#F 18 super hornet cost per plane upgrade

The final F/A-18E/F Block II production aircraft was delivered to the Service in April 2020. F/A-18E/F enhancements include increased range and improved carrier suitability required for the F/A-18 to continue its key strike fighter role against the advanced threats of the 21st century.į/A-18 E/F Block II Super Hornet, in service since 2001, incorporated a number of capabilities-enhancing technologies over the course of the last 20 years, the Block II iteration has earned a reputation as the backbone of the Navy’s carrier air wing and a workhorse within the fleet. The F/A-18E and F/A-18F are designed to meet current Navy fighter escort and interdiction mission requirements, to maintain F/A-18 fleet air defense and close air support roles, as well as an increasing range of missions, including Forward Air Controller (Airborne) and Aerial Tanking, as they have proven capability to replace the S-3 as an aerial tanker. The single-seat F/A-18E and the two-seat F/A-18F are high performance, twin-engine, mid-wing, and multi-mission tactical aircraft designed to replace the F/A-18C (single-seat) and F/A-18D (two-seat) aircraft as they reach the end of their service lives and retire.

#F 18 super hornet cost per plane upgrade

The Super Hornet is the second major model upgrade since the inception of the F/A-18 aircraft program highly capable across the full mission spectrum: air superiority, fighter escort, reconnaissance, aerial refueling, close air support, air defense suppression and day/night precision strike. It will serve as the Marine Corps’ primary bridging platform to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter until its planned sundown in 2030.į/A-18E/ F Super Hornet entered fleet service in 1999, as the replacement for the F-14 Tomcat. The F/A-18 Hornet remains the workhorse of Marine Corps tactical aviation, and supports operational deployments around the globe. Hornets taking direct hits from surface-to-air missiles, recovering successfully, being repaired quickly, and flying again the next day further cemented the robustness and survivability of the aircraft. The Hornet demonstrated its capabilities and versatility early in its lifecycle during Operation Desert Storm, wherein the aircraft shot down enemy fighters and bombed enemy targets within the same mission, proving its lethal effectiveness as a strike fighter. Navy and Marine Corps Reserve squadrons, the Navy Flight Demonstration Team (Blue Angles), and various other fleet support roles. The F/A-18 A-D is employed in Marine Corps fighter attack squadrons, U.S. F/A-18 Hornet became the nation’s first all-weather fighter and attack aircraft, and was designed for traditional strike applications such as interdiction and close air support without compromising its fighter capabilities.