Boeing and the US Navy have received US Department of Defense approval to offer the EA-18G Growler to Finland. Previously, only Australia had been authorised to purchase this airborne electronic attack (AEA) aircraft.

Boeing (www.boeing.com) and the US Navy have offered the Growler and F/A-18 Super Hornet in response to a query issued by the Finnish Ministry of Defence as part of their HX fighter programme procurement.

Dan Gillian, Boeing vice-president (F/A-18 and EA-18G programmes), said: “All strike fighter aircraft rely on Growler escort to increase their survivability during high-threat missions.

"The combination of the Super Hornet Block III and Growler would give Finland superior technological capability particularly suited to its HX mission requirements.

"An F/A-18 variant, the Growler is the world’s most advanced AEA platform — and the only one in production today.

"It is capable of disrupting, deceiving or denying a broad range of military electronic systems, including radar and communication systems.”