 program. In February 2013, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Australia for up to 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and 12 EA-18G Growler aircraft with associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support. In May 2013, Australia announced they would keep the 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets they currently have instead of converting them, and would order 12 new-built EA-18G Growlers. On 3 May 2013, the Australian Government announced that it would buy 12 new-build Growlers under Project Air 5349 Phase 3 - (Growler Airborne Electronic Attack Capability) for delivery by 2017 to supplement the existing Super Hornet fleet while remaining committed to the F-35 Lightning II acquisition. The Growler fleet was allocated the A46 rather than the A44 prefix to designate these airframes as new build Growlers as distinct from the Growler pre-wired airframes in the F/A-18F Super Hornet fleet. On 27 January 2018, A46-311 was severely damaged after an aborted takeoff due to engine failure at Nellis Air Force Base Nevada during Red Flag exercises. The crew was uninjured and the starboard rear of the aircraft sustained major fire damage. After protracted investigation and negotiations, an order for a replacement aircraft from USN stocks was announced on 30 September 2021. |
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The authors of this page are Martin Edwards and Brendan Cowan Heading photo: A46-311 by Aaron Turvey Sources: Emails: Peter Bourke, Andrew McLaughlin, Phil Thompson, Nigel Pittaway Updated 30th June 2024 |
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