F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

Four F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets assigned to the "Black Aces" of Strike Fighter Squadron Forty One (VFA-41) fly over the Western Pacific Ocean in a stack formation. Taken October 25th 2003

The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a fighter and attack aircraft in service with the United States Navy. It is a considerably revised development of the F/A-18 Hornet.

The early 1990s brought a number of problems for US naval aviation. The A-12 Avenger II program, intended to provide a replacement for the obsolete A-6 Intruders and A-7 Corsair IIs had run into serious problems and was cancelled. At the same time, the Gulf War revealed what was perceived to be a deficiency in the Navy's strike capability, compared to that of the Air Force. With no alternative program likely to produce results before about 2020, updating an existing design became an attractive approach. One such proposal was the "Super Hornet" (or, originally, "Hornet II"), originally put forward in the 1980s as a means to improve the performance of the early F/A-18 models then in service.

Compared with its predecessor, the Super Hornet has a 25% larger wing, allowing the aircraft to come back to an aircraft carrier with a larger load of unspent munitions. This factor had become important with the greater use of (expensive) precision, guided weapons and a growing consciousness about avoiding "collateral damage". The fuselage was also stretched to provide greater fuel capacity (and therefore range), and to provide spare bays for future avionics upgrades. A new, 35% more powerful engine, the General Electric F414 was developed to power this larger, heavier aircraft, and finally, various aerodynamic refinements were made. By the end of all this, virtually all that the Super Hornet had in common with earlier F/A-18s was the forward fuselage.

The Super Hornet first flew in November 1995 and entered service in 2002. Current versions include the F/A-18E single-seater and F/A-18F two-seater. These are replacing the older F/A-18 models in the Navy's inventory, as well as the F-14 Tomcats. A dedicated electronic countermeasures version of the F/A-18F flew in late 2003, and is now in production as the EA-18G Growler, according to Aviation Week & Space Technology. The Growler will replace the Navy's EA-6B Prowler and the Air Force's EF-111 Raven.

Specifications

• Primary Function: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft (E, F), electronic warfare aircraft (G)
• Contractor: Prime: Boeing Integrated Defense Systems; Major Subcontractor: Northrop Grumman (center section, EW hardware on G model)
• Unit Cost: US$35 million
• Propulsion: Two F414-GE-400 turbofan engines
• Thrust: 22,000 lb_f (98 kN) static thrust per engine
• Length: 60.3 ft (18.5 m)
• Height: 16 ft (4.87 m)
• Maximum Take Off Gross Weight: 66,000 pounds (29,932 kg)
• Wingspan: 44.9 ft (13.68 m)
• Ceiling: 50,000+ ft (15,000 m)
• Speed: Mach 1.8+
• Crew:
  • E models: One
  • F and G models: Two
• Armament (all except G): One M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20 mm cannon;
• External payload: (all except G) AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM, Shrike, SLAM, SLAM-ER, Walleye, Maverick missiles; Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW); Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM); various general purpose bombs, mines and rockets.
• Date Deployed: First Flight - December 1995