Combo Prowler Crews Working Alaskan Exercise: Joint Air Force and Navy aircrews are manning EA-6B Prowlers during Exercise Northern Edge 2006, providing a somewhat atypical sight for many participants, reports Air Force journalist SrA. Garrett Hothan. Currently the EA-6B is the US military’s only electronic warfare asset and is operated by Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps crews—not necessarily mixed. At least one senior military leader thinks it is high time to decide about a real Prowler follow-on, and he favors an F-35 variant.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.