The US Navy has concluded a five-year overhaul of its EA-18G Growler aircraft with a functional check flight at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington.
Previously deployed with the navy’s “Wizards” VAQ-133 Electronic Attack Squadron, the Growler was involved in a mid-air collision with an aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 2 during a drill in 2017.
Due to the damage, the aircraft was previously considered beyond repair. However, at Whidbey Island, it was refurbished using newly-devised techniques.
“We reassembled the aircraft by replacing all major components and turned the aircraft back over to VAQ-129 as a ‘special rework’ complete on April 24, 2022,” US Navy Fleet Readiness Center Northwest Depot Lead Tommy Moore said.
The revamp is expected to extend the aircraft’s life for “decades to come.”
The plane will be transferred to an operational squadron to undertake international missions.
‘True Team Effort’
According to the US Navy, the “first-of-its-kind” refurbishment was a large-scale collaboration of various organizations working for years.
“It was truly amazing to watch the entire Naval Aviation Enterprise team come together to get this much-needed asset back up to flight status,” US Navy Electronic Attack Wing Pacific Commodore Capt. David Harris said.
“From the engineers who developed the needed repair designs, to the artisans who accomplished the complex repairs, to the VAQ-129 Sailors who ultimately rebuilt the aircraft to a flight status; it was a true team effort.”
