Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler
Squadron Name Nickname Dates Operated Carrier air wing Station Notes
VAQ-129 Vikings 1971-2015 Fleet Replacement Squadron NAS Whidbey Island Trained both Marine , Air Force , and Navy crews in the EA-6B and the EA-18G
VAQ-130 Zappers 1975-2011 CVW-3 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-131 Lancers 1971-2015 CVW-2 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-132 Scorpions 1971-2009 N/A EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-133 Wizards 1971-2014 CVW-9 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-134 Garudas 1972-2015 CVW-8 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-135 Black Ravens 1973-2010 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-136 Gauntlets 1973-2012 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-137 Rooks 1973-2012 CVW-1 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-138 Yellow Jackets 1976-2009 N/A EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-139 Cougars 1983-2011 CVW-17 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-140 Patriots 1985-2014 CVW-7 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-141 Shadowhawks 1987-2009 CVW-5 Naval Air Facility ( NAF ) Atsugi EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-142 Gray Wolves 1997-2015 CVW-11 NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
VAQ-209 Star Warriors 1977-2013 Reserve Tactical Support Wing NAS Whidbey Island EA-6B replaced by EA-18G
Operators -- USN squadrons
While in U.S. Navy service four EA-6B Prowlers were typically assigned to a Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron . These Navy Electronic Attack squadrons carried the letters VAQ ( V-fixed wing , A-attack , Q-electronic ) ; most of these squadrons were carrier-based , while others were `` expeditionary '' and deployed to overseas land bases . [ 12 ]
The Northrop Grumman (formerly Grumman) EA-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. Development on the more advanced EA-6B began in 1966. An EA-6B aircrew consists of one pilot and three Electronic Countermeasures Officers, though it is not uncommon for only two ECMOs to be used on missions. It is capable of carrying and firing anti-radiation missiles (ARMs), such as the AGM-88 HARM missile. The Prowler was in service with the U.S. Armed Forces from 1971 until 2019. It has carried out numerous missions for jamming enemy radar systems, and in gathering radio intelligence on those and other enemy air defense systems. From the 1998 retirement of the United States Air Force EF-111 Raven electronic warfare aircraft, the EA-6B was the only dedicated electronic warfare plane available for missions by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Air Force until the fielding of the Navy's EA-18G Growler in 2009. Following its last deployment in late 2014, the EA-6B was withdrawn from U.S. Navy service in June 2015, followed by the USMC in March 2019.