Boeing recently delivered the first production EA-18G Growler to the Navy, “ahead of schedule and within budget,” according to a Boeing release. The Navy plans to have the Growler replace the EA-6B Prowler, which it has contracted Northrop Grumman to upgrade to prolong its usefulness through 2018. Even with the extended Prowlers and the new Growlers, Pentagon officials acknowledge an electronic attack coverage gap.
The U.S. military is carrying out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions along the southern border and off the coast of Mexico using U.S. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint and U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft as part of the Pentagon’s effort to secure the southern border at the direction of President…