Boeing Delivers First Growler Aircraft to U.S. Navy
( AP ) -- Boeing Co. delivered the first Super Hornet EA-18G aircraft to the U.S. Navy on Monday as part of a $9.2 billion contract.
Instead of carrying missiles or cannons, the so-called Super Hornet "Growler" is equipped with radar-jamming equipment and other gear to knock out a wide array of electronic devices. The aircraft will fly with teams of conventional bombers and help disrupt enemy air defenses
"It's essential to keep them guessing where you're coming from," said Navy Rear Adm. Kenneth Floyd.
The Navy will buy three Growlers to test during 2008. The aircraft are scheduled to be deployed in 2010, and the Navy has agreed to buy a total of 85 by 2013 -- though the timing of the contract is flexible, said Mike Gibbons, Boeing's program manager for the Growler project.
The Navy paid $1.2 billion to develop the Growler, and the contract to buy the planes is worth roughly $8 billion, Gibbons said. The planes cost about $60 million each, but the Navy's contract also includes the cost of training and support to deploy the aircraft.
Boeing first unveiled the Growler last year. The planes will replace the so-called "Prowler" squadrons beginning in 2008. The Prowler jets also accompanied bombers and jammed radar, but the older planes were having a hard time keeping up with more modern attack aircraft. The leaner, two-passenger Growler is faster.
"The Growler, as part of the Super Hornet family, is a game changer in our nation's defenses," said Boeing Vice President Chris Chadwick.
The Super Hornet is one of the highest-profile planes assembled at Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division in suburban St. Louis. About 2,600 employees in St. Louis also manufacture the F-15 Eagle, missiles and component parts. Boeing's defense division has 72,000 employees worldwide and $32.4 billion in annual revenue.
Boeing's stock rose 46 cents to $103.05 Monday.