New Navy 'Growlers' visit Moses Lake
Navy Lieutenants Jon Reichel and Al Del Vecchio speak with Moses Lake residents Ron Baker and Jim Thompson Friday at the Port of Moses Lake. The group is standing next to the Boeing EA-186 Growler the pilots have been flying over the Grant County area as part of training operations.
MOSES LAKE - That low level rumble heard rolling over the area in recent days is the growl of the Navy's latest electronic attack aircraft.
The Boeing EA-18G Growlers belong to Electronic Attack Squadron 135 - otherwise known as the "world famous" Black Ravens - which is stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
A specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, the Growlers are replacing many of the Navy's Grumman EA-6B Prowlers, which have been in service since the early 1970s.
Navy recruits must complete about two years of training before they're cleared to fly the state-of-the-art planes, according to Lt. Al Del Vecchio, one of the pilots who landed for lunch and refueling at the Port of Moses Lake Friday afternoon.
He and Navy Lt. Jon Reichel are conducting flight operations along with another aircraft piloted by Cdr. Scott Janik and Lcdr. Kevin Inabnit, also of VAQ-135. This week the four will travel to the skies north of Grant County where they'll practice tactical maneuvers to counter surface-to-air missile strikes, Reichel said.
Contrary to the Prowlers, Del Vecchio said the Navy's newest aircraft are designed for ground-based operations and countering enemy air defenses using both reactive and preemptive jamming techniques.
Port of Moses Lake Executive Director Pat Jones said the planes were making touch and go passes throughout last week.
"We don't know when they're coming," he said. "It's kind of like driving down the freeway, they just give notice to the tower and the tower puts them in their pattern to either land or touch and go."
Moses Lake is situated right in the middle of a low level training route, according to Kimberly Martin, public affairs officer for Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
Several other types of military aircraft conduct regular flights and training missions over Grant County and utilize the Port of Moses Lake, according to officials. These include KC-135 Stratotankers hailing from Fairchild Air Force base in Airway Heights, C-17 Globemasters from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Fort Lewis and F-15 E strike eagles from Mountain Home Airforce Base in Idaho.
Ron Baker and Jim Thompson, both Army veterans and Moses Lake residents, were at the port Friday to get a closer look at the jets.
Baker, 71, said while he flew helicopters while in the service, he's wowed by the amount of technical expertise modern pilots such as Del Vecchio and Reichel must have.
"It takes the best and the brightest," he said.