Imagining the exhaustive training fighter pilots undergo is challenging. These essential simulations expose pilots to the behavior and efficiency of various weapons, equipping them with critical skills for responding to real-world threats. Notably, conducting exercises that pit allied aircraft against one another can yield unexpected outcomes. One such remarkable event transpired in 2009 when an F-22 Raptor faced off against a naval aircraft known as the EA-18G Growler.
The encounter took place during a training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base located near Las Vegas, Nevada. The U.S. military aims to avoid damage to its costly jets, opting for simulations instead. In this particular exercise, “the [Growler] crew successfully achieved a missile lock, marking a simulated kill against the stealth fighter,” as reported by Indian Defence Review.
Although the Navy’s Growler is not a standard fighter jet and isn’t typically built to challenge an aircraft like the F-22 in real combat, it came out on top utilizing its advanced electronic warfare systems. The Growler possesses distinct capabilities tailored for its mission.
Overcoming a Powerful Adversary
The F-22 Raptor is such a sophisticated aircraft that its export has been prohibited by the U.S. The combination of its stealth features, which obscure it from radar detection, along with the “advanced aerodynamics, flight controls, thrust vectoring, and a favorable thrust-to-weight ratio allow it to outmaneuver any existing or anticipated aircraft,” claims the U.S. Air Force.
Nonetheless, it has certain vulnerabilities, and additional aircraft have been specifically designed to counter its strengths. The EA-18G Growler exemplifies this concept. Created to impair or neutralize enemy detection systems, it includes ALQ-99 jamming pods along with traditional armaments like AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and AIM-120s, providing it substantial air-to-air combat capability. The jammers, in particular, enable it to disrupt transmissions across the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
Fighter jets opposing it typically depend heavily on their radar and communication systems in hostile air-to-air engagements. Therefore, strikes against these systems can render an aircraft vulnerable, endangering their weapon capabilities and granting both the Growler and its allies a significant edge. In this scenario, the Growler was “facing” an allied F-22, yet its unique strengths proved critical in the encounter, potentially limiting the F-22’s ability to engage it effectively while capitalizing on advantageous angles to secure its lock.
Other Notable Instances of Success Against the Renowned F-22
Renowned for its combat effectiveness, the F-22 Raptor’s simulated defeat by a U.S. Navy Growler is a significant upset. This wouldn’t be an isolated case either. In June 2012, U.S. pilots flying F-22s engaged in extensive training exercises against Eurofighter Typhoons from Germany. Although the Typhoon is neither a stealth aircraft nor specifically designed for air superiority like the F-22, it still managed to exploit some of the Raptor’s vulnerabilities.
Major Marc Gruene of the German air force detailed to Wired that by closing the distance between the jets during a dogfight, the Typhoon could effectively challenge the F-22. Once the aircraft reached the “merge,” which is the point at which two aircraft fly past one another at close range, “the Typhoon doesn’t necessarily have to fear the F-22,” he remarked. The F-22 has a maximum takeoff weight of 83,500 lbs, significantly more than the 51,809 lbs of the Typhoon, implying a potential advantage in maneuverability for the latter in close quarters.
In an earlier training exercise at Al Dhafra Air Base in November 2009, the F-22 displayed overall dominance but was also reported to have been “defeated” in some simulated engagements against the French Dassault Rafale and Mirage 2000. Since that time, the F-22 Raptor’s production line has been halted. Even with these simulated losses, it continues to be regarded as one of the most formidable aircraft in aviation history.
