The EA-6B Prowler was designed to complement the Navy’s defenses in today’s electronic warfare environment. Electronic countermeasures required improvement to compete with the ever-increasing complexity of hostile radar-guided guns, missiles and aircraft. The Prowler was the first aircraft built from the drawing boards to fulfill the role of an electronic warfare aircraft.
The EA-6B supports strike aircraft, ships, and ground troops by degrading the enemy’s early warning capability and electronic weapons systems. The avionics contained in the aircraft enable it to navigate under all weather conditions without reference to ground navigation aids, fly high altitude or low level profiles, and intercept and jam enemy electronic emissions by means of its primary “weapon”, the Tactical Jamming System (TJS).
Specifications
- Wing span: 53 feet
- Length: 60 feet
- Height: 16 feet
- Weight: empty 32,162 pounds; maximum takeoff 65,000 pounds
- Speed: maximum at sea level 651 mph; cruise 481 mph
- Ceiling: 38,000 feet with five ECM pods
- Combat range: 2,083 nautical miles (maximum external fuel)
- Power plant: two Pratt & Whitney J52-P-408 turbojet engines
- Crew: four (pilot and three electronic warfare officers)
- Contractor: Grumman Aerospace