The House of Representatives has authorized $1.3 billion to buy 18 new EA-18G Growlers, the jet that will replace the existing fleet of radar-jamming jets at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
Besides the money for the jets, the bill authorizes more than $33 million for facility improvements at Whidbey, including an indoor washing device for airplanes.
For all the military, the measure sends a strong message in support for service members in authorizing a 3.5 percent across-the-board pay raise, said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., on Thursday.
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2008 authorizes $503.8 billion for the Defense Department, the first step in deciding how much will be spent on the military next year.
The House will still have to appropriate the funds, the Senate will have to go along with the measures and President Bush will have to sign the bill before the money will be available.
The Democratic-controlled House could still be in a battle with the administration over the spending plan, Larsen said in a statement.
The measure also contains $141.8 billion to support ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This bill will strengthen our military readiness and our ability to fight terrorists around the world,” said Larsen, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “Specifically, we provide $13.6 billion for the Army and $8.4 billion for the Marine Corps to address equipment … requirements.”
In addition, the bill calls for $1 billion to be spent on National Guard and military reserve equipment, and $250 million to beef up training. It also authorizes $4.1 billion for armored vehicles that are resistant to improvised roadside bombs, a major cause of casualties in Iraq.
The measure also prohibits fee increases in the TRICARE health benefit program offered to military personnel and their families.
Last year, Congress appropriated money for the first eight EA-18G warplanes to replace the aging EA-6B Prowler radar-jamming jets.
Early in the budget process in 2006, the House voted to cut money and delay the EA-18G program. Larsen pushed for the program to continue on track.
The Navy hopes to replace 10 squadrons of Prowlers by 2013. Prowlers first went into service in 1971.
The EA-18G has the same airframe as the F/A-18 Super Hornet, a supersonic fighter and attack plane that has become the mainstay of the fleet aboard aircraft carriers.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
EA-6B Prowler Debut: 1971 for combat in Vietnam
Crew: 4
Armament: Missiles to destroy radar installations
Power: Two engines, providing a total of about 21,000 pounds of thrust
Top speed: About 550 mph (about 70 percent of the speed of sound)
Length: 59 feet, 10 inches
Wingspan: 53 feet
Height: 16 feet, 8 inches
Range: About 1,150 miles
First flight: May 25, 1968
EA-18G Growler Arrival date: Expected in the summer of 2008
Crew: 2
Jamming: Contains a new-generation suite of radar-jamming and communication-suppression devices to protect air and surface assets
Armament: Both radar destruction missiles and self-defense air-to-air missiles
Power: Two engines that provide total of about 44,000 pounds of thrust
Top speed: About 1,370 mph (about 1.8 times the speed of sound)
Length: 60 feet, 2 inches
Wingspan: 44 feet, 11 inches
Height: 16 feet, 6 inches
Weight empty: 33,094 pounds
Onboard fuel: 13,940 pounds
Maximum external fuel-tank weight: 9,744 pounds
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