EA-18G Growler vs EA-37B Compass Call
EA-18G Growler vs EA-37B Compass Call at a glance — top speed 1,900 vs 870 km/h, range 2,346 vs 7,100 km, max takeoff weight 29,964 vs 44,452 kg, built 165 vs 5 units.
| EA-18G Growler | EA-37B Compass Call | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin country | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Category | Military Special Mission Aircraft | Military Special Mission Aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Boeing | L3Harris |
| First flight | 15 August 2006 | 25 August 2021 |
| Year introduced | 2008 | 2024 |
| Number produced | 165 units | 5 units |
| Average unit price | $125 million | -- |
| Wing area | 46.5 m² | -- m² |
| Wingspan | 13.6 m | 28.5 m |
| Height | 4.9 m | 7.9 m |
| Length | 18.3 m | 29.4 m |
| Maximum speed | 1900 km/h | 870 km/h |
| Operational range | 2,346 km | 7,100 km |
| Service ceiling | 15,000 m | 14,000 m |
| Max. takeoff weight | 29,964 kg | 44,452 kg |
| Empty weight | 15,011 kg | 21,909 kg |
| Total thrust | 2 x 9,979 kgf | 2 x 6,979 kgf |
Detailed Comparison
The US Navy flies about 150 EA-18Gs, and the US Air Force will field twelve EA-37Bs. The Growler is a carrier fighter that escorts strike packages into defended airspace and destroys radars with AGM-88s. The Compass Call is an unarmed, nine-seat Gulfstream that degrades enemy communications, radars and navigation from stand-off orbits. The two aircraft complement each other more than they compete, but both draw on the same constrained electronic-attack budget.
Development and Design
The Growler shares more than 90% of its parts with the F/A-18F. That commonality is its strongest asset on a carrier deck, where logistics and deck spots are scarce. The jamming pods are its weak point. The ALQ-99 descends from Prowler-era technology, is unreliable, adds drag and interferes with the APG-79 radar. The ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer reached IOC in December 2024 but covers only the mid band, so squadrons will fly mixed pod loads until the low- and high-band replacements arrive. The TTNT datalink adds more immediate value: three networked aircraft can passively geolocate emitters for AARGM shots.
The EA-37B design was driven by cost. The 2017 contract re-hosted up to 70% of the EC-130H's mission equipment on a G550 with conformal arrays derived from the CAEW. Reusing that equipment also brought over its obsolescence, which caused a ten-month IOC slip. The SABER and SWORD-A open architectures are the aircraft's long-term advantage because new jamming techniques can be loaded as software rather than installed as hardware. The Air Force tried to cap the fleet at ten aircraft, and Congress restored twelve in FY26.
Specifications and Performances
The Growler's Mach 1.8 figure is mostly theoretical with three pods and two tanks hung under the wings. Its 2,346 km range keeps it dependent on tankers. What matters is that it can manoeuvre, defend itself with AIM-120s and fire HARM or AARGM.
The EA-37B's figures suit a different job:
- 45,000 ft ceiling: extends the radio horizon to roughly 260 nm, far beyond the EC-130H's reach.
- 7,100 km range: supports long orbits without tanking.
- Seven mission operators: allows the crew to analyse and adapt in flight, where a single Growler EWO is task-saturated.
The trade-off is that the EA-37B has no self-protection beyond distance.
Deployment and usage
The Growler has a full combat record:
- Odyssey Dawn (Libya, 2011): its first combat use, against Libyan air defences.
- Prosperity Guardian: an AGM-88E destroyed a Houthi Mi-24 on the ground, and a Growler shot down a Houthi drone.
- Absolute Resolve (January 2026): Growlers disabled Venezuelan air defences.
- Epic Fury (from February 2026): VAQ-133 and VAQ-142 flew SEAD against Iran.
Its export record is thinner. Australia's twelve aircraft remain its only foreign sale; Germany and Finland both chose other options. Recent losses in 2024 and 2026 also strain a small fleet.
The EA-37B deployed for the first time to Epic Fury in April 2026, working alongside RC-135 Rivet Joint. That is too recent for meaningful combat lessons. Its claim rests on the EC-130H's three decades of operations and on Italy's order for two mission-system packages.
Conclusion
The Growler holds the edge in contested airspace. It is the only US crewed jammer that can enter a defended area with a strike package and kill the emitters it suppresses. Against Chinese or Russian integrated air defences, it remains indispensable despite the ALQ-99's limits.
The EA-37B is the better tool for theatre-wide C2 denial in permissive or semi-permissive airspace, where endurance and crew size count for more than speed. Against a peer with long-range air-to-air missiles, however, the G550 must stay far enough back that its effect diminishes. In a peer conflict, the Growler matters more.
