An Australian Navy plane crashed in Washington state on Tuesday
Washington: The two crew members of the American Navy aircraft that crashed in Washington State on Tuesday are still being searched for.
According to a statement from the U.S. Navy, an EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft went down during a normal training flight east of Mount Rainier. The plane crashed just before 3:30 p.m., local news sources said.
“The status of the two crew members remains unknown,” the military said as of Tuesday evening local time at 7 p.m.
It’s unclear what caused the collision at this time. According to the military, a Navy MH-60S helicopter has been deployed in the search and rescue operations.
Based at the main naval aviation post in the Pacific Northwest, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, the EA-18G Growler belongs to Electronic Attack Squadron 130.
The military refers to Electronic Attack Squadron 130, sometimes known as the “Zappers,” as the oldest tactical electronic warfare squadron in the Navy. The facility is home to all U.S. Navy tactical electronic warfare squadrons flying the Growler in the country.
Among the F/A-18 family of aircraft is the two-seater EA-18G Growler. The Growler is an aircraft operated by the Australian Air Force, which flies 12 of them out of RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland. It is solely used by the U.S. Navy.
“Capable of disrupting, deceiving, or denying a broad range of military electronic systems, including radars and communications,” the Growler is, according to the Australian military.
It is equipped with ALQ-99 tactical jammer devices, AGM-88 HARM tactical air-to-surface anti-radiation missiles, and AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air missiles.
The aircraft of this class, which replaced the EA-6B Prowler, is estimated to cost $67 million each.
“The EA-18G’s vast array of sensors and weapons provides the warfighter with a lethal and survivable weapon system to counter current and emerging threats,” the Navy said.
At Nevada’s Naval Air Station Fallon in September 2017, an EA-18G Growler collided with another aircraft while in flight. The U.S. Navy reported that both planes made a safe landing and that no one was hurt.
After lying inert in the desert for years, the Growler spent years at the site east of Reno, suffering weather damage before undergoing repairs that, in the words of the military, “had never been done before.” Then, in April 2022, the aircraft was returned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Electronic Attack Squadron 129.
The Growler training squadron of the U.S. Navy, dubbed the “Vikings,” is Electronic Attack Squadron 129, or VAQ 129.
