Cyber missions could fuel Boeing EA-18G orders: U.S. Navy chief

The Pentagon is evaluating whether potential cyber missions could drive demand for additional EA-18G, Growlers, the top U.S. Navy officer told on Thursday.
Any decisions about additional orders of Growlers should be included in the Pentagon's budget request for fiscal 2017, since Boeing will shut the production line after all orders have been fulfilled.
Boeing said it was imperative to map out any additional orders now, given the high cost of restarting production once the line closed.
Boeing was pursuing several other foreign orders, but he did not believe they were large enough to sustain production of the jets.
Boeing's combined St. Louis production line for F/A-18E/F fighter jets and the EA-18G Growlers was slated to shut in 2017, until Congress added funding for 12 more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to the fiscal 2016 budget plan, and Boeing signed a deal to sell 28 of the jets to Kuwait.
If those orders are confirmed, the line should remain open well into 2019, Boeing has said.
reuters