F/A-18E Super Hornet

The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a fighter and attack aircraft in service with the United States Navy. The Super Hornet is essentially an all-new aircraft, with similar appearance to and some systems carried over from the F/A-18C/D Hornet. The fighter is colloquially referred to as the "Rhino" (for its prodigious nose). The Super Hornet was ordered from McDonnell Douglas in 1992, first flew in November 1995, made its first carrier landing in 1997 and entered service in 1999. Current versions include the F/A-18E single-seater and F/A-18F two-seater. These are replacing the older F/A-18 models in the Navy's inventory, as well as the F-14 Tomcats.

The Super Hornet maintained the "F/A-18" designation for political reasons only (to procure the development of an essentially new combat aircraft at a time when Congress was unwilling to sponsor new military systems); if the plane had been designated in proper sequence, its designation would have been "F-24A." (the "F-24" designation seems politically undesirable for some reason, it was also recommended for the operational version of the X-35, which was adopted as the F-35 Lightning II).

The early 1990s brought a number of problems for US naval aviation. The A-12 Avenger II program, intended to replace the obsolete A-6 Intruders and a-7Corsair IIs, had run into serious problems and was cancelled. The Gulf War revealed that the Navy's strike capability lagged that of the Air Force in certain respects. With no clean-sheet program likely to produce results before about 2020, updating an existing design became an attractive approach. One such proposal was the "Super Hornet" (or, originally, "Hornet II"), originally put forward in the 1980s to improve early F/A-18 models.

Compared with its predecessor, the Super Hornet has a 25 % larger wing that allows the aircraft to return to an aircraft carrier with a larger load of unspent munitions. This had become important with the greater use of more expensive, precision-guided weapons and a growing consciousness about avoiding collateral damage. The fuselage was stretched to carry more fuel and room for future avionics upgrades. An engine with 35 % more power, the General Electric F414, was developed to power this larger, heavier aircraft. The aircraft can carry five 440-US-gallon (1700-litre) external fuel tanks for long-distance ferry flights or four tanks plus an Aerial Refuelling Store (ARS), or "buddy store," which permits the Super Hornet to refuel other aircraft. Other differences include angular intakes for the engines, a smaller radar cross section (RCS), two extra wing hardpoints for payload, and other aerodynamic changes. By the end of all this, the Super Hornet shared little with earlier F/A-18's aft of the forward fuselage.

Upgraded avionics being introduced in the Super Hornet include the APG-79 AESA radar, the ASQ-228 ATFLIR (Advanced Targeting FLIR), and the ALE-50 Towed Decoy System.