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.
| Name | 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] |  |
| Name | 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 |  |
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS. Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force, NATO, French Air and Space Force, Royal Saudi Air Force and Chilean Air Force. The E-3 has a distinctive rotating radar dome (rotodome) above the fuselage. Production ended in 1992 after 68 aircraft had been built.
The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft Company for the United States Navy as a replacement for the earlier, piston-engined E-1 Tracer, which was rapidly becoming obsolete. The aircraft's performance has been upgraded with the E-2B and E-2C versions, where most of the changes were made to the radar and radio communications due to advances in electronic integrated circuits and other electronics. The fourth major version of the Hawkeye is the E-2D, which first flew in 2007. The E-2 was the first aircraft designed specifically for AEW, as opposed to a modification of an existing airframe, such as the Boeing E-3 Sentry. Variants of the Hawkeye have been in continuous production since 1960, giving it the longest production run of any carrier-based aircraft.
The Lockheed Martin EC-130 series comprises several slightly different versions of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules that have been and continue to be operated by the U.S. Air Force and, until the 1990s, the U.S. Navy.
The Northrop GrummanEA-6B Prowler is a twin-engine, four-seat, mid-wing electronic-warfare aircraft derived from the A-6 Intruder airframe. The EA-6A was the initial electronic warfare version of the A-6 used by the United States Marine Corps and United States Navy; it was used during the Vietnam War. Development on the more advanced EA-6B began in 1966. An EA-6B aircrew consisted of one pilot and three Electronic Countermeasures Officers, though it was not uncommon for only two ECMOs to be used on missions. It was capable of carrying and firing anti-radiation missiles (ARMs), such as the AGM-88 HARM.
An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar early warning system designed to detect aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles and other incoming projectiles at long ranges, as well as performing command and control of the battlespace in aerial engagements by informing and directing friendly fighter and attack aircraft. AEW&C units are also used to carry out aerial surveillance over ground and maritime targets, and frequently perform battle management command and control (BMC2). When used at altitude, the radar system on AEW&C aircraft allows the operators to detect, track and prioritize targets and identify friendly aircraft from hostile ones in real-time and from much farther away than ground-based radars. Like ground-based radars, AEW&C systems can be detected and targeted by opposing forces, but due to aircraft mobility and extended sensor range, they are much less vulnerable to counter-attacks than ground systems.
The Grumman A-6 Intruder is an American twinjet all-weather attack aircraft developed and manufactured by American aircraft company Grumman Aerospace and formerly operated by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
The Grumman E-1 Tracer was the first purpose-built airborne early warning aircraft used by the United States Navy. It was a derivative of the Grumman C-1 Trader and entered service in 1958. It was replaced by the more modern Grumman E-2 Hawkeye by the 1970s.
The EC-130H Compass Call is an electronic attack aircraft flown by the United States Air Force. Based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the aircraft is heavily modified to disrupt enemy command and control communications, perform offensive counterinformation operations, and carry out other kinds of electronic attacks. Planned upgrades will add the ability to attack early warning and acquisition radars. Based at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona, EC-130Hs can be deployed worldwide at short notice to support U.S. and allied strategic and tactical air, surface, and special operations forces.
The Gulfstream G550 is a business jet aircraft produced by General Dynamics' Gulfstream Aerospace unit in Savannah, Georgia, US. The certification designation is GV-SP. A version with reduced fuel capacity was marketed as the G500. Gulfstream ceased production of the G550 in July 2021.
A naval flight officer (NFO) is a commissioned officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps who specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots (naval aviators), but they may perform many "co-pilot" or "mission specialist" functions, depending on the type of aircraft. Until 1966, their duties were performed by both commissioned officer and senior enlisted naval aviation observers (NAO).
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems (NGES) was a business segment of Northrop Grumman from 1996 to 2015 until a reorganization on January 1, 2016 merged other Northrop Grumman businesses into NGES to form a new segment called Mission Systems. NGES had originally been created by Northrop Grumman's acquisition of Westinghouse Electronic Systems Group in 1996. The Electronic Systems sector was a designer, developer, and manufacturer of a wide variety of advanced defense electronics and systems. The division had 120 locations worldwide, including 72 international offices, and approximately 24,000 employees; accounting for 20% of company sales in 2005.
A carrier air wing is an operational naval aviation organization composed of several aircraft squadrons and detachments of various types of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Organized, equipped and trained to conduct modern US Navy carrier air operations while embarked aboard aircraft carriers, the various squadrons in an air wing have different but complementary missions, and provide most of the striking power and electronic warfare capabilities of a carrier battle group (CVBG). While the CVBG term is still used by other nations, the CVBG in US parlance is now known as a carrier strike group (CSG).
Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2) was a United States Marine Corps electronic warfare squadron in service from 1952 to 2019. It was the last squadron flying the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler.
Training Squadron EIGHT SIX (VT-86), also known as the "Sabrehawks," is a United States Navy advanced jet training squadron based at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Training Squadron 86 is a tenant command of Training Air Wing 6. They are a training squadron flying the T-45C Goshawk. Their tailcode is F and their radio callsign is ROKT.
The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum is a museum at Lexington Park, Maryland, first opened in 1978, which preserves and interprets the Naval Air Station Patuxent River history and heritage of advancing US naval aviation technology with artifacts, photographs and film, documents, and related heritage memorabilia from Patuxent River and other naval stations. The museum is dedicated to those who have employed their talents in advancing naval aviation research, development, testing, and evaluation.
The Boeing E-767 is an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft that was designed in response to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's requirements. It is essentially the Boeing E-3 Sentry's surveillance radar and air control system installed on a Boeing 767-200.
The Boeing C-137 Stratoliner is a retired VIP transport aircraft derived from the Boeing 707 jet airliner used by the United States Air Force. Other nations also bought both new and used 707s for military service, primarily as VIP or tanker transports. In addition, the 707 served as the basis for several specialized versions, such as the E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft. The designation C-18 covers several later variants based on the 707-320B/C series. The C-137 should not be confused with the similar Boeing C-135 Stratolifter; although they share a common ancestor the two aircraft have different fuselages, among other structural differences.
An electronic-warfare aircraft is a military aircraft equipped for electronic warfare (EW), that is, degrading the effectiveness of enemy radar and radio systems by using radar jamming and deception methods.
The Next Generation Jammer is a program to develop an airborne electronic warfare system, as a replacement for the AN/ALQ-99 found on the EA-18G military aircraft. It reached Initial Operating Capability in 2021.
The AN/ALQ-218 is an American airborne electronic warfare system, found on Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler and Boeing EA-18G Growler military aircraft.