Editing Grumman EA-6B Prowler (section)

===Twenty-first century===
[[File:EA-6B Prowler takes off from Eielson AFB.jpg|thumb|EA-6B takes off from [[Eielson Air Force Base|Eielson AFB]]. Note the [[gold]] tint of the canopy for protection from [[electromagnetic interference]] and prevents some EM emissions]]
In 2001, 124 Prowlers remained, divided between twelve Navy, four Marine, and four joint Navy-Air Force "Expeditionary" squadrons. A [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] (JCS) staff study recommended that the EF-111 Raven be retired to reduce the types of aircraft dedicated to the same mission, which led to an [[Office of the Secretary of Defense]] (OSD) program memorandum to establish 4 land based "expeditionary" Prowler squadrons to meet the needs of the Air Force.<ref name="2001Report">{{cite web |url= http://congressionalresearch.com/RL30639/document.php?study=Electronic+Warfare+EA-6B+Aircraft+Modernization+and+Related+Issues+for+Congress |title= Electronic Warfare: EA-6B Aircraft Modernization and Related Issues for Congress |website= congressionalresearch.com |date= 3 December 2001}}</ref> Between 2004 and 2014, the U.S. Air Force augmented Navy Prowler units with Electronic Warfare Officers from the 388th and 390th Electronic Combat Squadrons assigned to the [[366th Operations Group]] at [[Mountain Home AFB]], [[Idaho]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vaq136.com/ea6bbases/index.html |title=EA-6B Prowler Bases & Squadrons |website= vaq136.com |date= |access-date= }}</ref>

[[File:A Prowler lands aboard USS George H.W. Bush..jpg|thumb|left|An EA-6B Prowler lands on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier [[USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)]].]]

In 2007, it was reported that the Prowler had been used in counter [[improvised explosive device]] operations in the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|conflict in Afghanistan]] for several years by jamming remote detonation devices such as garage door openers or cellular telephones.<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,138857,00.html |title=Navy Takes Aim at Roadside Bombs |work=Military.com |publisher=Military Advantage |date=12 June 2007}}</ref> Two Prowler squadrons were also based in Iraq, working with the same mission.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/12/prowler.ap/index.html |title=Planes on the prowl for roadside bombs |date=13 June 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070612180932/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/12/prowler.ap/index.html |archive-date= 12 June 2007}}</ref> According to [[Chuck Pfarrer]] in his book ''SEAL Target Geronimo'', an EA-6B was also used to jam Pakistani radar and assist the 2 [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|MH-60 Black Hawk]] stealth helicopters and 2 Chinook helicopters raiding Osama Bin Laden's compound in [[Death of Osama bin Laden|Operation Neptune Spear]].<ref>{{cite news |title = SEAL Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden |last = Pfarrer |first = Chuck |publisher = Macmillan |date = 8 November 2011}}</ref>

[[File:USMC-100729-M-0381B-008.jpg|thumb|upright|USMC-100729-M-0381B-008]]
During June 2014, [[VMAQ-3]] began flying Prowler missions against [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State militants]] over Iraq. Two months later, [[Operation Inherent Resolve]] began and [[VMAQ-4]] took over. The Prowlers were the first Marine Corps aircraft in Syria, where they were involved in strike packages, air drops, and electronic warfare requirements against militants. By January 2015, the five aircraft of VMAQ-4 had flown 800 hours during 110 sorties in support of operations in both countries, including supporting [[2014 military intervention against ISIS|coalition airstrikes]] and providing EW support for [[Iraqi Army]] forces to degrade enemy systems. Marine Prowlers had not dropped munitions themselves and host nations basing them have not been revealed.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2015/01/18/as-retirement-approaches-prowlers-still-fight/21834589/ |title = Marine Prowlers fight Islamic State over Iraq, Syria |website = MarineCorpstimes.com |first = Joshua |last = Stewart |date = 18 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.c4isrnet.com/electronic-warfare/2018/04/24/socom-chief-syria-most-aggressive-ew-environment-on-earth/ |title = Why Syria may be the most aggressive electronic warfare environment on Earth |website = c4isrnet.com |first = Mark |last = Pomerleau |date = 24 April 2018}}</ref>

Though once considered being replaced by [[Common Support Aircraft]], that plan failed to materialize. In 2009, the Navy EA-6B Prowler community began transitioning to the [[Boeing EA-18G Growler|EA-18G Growler]], a [[electronic warfare]] derivative of the [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18F Super Hornet]]. All but one of the active duty Navy EA-6B squadrons were based at [[Naval Air Station Whidbey Island]]. VAQ-136 was stationed at [[Naval Air Facility Atsugi]], Japan, as part of [[Carrier Air Wing 5]], the forward deployed naval forces (FDNF) air wing that embarks aboard the Japan-based {{USS|George Washington|CVN-73|2}}. VAQ-209, the [[United States Navy Reserve|Navy Reserve]]'s sole EA-6B squadron, was stationed at [[Andrews Air Force Base|Naval Air Facility Washington]], Maryland. All Marine Corps EA-6B squadrons were located at [[Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point]], [[North Carolina]].

During 2013, the USN planned to fly the EA-6B until 2015 while the USMC expected to phase out the Prowler in March 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.newbernsj.com/news/military/marines-to-assume-ea-6b-prowler-training-1.158547 |title= Marines to assume EA-6B Prowler training |first= Sue |last= Book |newspaper= Sun Journal |location= [[New Bern, North Carolina]] |date= 13 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=EA-6B Prowler {{!}} Pacific Coast Air Museum {{!}} Navy Electronic |url=https://pacificcoastairmuseum.org/aircraft/ea-6b-prowler/ |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=Pacific Coast Air Museum |language=en-US}}</ref> The last Navy deployment was on {{USS|George H.W. Bush|CVN-77|2}} in November 2014, with VAQ-134.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://navalforce.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/ea-6b-prowlers-final-prowl/ |title=EA-6B PROWLER's FINAL PROWL |access-date=15 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916121137/http://navalforce.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/ea-6b-prowlers-final-prowl/ |archive-date=16 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/opinion/282766971.html |title=Saluting an old workhorse, the EA-6B Prowler &#124; Our Viewpoint |newspaper=Whidbey News-Times |date=14 November 2014}}</ref> The USN's last operational flight took place on 27 May 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://news.usni.org/2015/05/28/navys-ea-6b-prowler-takes-last-active-duty-flight-before-sunset-ceremony |title = Navy’s EA-6B Prowler Takes Last Active Duty Flight Before Sunset Ceremony |website = News.USNI.org |first = Megan |last = Eckstein |date = 28 May 2015}}</ref> NAS Whidbey held a retirement commemoration for the EA-6B from 25 to 27 June 2015 of the EA-6B<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=87942 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150724143721/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=87942 |url-status = dead |archive-date = 24 July 2015 |title = Prowler Retires Following 45 Years of Naval Service: story NNS150630-18 |first = John |last = Hetherington |website = navy.mil |date = 30 June 2015}}</ref> culminating on the last day with the Navy's last operational EA-6B Prowler, bureau number 163890, taking off from NAS Whidbey Island.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 June 2015 |title=Northrop Grumman, US Navy Celebrate Legacy of EA-6B Prowler, Future of Their Electronic Attack Partnership |url=https://investor.northropgrumman.com/news-releases/news-release-details/northrop-grumman-us-navy-celebrate-legacy-ea-6b-prowler-future |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=investor.northropgrumman.com}}</ref>

In April 2016, a squadron of EA-6B Prowlers from Marine Corps Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 (VMAQ-4), based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, was deployed to [[Incirlik Air Base]], Turkey for operations over Syria. U.S. European Command confirmed that the deployment was expected to last through September 2016. The [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]] suggested that the Prowlers may be used to prevent Russian and Syrian air defense systems from tracking U.S. and coalition aircraft.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2016/04/14/marine-prowlers-deploy-turkey-fight-against-isis/83033150/ |title=Marine Prowlers deploy to Turkey for fight against ISIS |date=14 April 2016 |newspaper=Marine Corps Times}}</ref>

During November 2018, Prowlers of [[VMAQ-2]] completed their last operational deployment to [[Al Udeid Air Base]], [[Qatar]]. The squadron, being the last equipped with the EA-6B, was disbanded on 8 March 2019, after which its remaining pair of Prowlers were reallocated to museums.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Burgess |first=Rick |title=Prowler bows out |magazine=[[Air International]] |date=April 2019 |volume=96 |issue=4 |page=6 |issn=0306-5634}}</ref>

The Marine Corps' four members of VAMQ-2 flew the last EA-6B on its final flight on 14 March 2019 from their station at [[Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point|Cherry Point]], North Carolina, to the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian |last2=Maksel |first2=Rebecca |title=The Prowler Retires After 48 Years of Electronic Warfare—And No Combat Losses |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/prowlers-last-prowl-180972608/ |access-date=7 July 2024 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref>