US Navy retires Prowler electronic attack aircraft after close to 45 years' service, the end of an Era?

I loved that airframe! I have almost 3000 hours in it. She was a beast to land on the carrier, especially at night. But she never failed me over Iraq or Afghanistan, and she brought me and my crew back to the ship every time regardless of the weather.

That Aircraft was a loud aircraft taking off from the deck. It would rattle your teeth it was so loud! Yes an end of an Era.

As others have mentioned it is the end of an era. However I don't necessarily think it was retired for quite the same reasons as have been mentioned here and on other forums. My take is based on my experience. As MMCO of a Prowler Squadron I ran into some specific issues with supportability of an aircraft well beyond it's intended service life.

The cost to keep the airframe in the air has drastically increased, and aside from cost, some components could/can not even be acquired anymore. The Marine Corps has kept the Prowler around but only because they know they now have what used to be the Navy inventory to take parts from. Low reliability in this case can be mitigated through a high number of spares (note I mean part reliability not the aircraft itself).

The mission the Prowler performs is still great, but having commonality in parts with the rest of the -18 family will make the Growler a more supportable and maintainable platform.

The Prowler will always have a special place in my heart and is still potentially my favorite aircraft. I have a squadron belt buckle from VAQ-130 that I still prefer to anything else, and my experiences there have been the basis of a lot of educated decisions I have made over the years.

Maybe I'll have to find my way to Cherry Point so I can have a chance to see them again.