This November will mark the 30th anniversary of the maiden flight of the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
Reports indicate that the United States Navy could still award a contract for the F/A-XX later this year, but it still has yet to receive the last of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The current timeline calls for the sea service to receive the carrier-based aircraft in 2027, while the scheduled deliveries for Block III variants are expected to be completed in 2030.
The Super Hornet will be flying well into the 2040s, and for that reason, the aircraft is not commonly seen at museums, at least not yet. In the future, it will undoubtedly join other venerable US fighter jets, but for now, only a handful of such jets have been retired in such collections.
The Original Super Hornet
This November will mark the 30th anniversary of the maiden flight of the F/A-18 Super Hornet. That very first aircraft, designated F/A-18 E-1, is now on display at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum.
It is a fitting location, given that the test aircraft was built in “The Lou,” the first of nearly 700 of the carrier-based all-weather multirole fighters. According to Fox2now.com in St. Louis, the aircraft “departed St. Louis Lambert International Airport for its inaugural flight on Nov. 29, 1995.”
After more than three decades, Boeing will close the production lines in 2027, when the final aircraft are delivered to the US Navy. However, this year is not about looking to the end for the Super Hornet, but instead will honor its service. Over the coming months, the National Museum of Transportation “will celebrate the fighter jet’s legacy with a series of events” highlighting its key moments in aviation history.
Book signings are already planned, including McDonnell Douglas and Boeing Days that honor the F/A-18 Hornet and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, respectively, as well as pilot panels and photo-ops with those who flew in the aircraft. The celebrations will conclude on November 29, marking the 30th anniversary of that first flight.
The F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet’s Specifications
- Year Introduced: 2001
- Number Built: Approx. 630
- Length: 60 ft, 1.25 in (18.31 m)
- Height: 16 ft (4.88 m)
- Wingspan: 44 ft, 8.5 in (13.62 m)
- Weight: 32,081 lb (14,552 kg) empty; 47,000 lb (21,320 kg) normal conditions; 66,000 lb (29,937 kg) max takeoff weight
- Engines: 2 General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofans, 13,000 lbf (58 kN) thrust each dry
- Top Speed: Mach 1.8 (1,330 mph)
- Range: 1,458 mi (2,346 km)
- Service Ceiling: 52,300 ft (15,940 m)
- Loadout: 1 20mm M61A2 Vulcan rotary cannon; 11 hardpoints with total capacity 17,750 lb (8,050 kg) in armaments
- Aircrew: 1-2
About the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet
The F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, which Boeing now manufactures following its merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, has been produced in two distinct versions: the single-seat F/A-18/E and the dual-seat F/A-18/F, replacing the F/A-18C (single-seat) and F/A-18D (two-seat) aircraft as the legacy Hornet reaches the end of its service life.
The aircraft entered fleet service in 1999 as the replacement for the F-14 Tomcat.
The advanced aircraft featured a 20 percent larger airframe, which could carry upwards of 33 percent more internal fuel, increasing its mission range by 41 percent and its endurance by 50 percent over the earlier aircraft. Despite being super-sized, the F/A-18E/F has 42 percent fewer parts than its predecessor, the F/A-18C/D variants.
The twin-engine, mid-wing, and multi-mission tactical F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has served as an air superiority fighter and escort, as a reconnaissance plane, and as an aerial refueler. It has also carried out close air support (CAS), air defense suppression, and day/night precision strikes. The Super Hornet is highly adaptable via the use of different external equipment, while the fighter jet’s advanced networking capabilities have allowed it to accomplish particular missions.
The plane has been utilized as a “force multiplier,” deployed to meet the various challenges that a carrier might face. In its fighter mode, the aircraft has served as an escort and provided fleet air defenses from enemy aircraft and other threats. In its attack mode, the Hornet has provided force projection, interdiction, and close and deep air support.
The F/A-18 E/F Block II Super Hornet, which has been in service since 2001, further incorporated several capabilities-enhancing technologies over 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 final F/A-18E/F Block II production aircraft was delivered to the Service in April 2020.
The latest Block III upgrade, currently undergoing test and evaluation, will extend the platform’s service life and range, incorporating an advanced cockpit system, reduced radar cross-section, and an advanced networking infrastructure. The Boeing Company delivered two F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet test jets to the U.S. Navy in June 2020, with production to follow successful testing and a contract in place to provide 78 new-build F/A-18 Block III jets to the Service through the rest of this year.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
