Two EA-18 Growlers Collide at Mountain Home Air Force Base Airshow

Two EA-18 Growler electronic warfare jets collided during an airshow performance at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Both pilots ejected before impact and were recovered safely.

The EA-18G Growler is the U.S. Navy's carrier-based electronic attack variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet. It carries specialized jamming systems and is flown by two-person crews. Mountain Home AFB is home to the 366th Fighter Wing, an Air Force unit operating F-15Es, though naval assets are periodically present for joint exercises and public demonstrations.

Airshow incidents involving high-performance military aircraft are rare but not without precedent. Display flying involves low-altitude, high-energy maneuvers with reduced margin for error. Ejection systems on modern tactical jets are designed to operate across a wide envelope, including low-altitude and low-speed scenarios, which likely contributed to both crews surviving.

No details on the cause of the collision are confirmed at this time. Military aircraft accident investigations typically fall under a formal safety board process, which can take months to produce findings. Until that process concludes, root cause — whether mechanical, procedural, or situational — remains unknown.

This is a developing story. The reporting from Idaho News covers the immediate facts: two aircraft down, both pilots out and safe. Engineering or infrastructure implications are not applicable here. For anyone tracking military aviation safety data or platform reliability trends for the EA-18G fleet, the formal accident report, once released, will be the authoritative source.

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