with other already scheduled items such
as radar enhancements, improvements
to the aircraft’s defensive suite, and
the infra-red search and track pod, will
help ensure the Super Hornet remains a
credible element of the carrier air wing
for decades to come.
‘The Super Hornet is an extremely
versatile aircraft, in both the air-to-
air and air-to-surface roles’, enthuses
Holdiman. ‘The great thing about
the ‘Rhino’ is it has been continually
upgraded over the years. It allows
the acquisition world to provide the
fleet with the latest software versions,
weapons, and capabilities’. Commenting
on the lead time and progress throughrigorous operational testing before it
hits the front line, he adds, ‘It’s better to
receive a good product later, compared
to a bad product sooner, so it does take
some time.
‘[In 2018], we will have our first fleet
F-35Cs here at Lemoore, and long-term
we will see a mix of F-35Cs and Super
Hornets on our aircraft carriers. The
F-35C will bring even more capability to
our strike groups.’Acknowledgements: The author wishes to
thank Lydia Bock and Marc Calero of NAS
Lemoore public affairs, CDR Brett ‘Ivana’
Holdiman and LT Chase ‘Chode’ Strickland.The current fleet software standard for
the Super Hornet is H12, which added
an impressive 35 new capabilities,
including a complete redesign of the
way information is displayed to aircrew.
With a planned service life extension
plan (SLEP) that will extend the Super
Hornet’s service life from 6,000 to 9,000
hours, even the oldest jets look like
being around for many years to come.
Moreover, the navy’s decision to start
inserting Block III upgrades should
initially see the addition of conformal
fuel tanks (CFTs), large-area cockpit
displays, and a powerful new computer
processor and new digital network on
some jets. These capabilities, combinedAbove left to right:
Early evening light
catches a VFA-14
‘Tophatters’
F/A-18E as
it climbs out
from Lemoore.
Ted Carlson/
Fotodynamics
VFA-151
‘Vigilantes’
is assigned
to CVW- 9
alongside VFA-97
‘Warhawks’,
VFA- 14
‘Tophatters’
and VFA-41
‘Black Aces’.
Ted Carlson/
Fotodynamicshttp://www.combataircraft.net // March 2018 29
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