Boeing F/A-18 Advanced Super Hornet

United States (2015)

Boeing is offering its Advanced Super Hornet as an interim solution pending the full-operational status arrival of the Lockheed F-35 Lightning II system.

Detailing the development and operational history of the Boeing F/A-18 Advanced Super Hornet Carrier-Based Strike Fighter Aircraft Prototype. Entry last updated on 6/21/2018. Authored by Staff Writer. Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com

Seeking to fill the void now presented by the expected delay of the F-35 Lightning II strike fighting into United States naval service, Boeing has taken to a private venture to produce a "stealthified" version of its excellent carrier-based F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet" series under the project designation of "Advanced Super Hornet". The type will feature modular components retrofitted to the existing Super Hornet airframe in an attempt to lower its radar signature and overall profile while being a budget conscious solution to current USN needs. Key to the changes will be implementation of an enclosed weapons pod under the fuselage, use of Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs) and an all new "skin" coating along surfaces. On the whole, the airframe will remain largely the same and compatible with all current hardware and software systems in use. As such, it is expected that the Advanced Super Hornet will received some serious attention from the United States Navy and Super Hornet operators from around the world.

Considering that the USMC is expected to achieve operational levels with their F-35s not until 2015 with the USAF following in 2016, the USN - and its more complex requirements and arrangements - is pushing for full operational capability as far into the future as 2018 - leaving a noticeable gap between now and then. As it stands, the F/A-18 series is an experienced and proven flight system and simply modifying the type for modern service would seem a tempting choice for the USN while awaiting their more technology-laden airplane.

Boeing expects the revised Super Hornet to begin flight testing in the middle (or late) of 2013. The United States Navy is actively backing the Boeing initiative through its operations department (OPNAV) and has leased a USN Super Hornet production model to Boeing for the work. Initial flight evaluations with the conversion kits in place will take place at Boeing's St. Louis facility in Missouri and then, later, at the USN's Patuxent River NAS in Maryland. The test program is designed as a data-gathering effort to evaluate the feasibility of a "stealth" Super Hornet which would also extend the service life of this stalwart aircraft considerably (it is already expected to serve up until 2040). The base Super Hornet does field some inherent stealth capabilities though its external weapons loadout compromise further efforts - hence the development of a weapons pod to contain munitions until fired. The weapons pod will lay under the center fuselage and house up to four missiles (or similar stores). The conformal fuel tanks will not only retard the airframe's low already signature but also increase the base Super Hornet's combat radius from the standard 390 nautical miles to approximately 510 nautical miles. The cockpits will be slightly reworked to include increased-area touchscreen displays and projected engines will be uprated General Electric F414 turbofans.

The edits to the Super Hornet through the Advanced Super Hornet initiative may also be in contention for modifying the existing fleet of EA-18G Growler carrier-based Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA).

Currently, only two nations operate Super Hornets - the United States and Australia. The aircraft is under consideration with Canada, Bulgaria, Greece, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

Picture of the Boeing F/A-18 Advanced Super Hornet Carrier-Based Strike Fighter Aircraft Prototype

Any available statistics for the Boeing F/A-18 Advanced Super Hornet Carrier-Based Strike Fighter Aircraft Prototype are showcased in the areas immediately below. Categories include basic specifications covering country-of-origin, operational status, manufacture(s) and total quantitative production. Other qualities showcased are related to structural values (namely dimensions), installed power and standard day performance figures, installed or proposed armament and mission equipment (if any), global users (from A-to-Z) and series model variants (if any).

Cockpit picture from the Boeing F/A-18 Advanced Super Hornet Carrier-Based Strike Fighter Aircraft Prototype

Boeing F/A-18 Advanced Super Hornet Cockpit Picture

General Assessment (BETA)

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Rating: 84 (of 100)
The rating is an internal assessment derived from forty factors pertaining to this entry.

Relative Maximum Speed Rating

Hi: 1200mph

Lo: 600mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (1,193mph).

Graph average of 900 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Graph showcases the Boeing F/A-18E/F Advanced Super Hornet's operational range (on internal fuel) when compared to distances between major cities.

Aviation Era

Useful in showcasing the era cross-over of particular aircraft/aerospace designs.

Unit Production Comparison

Comm. Market HI*: 44,000 units

Military Market HI**: 36,183 units

* Commercial Market High belongs to Cessna 172.

** Military Market High belongs to Ilyushin Il-2.

Altitude Visualization

Compare this entry against other aircraft using our Comparison Tool

Supported Mission Types:

Anti-Ship

Airborne Early Warning

VIP Travel

Origin: United States

Year: 2015

Type: Carrier-Based Strike Fighter Aircraft Prototype

Manufacturer(s): Boeing Company - USA

Production: 1

Status: In-Development

Global Operators:
United States (possible)

Historical Commitments / Honors:

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur

* Ribbons not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns/operations.

Structural - Crew, Dimensions, and Weights:
Unless otherwise noted the presented statistics below pertain to the Boeing F/A-18E/F Advanced Super Hornet model. Common measurements, and their respective conversions, are shown when possible.

Operational
CREW

Personnel
1 or 2

Dimension
LENGTH

Feet
60.07 ft

Meters
18.31 m

Dimension
WIDTH

Feet
44.69 ft

Meters
13.62 m

Dimension
HEIGHT

Feet
16.01 ft

Meters
4.88 m

Weight
EMPTY

Pounds
32,077 lb

Kilograms
14,550 kg

Weight
LOADED

Pounds
66,139 lb

Kilograms
30,000 kg

Installed Power - Standard Day Performance:
2 x General Electric F414 turbofan engines developing up to 17,000lb of thrust each.

Performance
SPEED

Miles-per-Hour
1,193 mph

Kilometers-per-Hour
1,920 kph

Knots
1,037 kts

Performance
RANGE

Miles
587 mi

Kilometers
945 km

Nautical Miles
510 nm

Performance
CEILING

Feet
49,213 ft

Meters
15,000 m

Miles
9.32 mi

Performance
CLIMB RATE

Feet-per-Minute
45,000 ft/min

Meters-per-Minute
13,716 m/min

Supported Weapon Systems:

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of a short-range air-to-air missile

Graphical image of a medium-range air-to-air missile

Graphical image of an aircraft Gatling-style rotating gun

Graphical image of an aircraft air-to-surface missile

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

Graphical image of an aircraft guided bomb munition

Armament - Hardpoints (11):

STANDARD:
1 x 20mm M61 Vulcan Gatling gun

OPTIONAL:
Underfuselage centerline weapons pod housing 2 x AIM-120 AMRAAM medium range air-to-air missiles and 2 x AGM-154 Joint Standoff glide bombs, drop bombs, guided bombs or similar arrangement. Pod can be removed and all original eleven hardpoints can be used for up to 17,750lb of external ordnance.

Variants: Series Model Variants
• F/A-18 "Super Hornet" - Base Series Designation; two-seat strike platform; based on the single-seat F/A-18 Hornet carrier-based strike fighter.
• F/A-18E "Super Hornet" - Single-seat variant
• F/A-18F "Super Hornet" - Twin-Seat Variant
• F/A-18E/F "Advanced Super Hornet" - Project Designation for modified stealthy F/A-18E/F model; centerline weapons pod; conformal fuel tanks; revised cockpit intrumentation; conformal infrared Search-and-Track sensor equipment; retains all of the existing F/A-18E/F combat capabilities.