Overview
- Multiple outlets, citing the Wall Street Journal, report EA-18G Growlers were part of a Jan. 3 operation that enabled the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
- More than 150 U.S. aircraft participated over Venezuelan airspace during the raid on Maduro’s compound in Caracas, according to these reports.
- The Growler’s jamming suite can flood radar with false targets, disrupt tracking and communications, and employ anti-radiation missiles against active radars.
- Defense assessments from IISS and Janes note Venezuela’s reliance on older S-300 variants and legacy Chinese radars, with maintenance and training shortfalls that heighten susceptibility to jamming.
- U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed specific aircraft roles, but analysts say spectrum control created a critical window for strike and special operations forces to move with limited resistance.