A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler scored a simulated kill on an F-22 Raptor during a 2009 Nellis exercise—and painted a Raptor kill marking on its fuselage afterward. How did a fourth-generation jamming aircraft beat the world’s premier stealth fighter? Electronic warfare and geometry are the answer.
Even the F-22 Raptor Can Be Beaten
The F-22 Raptor is widely regarded as the world’s premier air superiority fighter. Yet in 2009, during an exercise at Nellis AFB, a US Navy EA-18G Growler reportedly scored a simulated AIM-120 “kill” against an F-22. The Growler even sported a Raptor kill marking afterward—an inside-joke badge of honor. But the incident raised serious questions, such as how a fourth-generation electronic jamming aircraft could defeat a fifth-generation air superiority platform in air-to-air combat?
F-22 Raptor Nose Shot from U.S. Air Force Museum. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
F-22 Raptor @ USAF Museum 2025. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
F-22 Raptor. This will be replaced by the F-47. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
Contrasting Jets
The F-22 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter packed with cutting-edge features: thrust-vectoring nozzles, supercruise, advanced AESA radar, sensor fusion, and low observability. It was designed for first-look, first-shot, first-kill performance, optimized for beyond-visual-range (BVR) engagements.
The EA-18G, meanwhile, is an electronic warfare variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, a two-seater equipped with the AN/ALQ-218 receiver system and ALQ-99 jamming pods. The EA-18G also carries AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
The platform’s primary mission is the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) and electronic attack—it is not designed as a dogfighter. So on paper, this is an epic mismatch in favor of the F-22.
What Happened?
What reports suggest is that the EA-18G pilot maneuvered into the F-22’s “blind spots,” using geometry and awareness, and then locked on with an AIM-120 AMRAAM. This constituted a simulated BVR kill. But it’s important to remember that exercises often include constraints, like limited radar use, specific ROEs, and specific scenario objectives.
The F-22’s advantage lies in stealth, radar range, and speed. If those advantages are constrained or situationally degraded, outcomes are likely to shift. And electronic warfare factors can affect outcomes, too, as EQ can complicate radar detection, disrupt sensor pictures, and create uncertainty.
EW Complications
The EA-18’s true power lies not in agility or power but in information warfare. The ALQ-128 detects radar emissions and can geolocate and classify threats. The jamming pod can deny radar lock, create false targets, and reduce detection range.
A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler prepares to refuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 29, 2025. The Growlers are assigned to the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the CENTCOM AOR. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Gerald R. Willis)
A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler assigned to the USS Carl Vinson breaks away from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron after conducting in-air refueling May 3, 2017, over the Western Pacific Ocean. The 909th ARS is an essential component to the mid-air refueling of a multitude of aircraft ranging from fighter jets to cargo planes from different services and nations in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman John Linzmeier)
A joint test team including the Flight Test Division of the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA/EV), the French Naval Aeronautics Experimentation Center (CEPA/10S), and the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 are leading flight tests that will enable the French fighter jet Dassault Rafale to aerial refuel with naval aviation’s F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. The tanker qualification partnership paves the way for an extended reach and enhanced interoperability for allied airpower. (U.S. Navy photo by Erik Hildebrandt) Erik_Hildebrandt
In a dense electronic environment, situational awareness becomes fluid, stealth advantages can narrow, and network degradation changes engagement geometry. The EA-18G crew likely leveraged radar detection timing, emissions discipline, and team coordination.
Hardly Unique
The EA-18’s “win” was hardly an isolated incident. Fifth-generation jets have been killed before in simulated exercises. Fourth-generation jets like the Rafale, Eurofighter, and F-16 have achieved simulated wins over fifth-generation aircraft.
But a common thread in each win seems to be constrained scenarios, within-visual-range (WVR) merges, or deliberately disadvantageous setups. While headline-grabbing, these exercises do not equate to operational superiority.
Lessons Learned
Modern air warfare is not about one-on-one dogfights; it rarely comes down to a pure platform comparison. Rather, modern air warfare is about network-centric integration and electronic warfare; it’s about ISR, data links, and information sharing. So, an F-22, despite being more maneuverable, powerful, and stealthy, is not assured of victory; if an F-22 loses sensor dominance, it becomes far less invulnerable—geometry and timing become greater factors.
What the EA-18 G’s victory does not mean is that the EA-18G is superior to the F-22.
Electronic attack aircraft are not stealth fighters. The F-22’s design premise remains intact; the F-22 is still the world’s most dominant air superiority fighter. The kill makes for a good story, boosts Navy morale, and acknowledges tactical skill. But it doesn’t mean anything strategically or doctrinally.
Strategic Implications
The deeper lessons are that electronic warfare is increasingly decisive and that stealth alone is not a force field of invulnerability. Network disruption can equalize advanced platforms. For future conflicts, high-end fights will include heavy jamming, cyber interference, and sensor denial. Platforms must operate in degraded environments.
The EA-18G incident underscores why electronic attack aircraft remain essential, and why every air wing includes dedicated EW assets. The EA-18G is an accomplished EW asset—capable of enabling others and suppressing defenses.
The 2009 EA-18G “kill” remains an interesting footnote. It demonstrates skillful flying, tactical awareness, and EW effectiveness. It does not undermine fifth-generation doctrine. But it reinforces a truth. No aircraft is invincible; electronic warfare and geometry can surprise even the best aircraft.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is an attorney and journalist covering national security, technology, and politics. Previously, he was a political staffer and candidate, and a US Air Force pilot selectee. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in global journalism and international relations from NYU.
