The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington is set to receive a significant exhibit for its collection, a Grumman EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft.
Press Release:
The last active duty flight of this Navy electronic warfare Grumman EA-6B Prowler jet (seen above) will be to The Museum of Flight on May 27th, where it will be officially decommissioned and taken into the Museum’s permanent collection. Immediately after the plane’s 12:15 p.m. arrival, there will be a brief ceremony with Museum officials and Cmdr. Christopher C. Jason, the commanding officer of the plane’s squadron, Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 134, located at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
“The Prowler will be the first electronic warfare aircraft in the Museum’s collection,” said Curator Dan Hagedorn, “it is the missing piece that fills our story of modern military aviation. Prowlers have been used since the Vietnam War, and their capability to suppress enemy air defenses is still formidable. This plane will not only compliment our older military jets on exhibit, but speak for the current state-of-the-art as well.”
On Saturday, May 30 at 2 p.m., there will be a public program in the Museum about the Prowler.
After 45 years in service, the Navy is in the process of retiring all of its Grumman Prowlers and replacing them with new Boeing EA-18G Growlers. The last Navy Prowler flight will be next month at VAQ-134 on Whidbey Island. [Editors Note: The last official EA-6B Prowler flight will occur at NAS Whidbey Island’s Open House on June 27th. Click HERE or HERE for details.]
Grumman EA-6B Prowler Program on Saturday, May 30th
On May 30th, at 2 pm, in celebration of the Museum’s EA-6B Prowler arrival, there will be a public program with Navy officials and the Museum’s Curator, Dan Hagedorn. The program will look at the Prowler and its history with both the Navy at large, and with the Puget Sound region in particular. The program will be in the Allen Theater, and is free with admission to the Museum. The aircraft will be on free display in the Museum’s parking lot all day.
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Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
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Sad to see the Navy retiring the very last of their EA-6B Prowlers. At least the Marines will still be flying the Prowler out of MCAS Cherry Point, NC for about the next 3 to 4 years or so.