Key component deliveries in EA-6B service life upgrade running ahead of Schedule

The Northrop Grumman Corporation recently delivered to the U.S. Navy the 75th EA-6B Prowler aircraft wing center section more than five months ahead of schedule. The delivery on July 29 was a milestone in the Navy’s plan to replace wing center sections on its fleet of high demand, carrier-based electronic attack aircraft.

The EA-6B's wing center section is the wing assembly of the aircraft that extends from wing-fold to wing-fold. The wing-folds allow the Prowler's wing tips to be folded so that the aircraft can be stored close together on aircraft carriers.

“This 75th wing delivered nearly six months early represents all the hard work our government and industry team is doing to return the Prowler fleet to full strength as rapidly as possible,” said NAVAIR EA-6B Program Manager Capt. Ken Smolana.

Northrop Grumman's work replacing Prowler wing center sections began in 1994. Of the 75 wing center section units produced so far, 69 were manufactured in St. Augustine, while the first six were built in Calverton, N.Y.

“Northrop Grumman's focused and persistent application of Lean and other manufacturing practices has allowed it to deliver 58 consecutive wing center sections ahead of schedule,” said Patricia McMahon, vice president and leader of the company's Electronic Warfare Programs Integrated Product Team. “This achievement is not an extraordinary effort. It’s what we do day-to-day. Our job is to ensure that the nation's warfighters have the equipment they need, when they need it, to fight the war on terrorism. We just keep looking for ways to do our job better.”

EA-6B Prowlers are the only tactical electronic attack capability in the U.S. inventory. Identified as a national asset, they are in high demand around the world, logging significant air time and resultant wear and tear. Prowlers are a key node in the Navy’s FORCEnet 21 network-centric warfare architecture. The EA-18G aircraft currently in development is slated as the replacement for the Prowler and is scheduled for Initial Operating Capability in the year 2009.

FMI: www.news.navy.mil/local/navair