NAVY * AIRCRAFT

Sea Power, Jan 2004

F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET

BRIEFING: The multimission F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter is an evolutionary upgrade of the combat-proven night-strike F/A-18C/D Hornet. The Super Hornet provides the carrier battle group with a strike fighter that has significant growth potential, more than adequate carrier-based landing weight, and range, endurance, and ordnance-carrying capabilities comparable to those of the F-14 that the Super Hornet is replacing. The F/A-18E/F, considerably more survivable than the F/A-18C/Ds currently in service, will be able to conduct unescorted strikes against highly defended targets early in a conflict.

The single-seat F/A-18E and the two-seat F/A-18F are 4.2 feet longer than earlier Hornets, have a 25 percent larger wing area, a wing span 4.7 feet longer, and carry 33 percent more internal fuel, which effectively increases mission range by 41 percent and endurance by 50 percent. The Super Hornet incorporates two additional wing stations, which allow for increased payload flexibility in the mix of air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance, and five "wet" stations that give the Super Hornet an in-flight tanker capability. The Super Hornet is able to carry the full array of "smart" weapons, including the newest joint weapons such as JDAM and JSOW. Its carrier-recovery payload is more than 9,000 pounds.

Although a 41 percent interdiction-mission range increase may be the most dramatic improvement in the Super Hornet, the ability to recover aboard a carrier with optimum reserve fuel and a load of precision-strike weapons is of equal importance. The Super Hornet also has the space, power, and cooling capability needed to accommodate valuable but installation-sensitive avionics-such as an active electronically scanned-array (AESA) radar-as they become available. While the F/A-18C/D has incorporated a modicum of low-observables technology, the Super Hornet was designed from the outset to optimize stealth and other survivability enhancements. Compared to the F-14 Tomcat, the Super Hornet's cost per flight hour is 40 percent lower and requires 75 percent less labor hours per flight hour.

Sophisticated systems such as the Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures System (IDECM), Advanced Targeting FLIR, Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), JDAM and JSOW precision strike weapons, AIM-9X missile, SHARP Reconnaissance Pod, make the F/A-I8E/F an extremely capable and lethal strike platform. Future planned upgrades include Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, JASSM missile, advanced mission computers and displays and Advanced Aft-Cockpit Crew Station, which will further increase the lethal sting of the Super Hornet.

The first Super Hornet rolled out in September 1995 and flew for the first time in November 1995, ahead of schedule and 1,000 pounds under specified weight. The Super Hornet successfully conducted its initial carrier trials in January 1997 aboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). By April 1999, the five F/A-18Es and two F/A-18Fs participating in a well-defined flight test program had flown more than 3,100 flights and 4,600 hours. The engineering-and-manufacturing development phase concluded after further sea trials aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in mid-1999 and was followed by an operational evaluation, the flying portion of which concluded in November 1999. The aircraft emerged from Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) meeting all performance requirements while on cost, on schedule, and 400 pounds under its weight objective.

Low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Super Hornet commenced in September 1997, and the first production-standard F/A-18E was delivered to the Navy in December 1998. The first Super Hornet fleet readiness squadron-VFA-122, activated at NAS Lemoore, Calif., in October 1998-received its first seven Super Hornets in November 1999 and began training pilots in june 2000. The Super Hornet reached IOC in September 2001.

VFA-115-the first operational F/A-18E Super Hornet squadron-deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on july 24,2002. During an extraordinary 10-month initial deployment, the Super Hornet saw its first combat action when, on Nov. 6, 2002, VFA-115 participated in a strike on hostile targets during Operation Enduring Freedom. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, VFA-115 Super Hornets completed precision strike, offensive and defensive counter-air, and airborne tanking missions. Aircraft reliability and capability were keenly evident throughout this highly successful first deployment, as maintainers and aircrew met and exceeded all readiness requirements. The second and third operational Super Hornet units, VFA-14 and VFA-41 (the latter being the first operational F/A-18F squadron) entered combat in Iraq in April 2003 and introduced the SHARP reconnaissance pod. VFA-102 completed transition to the F/A-18F in 2003 and is being followed by VFAs 154, 22, and 27.

The 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review reduced the projected Navy Super Hornet purchase from 1,000 to a minimum of 548 Super Hornets. A multiyear contract was awarded to the Boeing Co. in june 2000 worth $8.9 billion for 222 Super Hornets over five years. By signing a multiyear procurement, this contract will save the Navy more than $700 million and deliver a quantum leap in tactical ability. As of june 30, 2003, there were 62 E models and 77 F models in the U.S. Navy inventory. The F/A-18E will supplement and eventually replace the older F/A-18C, while the F/A-18F version will replace the F-14 in fleet service.