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| Boeing EA-18G Growler (Wiki Info) |
THE Federal Government will spend more than $200 million to transform six air force fighter jets into hi-tech electronic warfare planes.
The RAAF purchased 24 Boeing Super Hornet fighters under a $6 billion deal with the US Navy to fill the gap between the retirement of the F-111 fighter bomber and the expected delivery of the first batch of 14 Joint Strike Fighter stealth jets later this decade.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith will announce the decision to upgrade the jet fighters early next month to EA-18G models known as "Growlers" to plug an emerging air combat capability gap.
The G-model entered service with the US Navy in 2008 and it allows attacking forces to detect and jam enemy radars to protect friendly aircraft from all known surface-to-air missile threats.
The Growler is the launch platform for the "Next Generation Jammer" that uses advanced radar technology from Northrop Grumman to conduct precision jamming.
Read the full story at AdelaideNow