U.S. Navy Supercarrier Near Iran Deploys Air Defence Suppression Strike Package For Forward Exercises

The U.S. Central Command has published images and operational details showing EA-18G Growler air defence suppression aircraft from Electronic Attack Squadron 133, and F-35C fifth generation fighters from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 operating from the Nimitz class supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln while on forward deployment near Iran. The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command reports that the carrier and its air wing are conducting continuous flight operations in support of regional security objectives. The carrier and its strike group were redeployed from the Pacific to the Middle East in January, in response to rising tensions with Iran, representing a small part of a much larger military buildup which appears intended to prepare for high intensity conflict with Iranian forces. 

The F-35C and the EA-18G are considered highly complementary assets that are both heavily optimised for tacking advanced ground-based air defence networks like that deployed to defend Iranian airspace. Both aircraft integrate sizeable arrays of passive sensors that can be used to gather valuable intelligence on enemy radars, and deploy powerful electronic warfare suites to disrupt radar targeting and detection efforts. The EA-18G has a more formidable electronic warfare capability, and deploys a wide range of specialist jamming pods as its primary armament, which can provide protection to accompanying aircraft against radars in a broad range of radar frequencies, while the F-35 benefits from advanced radar evading stealth capabilities that significantly increase its own survivability. 

Iran’s long range air defence network is primarily built around the Bavar 373 air defence system, with the latest variant of the system unveiled in 2024 reportedly able to detect up to 300 targets simultaneously while tracking up to 60. it has a 300 kilometre engagement range. The system’s capabilities were reportedly a significant factor in the Iranian Defence Ministry’s decision not to procure Russian S-400 systems, which were previously under consideration. The systems’ capabilities remain highly uncertain, with the majority reportedly having been disabled on the ground by Western and Israeli backed paramilitary groups in June 2025, which used drones and Spike missiles to take out key radars, command posts, and launchers. It thus remains highly uncertain how U.S. aircraft will fair against Iranian air defences should the latter be fully functioning. Unconfirmed reports of deliveries of Chinese air defence systems to Iran in mid-late 2025 have further increased this uncertainty. 

Pairing the F-35 with the EA-18G is considered an optimal solution to countering advanced air defences, with the electronic warfare ‘shielding’ of the latter complementing the stealth features of the former. With the F-35 continuing to lack Block 4 software, however, and thus being unable to employ AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles to home in on adversary air defence systems’ radar emissions, the EA-18G will be particularly heavily relied on to launch kinetic attacks. The U.S. Navy at the end of January made a rare deployment of six EA-18Gs to a base on land, namely to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which appears intended to further strengthen its position to break down Iranian air defences.  The EA-18G fleet deployed near Iran is expected to grow considerably, with the Navy’s sole operational Gerald Ford class next generation supercarrier scheduled to redeploy to the Middle East, with its air wing lacking any F-35s due to issues integrating them with the carrier’s electromagnetic catapult system, and thus relying even more heavily on the Growler.