US pilot suffers frostbite as EA-18G cockpit freezes
According to Defense News, the pilot of the US EA-18G Growler suffered frostbite and struggled to return to base because the aircraft's cabin suddenly froze.
Defense News quoted an official source from the US Navy as saying that the incident happened last week with an EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft.
While on a mission, the cockpit suddenly had a problem and the temperature in the cockpit quickly dropped to -34 degrees Celsius, causing the pilot to almost get frostbite and making it very difficult to continue controlling.
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| US Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft. |
Due to the sharp drop in temperature, water vapor entered the cockpit and quickly froze everything and covered the entire cockpit glass and display screens, making it impossible for the pilot to observe the parameters and situation outside, making it very difficult to control the aircraft.
Faced with a critical situation, the EA-18G's crew of two had to use all of their emergency oxygen because the ESC system supplying oxygen had a problem.
The pilot guided the plane down to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island with the help of air traffic control and a $450 smartwatch that can measure air pressure, altitude and direction of flight.
Although the EA-18G crew was not in danger, they all suffered frostbite with blisters on their hands.
Defense News quoted a statement from US Navy spokesman Ron Flanders saying: "One is ready to fly again, the other is still being treated but will fully recover. The incident is under investigation, I cannot disclose anything more."
Although the cause of the incident has not been determined, it is enough to make American pilots worried because in early 2018, while participating in the Red Flag exercise in the US, an Australian EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft suddenly caught fire.
Information about this accident was released by the Australian Air Force (RAAF), an EA-18G Growler aircraft had an accident during the Red Flag exercise. "The aircraft could not take off and caught fire afterwards. However, the soldiers were all safe," the source said.
The incident occurred at 10:45 a.m. on January 27 at Nellis Air Force Base, RAAF said. The EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft skidded off the runway during takeoff, and the two pilots were able to safely exit the aircraft.
According to sources obtained by The Aviationist, the Australian EA-18G Growler caught fire, a type of electronic countermeasure aircraft that the US sold exclusively to the RAAF and was delivered in early 2017. This aircraft will officially operate in the RAAF from mid-2018 and the equipment will be completed in 2022.
The US and Australian manufacturers announced a contract to buy 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters and 12 EA-18G Growler variants worth up to $3.7 billion in 2013. Assembly of EA-18G units for the RAAF began in June 2014 at Northrop Grumman's facility in El Segundo, California.
According to the introduction of the American manufacturer, the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft combines two functions, because its platform is the FA-18E/F aircraft.
After the EA-18G was upgraded to an electronic warfare aircraft, the EA-18G's external weapons suspension and weapon load capacity remained unchanged, so it remained a heavy fighter.
The EA-18G has two hardpoints, named hardpoint 99 and hardpoint 218. Hardpoint 99 has a strange shape, and the jamming model of the EA-18G has changed from the previous bombing-style jamming to precision jamming.
Compartment 218 can jam enemy communications on warships, can block and clearly hear information, but does not jam our own communications at all, so this is a very smart form of jamming.
The biggest threat the EA-18G poses to the enemy is anti-radiation missiles.
Its jamming ability is very strong, the faster the transmission speed of the enemy aircraft, the easier it is to find and attack. The EA-18G aircraft all have a range of up to 2,000km. If using an aerial refueling aircraft, the range will increase significantly.