U.S. Navy to Discard 136 F-18 Fighters Amid Modernisation Efforts, F-35C to Serve as Replacement

The U.S. Navy has made a decision to discard 136 F-18 carrier based fighters by 2020. The light fighters currently form the mainstay of the service's aerial warfare capabilities, and serve in a complementary role alongside the service's heavier F-18E Super Hornets. The F-18 fighters first entered service in 1983 as complementary light platforms to the Navy's F-14 Tomcat heavy fighters, replacing the ageing A-4 carrier based attack platforms. They perform an equivalent role for the Navy as the Air Force's F-16, both being fourth generation light platforms. The F-18 traces its origins back both to the original procurement for the F-16, as well as the earlier F-5 from which it incorporates several design features. The fighters are set to be replaced by F-35C stealth fighters onboard the the U.S. Navy's supercarriers, with the fifth generation platform expected to begin entry into service in 2018.

The decision to 'strike' the F-18 fighters came after the Navy determined that the planes would consume too much money in repair to make it worth returning them to operational status - particularly in light of their imminent replacement. According to U.S. Navy spokesperson Lt. Lauren Chatmas: "Fleet, CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) and NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command) determined that 136 aircraft could be authorized for strike because their effective life was consumed and would require significant repair." Fighters are to be scrapped. According to Chatmas the decision to scrap a significant portion of the fleet was "based upon readiness risk of existing F/A-18 A-D inventory, long term operational costs versus gain in capability and the potential to improve USMC (U.S. Marine Corps) readiness by transferring best of breed of aircraft to the USMC." Ultimately the U.S. military plans to retire most of its fourth generation 'legacy' fleet, and platforms such as the F-18 and Harrier Jet  which have direct fifth generation analogoues capable of fulfilling the same roles are set to be the first to be phased out of service.