The USS Enterprise (CVN 65) began the second week of its Tailored Ship’s Training Availability (TSTA) in the Atlantic Ocean Nov. 5, and sailors from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 are keeping the Prowlers flying under the radar -- or rather, rendering the enemy’s radar useless.

Known as the 'Rooks,' VAQ-137 operates the EA-6B Prowler, an aircraft designed for surveillance and suppression of enemy radar, according to Lt. j.g. Ben Cooper, a naval flight officer with the Rooks.

"Basically, we throw a blanket over the bad guys’ eyes," said Cooper. "We make our fighters invisible to the enemy by either jamming radar or occasionally using a High-Speed Anti-Radar Missile (HARM)."

The mission itself is part of what Cooper calls 'the faceless Navy.' "There’s not a lot of visibility. We don’t get a lot of glory, but our job is important. If everyone comes home safely, we’ve done our job. We get a lot of gratification when we bring everyone back. Our biggest goal is to make sure no enemy missiles get off the rails," explained Cooper.

In service since 1971, the aircraft itself is the only one of its kind in the world, capable of jamming nearly any kind of radar, whether land-based or on a ship at sea. The Prowler is loaded with jamming pods, electronic equipment and, occasionally, HARMs. A four-person crew operates the gear and flies the bird.

“One pilot flies, while three electronic countermeasures officers (ECO) handle the navigation and jamming equipment,” explained Cooper, an ECO. While all four crew members are Naval Flight Officers (NFO), not all of them are ECOs.

Cooper explained an NFO's job on board the EA-6B is somewhat different than other aircraft. Because of the myriad of responsibilities of Prowler NFOs, the Fleet Replacement Squadron training course is somewhat longer for Prowlers than others. Each NFO spends between ten months and one year in training, according to Cooper. That training is going to change somewhat in the near future.

Six months ago, a new type of Prowler rolled off the assembly line at Northrop Grumman. The EA-18G is a Prowler/Hornet hybrid of sorts.

(Aero-News salutes Journalist 2nd Class (SW) Jason Thompson, USS Enterprise Public Affairs.)

FMI: www.news.navy.mil/local/cvn65/