Aviation Specials - July 2018

returned to Cherry Point in early October

2017, EA-18Gs picked up the mission until

‘Q-2’ took up the reins.

The role that the Prowlers have played

in the real-world con ict environment is

immediately obvious from the moment

you set foot in a squadron. Streaming

along the walls are plaque after plaque of

deployment commemoration — every

war zone, every con ict, every theatre.

The ‘Death Jesters’ last deployed to Incirlik

for seven months, able to eavesdrop

on so-called Islamic State, jam their

communications and help prevent them

from triggering improvised explosive

devices (IEDs).

The Prowler is all about a team e ort,

from the maintainers of these old birds

to the four-person crew. In the front left

seat is the pilot, accompanied by three

ECMOs — ECMO 1 alongside the pilot

and 2 and 3 in the back. One Prowler

ECMO commented: ‘We will delegate the

management of tasks depending on what

seat you are sitting in. We have to stay

pro cient in all three.’

Unlike the US Navy, the Marine Corps is

not  elding a direct replacement for the

Above:

Operating from

the sun shelters

at MCAS

Cherry Point.

Rich Cooper

Below: VMAQ-4

EA-6B Prowler

BuNo 163527

is seen during

the unit’s

homecoming

on October

10, 2016, after

a six-month

deployment for

OIR. With ‘Q-4’

having closed its

doors on June

2, this aircraft

moved to ‘Q-2’.

USMC/LCpl

Mackenzie Gibson

US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2018

EA-6B PROWLER^47

44-49 Prowler Farewell C.indd 47 31/05/2018 22:01