Mcdonnell Douglas designed the
multi-mission naval fighter from the
outset to perform several missions. Replacing several specialized navy
airplanes like the F-14 Tomcat. The A6
intruder and the A7 Corsair. About 15 years later the navy's larger
and more capable super hornet replaced
the original hornet.
The evolutionary design centers around
the super hornet's airframe, approximately a fifth larger than the
original hornet. Consequently the super hornet can carry
about a third more fuel than its
predecessor, which gives the newer
airplane greater range and endurance. The new super hornets can also refuel
themselves via buddy supply system and
although not a stealthy aircraft. Incorporates measures that reduce the
airplanes radar cross section. Super hornet block three, what can they do?.
The new super hornets will bring new
capabilities to the navy fleet with them
and ensure that for now at least, the F/A-18 will remain the mainstay of the
navy's aircraft carrier-based air power. The new block 3 super hornets conducted, shake, rattle and roll testing which
imitates the flight deck of an aircraft
carrier at sea and validates the
fighter's ability to function during
catapult assisted launch and cable
arrested landings which generate huge
amounts of force and can stress
airframes not designed for naval
operations. Improvements making block 3 the most
lethal and survivable F/A-18 in operation
include an advanced cockpit with new
aircrew configurable displays, advanced
networking, radar signature enhancements
and a 10,000 hour service life, the navy
explained.
Additionally the block 3 design provides
expeditious growth capacity and enables
ease of integration of future
technologies. Allowing the super hornet
to outpace adversaries in today's
dynamic threat environment.
According to boeing super hornet
material the block 3 standard will be
offered in both single seat e model and
the two seed f models. Though it is
unclear what mix of the two the navy
would like.
Additionally boeing promotional material
mentions that the new airframes are
compatible with conformal fuel tanks
that can carry
3,500 pounds of additional fuel and
reduce drag. However previous reporting suggests the
navy will not equip their new fighter
with the tanks.
The navy is slated to accept 78 brand
new block 3 standard super hornets, with
the manufacturer boeing delivering two
new airplanes per month until 2024. A navy capitan involved with the new
super hornet project praised both the
block 3 standard and the effort to field
the new fighter. Explaining that the
development and integration of block 3
capability, to include both hardware and
software has been a complex undertaking.
With the simultaneous efforts to
integrate these capabilities into our
new production aircraft as well as
develop the retrofit kits and technical
directives for incorporation into block
2 aircraft during service life
modification. The naval aviation
enterprise team as well as our industry
partners have performed tremendously to
bring these capabilities online safely
and efficiently.
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