[A6BSTARM]

From the Boeing IADS website

The first production unit of the EF-18G rolled off the assembly lines. It will be going to one of th etest eval units and have them break it. Before they were using a bastardized F-18F to see if it could do the flying. Now they will have a full bird that has evernthing that the fleet units will have. Accoriding to my sources inside the Wing commander for EA-6B's up at Whidbey, it is still up in the air about who is going to change first, but VAQ-129 will be the transition/training squadron. On top of that the fleet wants to see the first cruise by 2009 time frame. Also the USMC nor the USAF have bought into this bird. So who knows what will happen for tactical electronic attack/support at retirement of the last EA-6B, and the USN are the only players in town. Again according to my sources, the Commandant in charge of USMC air is looking at an EF-35 variant and the USAF is looking at either a UCAV or a EF-35 variant themselves.

[Harpooner]

Despite the rollout the EF-18G, which will turnout to be a surperb piece of kit despite all the doomsayers out there the USN is still upgrading the EA-6B.

Quote

USN plans acquisition of ICAP III Prowlers
Martin Streetly
The US Navy (USN) plans to acquire 21 Improved CAPability (ICAP) III EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare (EW) aircraft to bridge the gap between its current ICAP II-configured Prowlers and the EA-18G Growler, which is scheduled to come on stream during 2009.

Characterised by programme officials as being a "complete EW receiver sensor update [of the] EA-6B", the ICAP III differs from its predecessor via the introduction of the AN/ALQ-218 receiver system; "significant" reliability improvements; the introduction of a reactive jamming capability; full-colour cockpit displays; an upgraded AN/AYK-14 mission computer; a second Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System unit; and a replacement intercommunication system; and a night-vision compatible cockpit.

In a briefing given at the US Navy League 2006 symposium in April, the team of Northrop Grumman's EA-6B/ICAP III Programme Director Doug Swoish, and USN Captain Bob Papadakis revealed that the Block 1 ICAP III configuration deployed by USN EW Squadron VAQ-139 aboard the USS Reagan in January 2006 is to be followed by Block 2 and 3 aircraft.

Of these, the Block 2 is scheduled to appear in June 2006, is primarily concerned with added connectivity and is expected to be fielded aboard USS Enterprise by the service's second ICAP III squadron, VAQ-137.

The Block 3 configuration is scheduled for late 2008 and is believed to incorporate advanced jammer management, full-capability low-band jamming and the introduction of digital receiver technology into the AN/ALQ-218 package.

In terms of operational use, Swoish revealed that VAQ-139 had taken its aircraft ashore in support of coalition ground forces in Iraq during March 2006. Here the capability was teamed between the USN and US Marine Corps in a "similar manner" to that used at Aviano Air Base in northern Italy during Operation 'Deny Flight' over Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993-95.

As of April 2006, the USN had received a total of 10 ICAP III aircraft and Northrop Grumman had received a Lot 2 contract for a further four plus one. The Swoish/ Papadakis team claimed that VAQ-139 had experienced a "30 per cent improvement" in jamming effectiveness during the ICAP III's pre-deployment workup.

IIRC the USMC will be keeping the EA-6B for longer than the USN taking over the ex USN airframes once the EF-18 comes on line

As for the USAF, IIRC the EB-52 has been cancelled and they appear now to be looking a unmanned capability.

[A6BSTARM]

Yes the ICAP III aircraft were supposed to be an interm until the EF-18G came out and hit the streets. Only a few units were supposed to get it and they were supposed to be the last to make the transition to the EF-18G. The ICAP III has the new ALQ system along with some other improved electronics that the EF-18G will have. However, when EB-52 project fell through and the USAF was looking at backing out of the ECM mission completely. According to my sources the program manger of EA-6B's looked at the drug deal that allowed the USAF to operate some EA-6B Squadrons (ie the ones that only deploy ashore to USAF bases) and realized that the USAF was still on the hook for the maintaince of these units. Basically, again to my sources, the concrete EA-6B outfits are USN owned but the repair bills are paid by the USAF. They have been doing that since they killed the EF-111 program. So all of a sudden the money that the USAF was going to throw at building an EB-52 instead came into NAVAIR coffers and went to pay for a larger buy of the ICAP III upgrade.

The Marines are not buying into the EF-18G just like they aren't buying into the F-18E/F. Rather they are looking at building a EF-35 to go along with the F-35 buy they have. However, they are also keeping an ear out on how well the USAF is going to do with building some UCAV's that might be capable of doing the ECM mission. What the USAF is looking at now is a variant of the Boeing X-45 carrying one or two ECM systems and either an improved version of the SideARM or the AARM (Advance Anti-Radiation Missile). Their plane is to have a squadron of these things possible controled from as close as Qatar or as far away as Strat Comm HQ in Omaha. Put up a bunch of these drones and have them orbit at selected points and then give the computer some programming on when to fire the missile and when not to.

So as it stands right now with in the US defense establishment the USN and USMC are the only folks flying active tactical ECM aircraft. Then there are only so many out there right now for use as well.