两架美国电子战飞机碰撞坠落，损失有多大？为何在空中互相卡住？

On the 17th, two U.S. Navy fighter jets collided in mid-air and crashed, with four crew members ejecting to safety. At the time, the "Gunfighter Skies Airshow" was being held at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, aimed at commemorating aviation history and showcasing modern military capabilities. However, the crash of the two EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft has drawn significant attention from global media.

Why did the two aircraft get stuck in mid-air?

Video footage shows that the two electronic warfare aircraft made contact in the air, becoming entangled and unable to separate, even momentarily hovering in mid-air, a scene that is quite rare. Military enthusiasts commented, "The footage looks bizarre, almost like it was generated by AI." What exactly caused this? Xiao Ning, deputy editor of "Weapons" magazine, analyzed: the flight altitude was insufficient, preventing the two aircraft from executing evasive maneuvers.

Xiao Ning: After the collision, the engines of both aircraft likely experienced failures, and their flight attitudes were completely altered. The wings, vertical stabilizers, and horizontal stabilizers could no longer provide normal aerodynamic lift and control torque, making it impossible to maintain flight. Additionally, the aircraft were already in a low-altitude, low-speed state, lacking the height and speed necessary for evasive actions. The engine thrust could not sustain level flight or climb, and the aircraft entered a near-static, unstable state, appearing to hover while actually beginning to descend and enter a crash state. Even if the pilots pushed the throttle to the maximum and turned the controls fully, they could not change the situation. This brief "hovering" was merely an illusion; to execute evasive maneuvers, a height of two to three thousand meters would be required. The pilots could have used training maneuvers like a tailspin to recover, but the altitude during this incident was too low, completely lacking the conditions for recovery.

Xiao Ning believes that the Growler pilots from the VAQ-129 Electronic Attack Squadron based in Whidbey Island, Washington, should not have been assigned to perform such a risky, close-formation flying demonstration.

Xiao Ning: The EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft is large, being a two-seat model. The upgraded F/A-18E/F has a larger wingspan and overall body compared to the earlier F/A-18A/B models, which affects maneuverability and response speed. If there is a mistake in control or coordination, it is easy to have a mid-air collision. From this exercise, it is evident that there were hidden dangers in the performance coordination. Firstly, the two pilots did not fully understand the performance actions and stunt choreography. Secondly, the VAQ-129 squadron also has operational tasks to fulfill, and switching from combat missions to demonstration stunts can expose issues if there is no long-term, practiced muscle memory training, especially under the high demands and intense pressure of a public demonstration.

△ U.S. military EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft

What is the extent of the loss for the U.S. military due to the EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft crash?

It is estimated that the crash of these two Growler electronic warfare aircraft resulted in over $200 million in direct economic losses for the U.S. Navy. Why is this aircraft so valuable? Military expert Fu Qianshao explains that its high cost is primarily due to its "electronic" capabilities.

Fu Qianshao: This electronic warfare aircraft is currently the only advanced tactical carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft in the U.S. military. It is generally used to provide escort for air assault formations, undertaking "door-kicking" missions, entering enemy territory densely populated with radar or air defense weapon systems to implement both soft and hard kill strategies. Soft kill involves launching strong electromagnetic interference waves, while hard kill involves firing anti-radiation missiles to attack enemy radar or communication systems. Its unit price is relatively high, as it typically requires several electronic countermeasure pods, making it significantly more expensive than the F/A-18E/F. Since the EA-18G is deployed on aircraft carriers, the U.S. currently has only a few dozen of them. The current quantity is already insufficient, and with two aircraft lost, the damage is considerable.

They are already expensive, and their numbers are limited; they are indispensable in combat. Looking back, they are basically out of production, and losing one means one less available. This incident has put the U.S. military in a particularly awkward position. Fortunately, at the moment the two aircraft began to descend, four parachutes deployed. Why did four pilots eject from the two aircraft?

Fu Qianshao: The value of these pilots is quite high. One is responsible for flying the aircraft, while the other primarily handles the electronic warfare equipment and electronic systems. Previously, tactical electronic warfare aircraft like the EA-6B had four crew members, but now with the EA-18G, there are only two, which increases the workload significantly.