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Photo Gallery: Grumman EA-6B Prowler

February 12, 2015
Jason Hyatt No Comments Photos

The EA-6B “Prowler” isn’t going to win any beauty contests, but she was never supposed to. The plan wasn’t for sexy, it was for a dedicated electronic warfare (EW) tactical platform that could jam surface to air radars, collect signals intelligence (SIGINT) from those receivers, and eliminate early warning threats as necessary. In other words, her envisioned role was to make the enemy blind and deaf. That in turn would make it easier for our strikers to smash enemy air defense networks and infrastructure.

The Drumstick first flew in May of 1962, and by the middle of 1971 was operating from the USS America in support of US efforts in Vietnam. EA-6Bs have participated in almost every single US combat operation since her introduction to the fleet in 1971.

USAF Major Doug “Pecker” Woodley, who had an exchange tour with VAQ-129 and VAQ-133, had this to say about his background and experience in the Prowler:

“I had been flying the B-1 for a number of years, as well as working in jobs focused on Electronic Warfare, so the idea to go to Prowlers was a logical one. I was born and raised on NAS Pensacola, the son of a career Naval Aviator, so I was anxious to experience that which I’d heard about my whole life. The training was tough but I quickly realized the more I assimilated to the Navy world, the better I would do. That being said, when my squadron lost its land-based mission and was returned to the carrier, I got the chance to experience the whole nine yards of Navy life. When we first found out we were returning to the carrier, my CO came to me and said, “Hey you’re an Air Force bomber guy. Don’t sweat the carrier stuff. We will need a guy to run the beach det so we can just leave you there. You’re not expected to know how the boat works.”

I saw his point initially but, upon going through the spin-up with the squadron, I soon approached him and said I wanted to be the first one out and last one back. If I was going to play Navy, I was going all the way. And the first time I felt the violent acceleration of a cat shot, I knew I’d made the right choice in flying Prowlers. I soon found myself being the only Air Force guy in the Air Wing, and the first carrier-qualified Air Force flyer in our squadron’s history. I was immensely proud to be able to add my small footnote to the history books of the US Navy. I was even more proud to have shared space on the boat with some of the finest Aviators in the world.”

In celebration of the EA-6B’s continued service to the USMC and recent withdrawal from Navy use, we offer a photographic take on the unique beauty and mission of the “Prowler.”

DSC_9892 DSC_9736 DSC_0834 CB0_3154 _DSC5657-2 158544_NFL_2007-01-25_FSJH 163887_LSV_2008-02-14_FSJH 163529_NFL_2008-06-24_FSJH 163525_LSV_2008-08-14_FSJH 163523_NJK_2009-10-22_FSJH 163400_AEI_2008-04-17_FSJH 163399_LSV_2008-02-14fsjh 162228_LSV_2008-02-14_FSJH 161885_NJK_2007-10-17_FSJH 161883_AEI_2008-04-16_FSJH 161349_NTD_2007-03-31_FSJH 161120_AEI_2008-04-16_FSJH 160437_NJK_2007-10-17_FSJH 158815_NFL_2009-12-10_FSJH 158034_NJ902_EA6B_VAQ129_USN_NZY_12FEB11_1FS ROOKS_VAQ137_EA6B_NFL_APR10_FH1VFS 163889_EA6B_CY04_NKT_MAY14_TO1FS 163406_EA6B_CY03_LSV_FEB13_TO2FS 163400_EA6B_NL533_PAEI_APR08_TO1 163398_EA6B_AB503_NFL_APR10_T1FS 163397_EA6B_NL544_KLSV_MAR09_LD1FS 162936_EA6B_RM09_LSV_MAR12_TO1VFS 162934_EA6B_AB500_NFL_APR10_T1BWFS 162934_EA6B_AB500_NFL_APR10_LD2FS 161120_EA6B_NL530_LSV_JULY08_LD1FS 160609_EA6B_11_NZY_FEB11_SSET1VFS

About the Author

Jason Hyatt is an aerospace industry professional with over 10 years of experience in the military and commercial aviation sectors. Born and raised in the Southwest United States, an area blessed with over 300 days of sunshine per year, he is fortunate to have been in and around aviation his entire life. After a brief stint as a semi-professional soccer player in the early 2000's, he realized his desire to live and work in aviation. While working for Boeing IDS (now BDS) in 2005, he first picked up a camera and started experimenting with aviation photography and photojournalism. As a freelance aviation photojournalist, he has been able to stay close to military aviation, his primary area of interest.

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