Boeing Concludes Block II of F-18E Super Hornet Program with Final Delivery to U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy has reported that the Boeing company has delivered the last F-18E Block II Super Hornet, concluding a 15 year program to provide the service with sophisticated medium weight carrier based fighter jets. The F-18E was designed as aa heavier and more capable derivative of the Cold War era F-18C Hornet, and was intended to replace the F-14D Tomcat in frontline service. While the fighter faces several considerable performance disadvantages to the F-14, including a lower speed, poorer manoeuvrability and a significant shorter range and smaller radar, the Super Hornet was prized in the post-Cold War years for its low operational cost and low maintenance requirements - at a time when the expensive F-14 did not appear vital due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Block I Super Hornet began production in 1997 - eight years before the second block. The Block II variant of the Super Hornet benefits from a more powerful active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, enhanced cockpit displays, newer avionics and a slightly longer range.

Due to considerable delays in the F-35C next generation fighter program, which was originally intended to replace the Super Hornet in production in the late 2010s, the U.S. Navy is looking to acquire almost 100 additional Super Hornets under a Block III program. Block III fighters will benefit from faster mission computers, superior communications systems, conformal fuel tanks for a longer range and more hard points for weaponry. While the Super Hornet initially saw little interest overseas, newer variants have fared much better with planned orders from Germany, Finland and Kuwait. Unlike the U.S., which deploys the Super Hornet in its navy rather than in the air force, Super Hornets serving overseas will not serve as part of American defence clients’ naval aviation.