This list covers both currently and formerly operated electromagnetic warfare aircraft (typically airborne early warning and control aircraft) used by the United States.
As such there will be overlaps with the List of United States command and control aircraft and the List of United States airborne early warning aircraft.
1924–1962
editName | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of
first flight |
Introduction | Number built | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Douglas EF-10B Skyknight/F3D-2Q | Electronic warfare/Attack aircraft | Douglas Aircraft Company | Electronic warfare version of the Douglas F3D Skyknight. 35 F3D-2s were converted into F3D-2Q EW aircraft. | Unknown | Unknown | At least 35[1] | |
Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star | Airborne early warning and control | Lockheed Corporation | Developed from the Lockheed C-121 Constellation | 1949 | 1954 | 232 | |
Grumman E-1 Tracer | Carried-based airborne early warning | Grumman | Developed from the Grumman C-1 Trader. Replaced by the E-2 Hawkeyes in 1964.[2] | 1956[3] | 1958 | 88 | |
Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye | Carried-based airborne early warning | Northrop Grumman | Highly used by the United States Navy; developed into the Grumman C-2 Greyhound.[4] Replaced the E-1 Tracer.[2] | 1960[5] | 1964[5][6] | 313 (total); 88 (E-2D)[7] |
1962–present
editName | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of
first flight |
Introduction | Number built | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grumman EA-6A "Electric Intruder" | Electronic warfare (EW)/Electronic countermeasures (ECW) | Grumman | Converted Grumman A-6 Intruder designed for the United States Marine Corps, designed to provide a new ECM platform to replace the EF-10B Skyknights and AD Skyraiders; it served with the USMC during the Vietnam War in 1966.[8][9][10] The last EA-6A had been retired by 1993. Later upgraded into the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler.[8][10] | Unknown | 1965[8] | 27[11]/28 | |
Boeing EC-135 | Airborne Command Post, Airborne Launch Control Center, Tracking and Telemetry Platform, Airborne Radio Relay | Boeing | Developed from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter. Replaced by the Boeing E-6 Mercury. | 1965 | 2000 | Unknown | |
Grumman EA-6B Prowler | Electronic warfare/Attack aircraft | Grumman | Improved version of the Grumman EA-6A. Replaced by the EA-18G Growler in 2015 in the U.S. Navy and was retired in March 2019 with the U.S. Marine Corps.[9] | 1968[9] | 1971[8] | 170 | |
Lockheed EC-130 | Psychological and Information Operations (EC-130J) | Lockheed | One of the many variants of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. | Unknown | 1975 | 7 | |
Boeing E-3 Sentry | Airborne early warning and control | Boeing Defense, Space & Security | Developed from the Boeing 707-320.[12] | EC-137D: 9 February 1972
E-3: 25 May 1976[13] |
1977[14] | 68 | |
Boeing E-4 | Airborne early warning and control | Boeing | Developed from the Boeing 747-200 | 1973 | 1974 | 4 | |
Windecker YE-5 | Experimental stealth aircraft | Windecker Industries | Developed from Windecker Eagle | 1973 | Never | 1 | |
Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call | Electronic warfare (EW), Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), offensive counter-information | Lockheed (airframe) BAE Systems (prime mission equipment) |
One of the many variants of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. | Unknown | 1983[15] | 14 | |
General Dynamics–Grumman EF-111A Raven | Electronic warfare | General Dynamics, conversion by Grumman | Developed from the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. | 1977 | 1983 | 42 | |
Boeing E-6 Mercury/Hermes | Airborne command and control | Boeing | Developed from the Boeing 707-300; utilizes TACAMO; planned to be replaced by the TACAMO Recapitalization Program (E-XX); replaced the EC-135.[16] | 1987 | 1989[16] | 16 | |
Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS | Airborne Battle Management and ISTAR | Northrop Grumman | Developed from the Boeing 707 | 1988[17] | 1991 | 17 | |
A United States Air Force De Havilland Canada Dash 8 range control aircraft that ensures that the overwater military ranges in the Gulf of Mexico are clear of civilian boats and aircraft during live fire tests of air-launched missiles and other hazardous military activities.[18] | |||||||
Northrop Grumman E-10 MC2A | Airborne early warning and control | Northrop Grumman | Based on the Boeing 767-400ER, project later cancelled. | Never | Never | 0 | |
Boeing E-767 | Airborne early warning and control | Boeing Integrated Defense Systems | Boeing E-3 Sentry's surveillance radar and air control system installed on a Boeing 767-200; used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. |
|
2000 | 4 | |
Boeing EA-18G Growler | Electronic warfare aircraft | Boeing | Developed from the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. | 2006 | 2009 | 172 as of October 2021 | |
EA-73B | USAF Gulfstream G550 fitted for Electronic Warfare to replace existing EC-130H Compass Call aircraft.[19][20] Previously known as EC-37B, on November 14, 2023, Air Combat Command redesignated the platform as EA-37B to better identify its mission of finding and attacking enemy land or sea targets.[21][22] | ||||||
Lockheed EP-3 | Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)[23] | Lockheed Corporation | Electronic signals reconnaissance variant of the Lockheed P-3 Orion.[23] | Unknown | Unknown | 12 |
References
edit- ^ "Aircraft > F3D-2Q/EF-10B Skyknight". Marine Corps Aviation Reconnaissance Association. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ a b "E-2 Hawkeye Airborne Command and Control Aircraft". United States Navy. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ "E-1B Tracer". Naval History and Heritage Command - National Naval Aviation Museum. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ "C-2A Greyhound Logistics Aircraft". United States Navy. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ a b Taylor 1976, p. 291.
- ^ "Celebrating 50 years of Hawkeyes in the sky" (PDF). Airborne Early Warning Association. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "E-2 Hawkeye total production". Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "EA-6B Prowler". Naval History and Heritage Command - National Naval Aviation Museum. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "EA-6B Prowler | Pacific Coast Air Museum | Navy Electronic". Pacific Coast Air Museum. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Prowler, EA-6B". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Frawley, Gerald (2002). "Grumman EA-6B Prowler". The International Directory of Military Aircraft, 2002/2003. Aerospace Publications. ISBN 1-875671-55-2.
- ^ "E-3 Sentry (AWACS)". Tinker Air Force Base. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ Eden et al 2004, p. 94.
- ^ "E-3 Sentry (AWACS)". Air Force. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "EC-130H Compass Call". U.S. Air Force (.mil). Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ a b "E-6B Mercury | NAVAIR". NAVAIR. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "E-8C Joint STARS". Northrop Grumman. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ J. Davis III, Bennie. "E-9A crews survey gulf, track missiles". U.S. Air Force (af.mil). Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Moving Compass Call electronic warfare system to modern business jet". Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "L3Harris flies EC-37B Compass Call electronic warfare jet for first time".
- ^ "EC-37B Mission Design Series designation change to EA-37B". Air Combat Command. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Tirpak, John A. (20 November 2023). "New EC-37B Gets a Designation Change to EA-37B". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ a b "EP-3E Aries II". NAVAIR. Retrieved 7 April 2024.