Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets of NAS Lemoore CA

The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine carrier-capable multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet. The Super Hornet has an internal 20 mm M61 rotary cannon and can carry air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface weapons. Additional fuel can be carried in up to five external fuel tanks and the aircraft can be configured as an airborne tanker by adding an external air refueling system.

Designed and initially produced by McDonnell Douglas, the Super Hornet first flew in 1995. Low-rate production began in early 1997 with full-rate production starting in September 1997, after the merger of McDonnell Douglas and Boeing the previous month. The Super Hornet entered service with the United States Navy in 1999, replacing the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which was retired in 2006; the Super Hornet serves alongside the original Hornet. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which has operated the F/A-18A as its main fighter since 1984, ordered the F/A-18F in 2007 to replace its aging F-111C fleet. RAAF Super Hornets entered service in December 2010.

Role: Carrier-based multirole fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
First flight: 29 November 1995
Introduction: 1999
Status: In service
Primary users: United States Navy, Royal Australian Air Force
Produced: 1995–present
Number built: 500 as of April 2011
Program cost: Total procurement: US$48.09 billion (through FY2011)
Unit cost: US$70.5 million (2017 flyaway cost)
Developed from: McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
Variants: Boeing EA-18G Growler

General characteristics

• Crew: F/A-18E: 1 (pilot), F/A-18F: 2 (pilot and weapon systems officer)
• Length: 60 ft 1¼ in (18.31 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft 8½ in (13.62 m)
• Height: 16 ft (4.88 m)
• Wing area: 500 ft² (46.5 m²)
• Empty weight: 32,081 lb (14,552 kg)
• Loaded weight: 47,000 lb (21,320 kg) (in fighter configuration))
• Max. takeoff weight: 66,000 lb (29,937 kg)
• Internal fuel capacity: F/A-18E: 14,400 lb (6,780 kg), F/A-18F: 13,550 lb (6,354 kg)
• External fuel capacity: 5 × 480 gal tanks, totaling 16,380 lb (7,381 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofans
  • Dry thrust: 13,000 lbf (62.3 kN) each
  • Thrust with afterburner: 22,000 lbf (97.9 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1,190 mph, 1,915 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
• Range: 1,275 nmi (2,346 km) clean plus two AIM-9s
• Combat radius: 390 nmi (449 mi, 722 km) for interdiction mission
• Ferry range: 1,800 nmi (2,070 mi, 3,330 km)
• Service ceiling: 50,000+ ft (15,000+ m)
• Rate of climb: 44,882 ft/min (228 m/s)
• Wing loading: 94.0 lb/ft² (459 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.93 (1.1 with loaded weight & 50% internal fuel)
  
• Design load factor: 7.6 g

Armament

• Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A2 Vulcan nose-mounted rotary cannon, 412 rounds
• Hardpoints: 11 total: 2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage with a capacity of 17,750 lb (8,050 kg) external fuel and ordnance
• Missiles:
  
  • Air-to-air missiles:
    • 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder or 4× AIM-120 AMRAAM, and
    • 2× AIM-7 Sparrow or 2× AIM-120 AMRAAM
  • Air-to-surface missiles:
    • AGM-65 Maverick
    • AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Range (SLAM-ER)
    • AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile (ARM)
    • AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
    • AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)
  • Anti-ship missile:
    • AGM-84 Harpoon
    • Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), in the future
• Bombs:
  • JDAM precision-guided munition (PGMs)
  • Paveway series of laser-guided bombs
  • Mk 80 series of unguided iron bombs
  • CBU-78 Gator
  • CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition
  • CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
  • Mk 20 Rockeye II
• Others:
  • SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or
  • Electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod or
  • AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR Targeting pods or
  • up to 3× 330 U.S. gallon (1,200 L) Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time or
  • 1× 330 U.S. gal (1,200 L) tank and 4× 480 U.S. gal (1,800 L) tanks for aerial refueling system (ARS).

Avionics

• Hughes APG-73 or Raytheon APG-79 Radar
• Northrop Grumman/ITT AN/ALE-165 self-protection jammer pod or BAE Systems AN/ALE-214 integrated defensive electronic countermeasures system
• Raytheon AN/ALE-50 or BAE Systems AN/ALE-55 towed decoy
• Northrop Grumman AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver
• MIDS LVT or MIDS JTRS datalink transceiver