Prowler: Best for the Future

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Prowler: Best for the Future

K. C. Watson

Although the goal of an all-STOVL Air Combat Element (ACE) by 2010 is worthwhile in terms of maneuverability and flexibility, none of the possible candidate STOVL platforms are capable of executing airborne mission-support electronic warfare as we know it today. If the Marine Corps is to retain the capability to win on future battlefields, it must continue to command the electromagnetic spectrum. The new MAGTF Master Plan states that the Marine Corps will possess an all-STOVL force by 2010. The EA-6B is incompatible with that goal, because it is a single-mission airplane with unique support requirements, and so Marine EA-6Bs will be returned to the Navy when other aircraft are fielded to conduct the EW mission. If the Marine Corps returns its EA-6Bs to the Navy, it will give up more than just an airframe; the airborne support EW mission will be severely degraded. The electronic threat environment is growing more and more lethal, especially in the Third World, and the battlefield is growing more electronically dependent. The EA-6B and TERPES are both evolving to cope with this more dangerous threat. The combination of EA- 6Bs and TERPES gives the MAGTF commander the advantage in situational awareness, while denying that awareness to the enemy. Helicopters, the KC-130, the F/A-18D, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and the Medium Lift Replacement (MLR) all offer advantages to the MAGTF, but they all fall short in some aspect of EW capability. Weight-bearing capacity, electrical power generation, airspeed, and altitude all contribute to the ability to conduct airborne EW. When the factors of threat, mission needs, and current and projected platform capabilities are weighed, the ability to have men in the loop to make tactical decisions is of paramount importance. The more EW systems are miniaturized and automated, the less they are capable of responding to an increasingly sophisticated threat environment. The Marine Corps cannot afford to replace the EA-6B before 2010.