pod. Boeing delivered the rst upgraded F/A-
18C+ models in 2016.
Early this year, the US Navy had a eet
of 36 F/A-18As, 14 F/A-18Bs, 219 F/A-18Cs
and 35 F/A-18Ds and 287 F/A-18Es and 259
F/A-18Fs. The Marine Corps had 53 F/A-
18As, seven F/A-18Bs, 129 F/A-18Cs and 92
F/A-18Ds.
The last F/A-18C ight was carried out
by VFA-113 at NAS Lemoore, California,
in February 2016, and all the Paci c Fleet
squadrons have since transitioned to the Super
Hornet, leaving Hornets with four Atlantic Fleet,
three test, two Naval Reserve units as well as
the US Naval Air Test Pilot School, Naval Air
Warfare Development Center and the US Navy
Flight Demonstration Squadron ‘Blue Angels’.
Under current plans, legacy Hornets will
continue in service with operational and
reserve squadrons until 2027 and 2034
respectively. The navy’s latest Programme
of Record calls for 662 Super Hornets,
comprising 344 F/A-18Es and 318 F/A-18Fs,
and the ghters will likely remain in service
until 2040 or later.
The 2017 Defense Authorization Act
provided for the purchase of 26 Super Hornets,
and for FY2018 the USN requested 14 aircraft.
As part of a plan to increase the size and
capability of its strike ghter eet, the USN
intends to acquire at least 80 additional F/A-
18E/Fs over the next ve years at a cost of
$7.1bn, and believes that replacing its remaining
F/A-18C/Ds will save about $290m by not
upgrading and maintaining the legacy ghters.
Opting to retain their legacy Hornets until
replaced by F-35B/C Joint Strike Fighters,
the Marines did not acquire Super Hornets.
As noted in the 2017 Marine Aviation Plan,
its jets will remain in service with the active
duty squadrons until FY2030 and with the
reserves until FY2031, and the former will be
consolidated at MCAS Miramar, California, in
2027.
Continued upgrades will provide the
Hornet with an Advanced Capabilities Mission
Computer (ACMC) plus new displays – and
weapons including AIM-120D and AIM-9X
Block II missiles, the Joint Direct Attack
Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER), 2.75in
(70mm) laser-guided advanced precision kill
weapon system (APKWS) rockets and theGBU-53 Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II).
The USN’s Super Hornet modernisation
plan is taking an incremental approach to
incorporate new technologies and capabilities,
which include Digital Communication
System Radios, MIDS-JTRS (Joint Tactical
Radio System), upgraded ATFLIR, Accurate
Navigation (ANAV), integrated infrared search
and track (IRST) and radar upgrades.
Future plans envisage integrating the
AIM-120D, upgrading the AIM-9X missiles and
improving the cockpit and displays. Several
of the upgrades – which will combine to make
the Super Hornet a ‘smart node’ in the navy’s
Integrated Fire Control Counter-Air (NIFC-CA)
network – were featured in Boeing’s proposed
Advanced Super Hornet and later Block III
upgrade.
According to the manufacturer, Block III is
“a balanced approach to survivability, including
electronic warfare and self-protection”, which it
says it could begin delivering in late 2020.
Fielding of an IRST sensor rst tested in
2014 will begin in 2017: considered to be an
interim solution, the AN/ASG-34 will enable
the ghter to detect aerial targets passively at
long ranges.
Installed in the front of an FPU-13 fuel
tank assembly and carried on the centreline
station, it will offer an alternative re control
system in a high-electronic attack/radar-denied
environment. Boeing received an $89m
contract to integrate a Block II IRST system
with the F/A-18E/F in May this year.
The USN’s FY2018 budget requestrevealed plans for investing $265m over ve
years to upgrade the Super Hornet eet to the
Block III con guration, beginning in 2019.
The work will integrate advanced network
architecture, cockpit displays – including a
large area 10 x 19in (25.4 x 48.3cm) display- a more powerful Distributed Targeting
Processing Network (DTPN) computer and a
Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT)
data link. The latter will see the Super Hornet,
EA-18G Growler and E-2D Hawkeye sharing
data over a common network in combat.
In addition, conformal fuel tanks (CFTs)
will replace the ghter’s external tanks. First
offered as part of Boeing’s Advanced Super
Hornet, the CFTs – which will hold 3,500 US
gal (13,249 lit) – will extend range by between
110 and 120nm (185 and 222km), reduce drag
and allow for additional stores to be carried
under the wings.
The ghter’s RCS will meanwhile be
further reduced by the inclusion of “advanced
signature enhancements”. Overall, Block III
will see the Super Hornet complement the
F-35C rather than replacing it as suggested by
President Trump earlier this year.
Elected officials recently voiced concerns
over the ability of Naval Reserve’s F/A-18A+
aircraft to meet operational requirements,
recommending that the USN consider
replacing the aircraft. Although the legacy
Hornets are scheduled to remain in service
for at least another decade, continued
procurement of Super Hornets could
potentially hasten their retirement.
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 47A two-seat Block II F/A-18F assigned to VFA-213 ‘Black Lions’, prepares to make an arrested
landing aboard the USS George H W Bush in the Persian Gulf. US Navy/MC3 Christopher GainesA dual-control F/A-18D assigned to VFA-106 ‘Gladiators’ makes an arrested landing aboard
the carrier USS Harry S Truman. This squadron is responsible for all US Navy legacy Hornet
training. US Navy/PHOM2 Aldon L TaylorAn F/A-18E assigned to VFA-195 in formation with a pair of F-4EJ Kais from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s
302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron during a dissimilar air combat training mission. US Navy/CDR Ryan Jackson42-47_hornetDC.mfDC.mfDC.mfDC.indd 47 04/08/2017 14:45