Navy to add 36 EA-18G Growlers at NAS Whidbey Island

The Navy plans to increase the number of EA-18G Growlers at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state by 36 aircraft following several years of evaluating how the additional aircraft would affect the environment.

According to a record of decision published in the Federal Register today, the Navy will execute its "preferred alternative" of the environmental impact statement after "carefully weighing the strategic, operational, and environmental consequences."

This option would "enable the Navy to augment its existing Electronic Attack community at [Naval Air Station] Whidbey Island Complex with additional aircraft in order to provide Combatant Commanders with expanded electronic attack capabilities to support the national defense," the notice states.

"The implementation of Alternative 2A includes measures intended to reduce noise impacts in the community, including the mitigation measures identified in Appendix H of the Final EIS and the use of Precision Landing Mode to reduce the overall number of FCLPs compared to the number proposed in the Draft EIS," the notice continues.

The Navy in 2013 announced it would pursue an EIS, meant to analyze how operating the Growlers would affect the environment at Whidbey Island, after the service added two tactical electronic attack expeditionary squadrons to the base.

To remain in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the government must compile an EIS to evaluate how an action would influence the environment.

The Navy's plans to pursue the EIS also came after an activist group filed a federal lawsuit.