Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

Type (Muster)
Carrier-based multi-role combat aircraft (Trägergestütztes Mehrzweckkampfflugzeug)

Country (Land)
USA

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
Boeing (Military Aircraft and Missiles, previously McDonnell Douglas)
PO Box 516
St. Louis, Missouri 63166
USA

Phone: 001-314/234-3500
Fax: 001-314/777-1096

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 1 or 2 in the F-version

Weapons (Bewaffnung): The F-18E/F is fitted with a lightweight M61A1 20mm-cannon in the nose (400 rounds) and has 11 external stations (two on wingtips, three under each wing, two on intake sides and one under fuselage) for the whole range of US Navy weapons, including:

2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder on the wingtips
AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-120 AMRAAMs (2 on the intake stations)
AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles
AGM-84D Harpoon anti-ship missiles
AGM-84H SLAM-ER land attack missiles
GBU-32 JDAM (450 kg), GBU-31 JDAM (907 kg)
AGM-154 JSOW (450 kg)
AGM-65E Maverick
Harpoon
Walleye ER/DL and Walleye-1
GBU-12, GBU-24 and GBU-15 laser-guided bombsx
CBU-72 and CBU-59
Mk.84, Mk.82LD, Mk.82HD, Mk.63, Mk.62, Mk.65, Mk.20 and Mk.83 (450 kg) bombs
LAU 58 rocket launcher
TALD (air-launched decoy)
5 x 1820 litre (480 US gal) or 5 x 1250 litre (330 US gal) external tanks or 4 tanks and an air refueling store on the centreline

A total of 26 different weapon configurations should be cleared by the end of EMD (Engineering and Manufacturing Development)

Power plant (Antrieb): 2 x General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofans
Thrust (Schub): 97,9 kN (22000 lbs) with afterburner

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Length (Länge): 18,31 m
Height (Höhe): 4,88 m
Span (Spannweite): 13,62 m over missiles, 9,32 m with folded outer wings
Wing area (Flügelfläche): 46,45 sq m

Weights (Massen)
Empty weight (Leermasse): 13864 kg as specification limit
Internal fuel (Kraftstoff): 8060 litres
Max. external fuel (max. Kraftstoff in Zusatztanks): 7439 kg (5 x 480 gallon/1816 litres tank)
Max. external stores load (max. Außenlast): 8050 kg
Max. take-off weight (Max. Startmasse): 29937 kg
Carrier landing weight (Landemasse auf Flugzeugträger): 19460 kg
Ordnance bringback (max. Außenlast bei einer Flugzeugträgerlandung): 4082 kg

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Max. speed (max. Geschwindigkeit): over Mach 1.8
Acceleration (Beschleunigung): less than 70 sec from Mach 0.8 to 1.2 at 35000 ft (10670 m)
Approach speed (Anfluggeschwindigkeit): 263 km/h
Max. operating altitude (Dienstgipfelhöhe): over 15240 m (50000 ft)
Combat radius (Einsatzradius):
   .- 720 km hi-lo-lo-hi attack profile with two 480 gallon tanks and four 1000 lbs bombs plus two Sidewinders for self-defence
   - 855 km on interdiction mission with three 480 gal tanks
   - 1230 km hi-hi-hi profile with two AIM-9, four Mk.83 bombs, three tanks, two sensor pods
   - 800 km for fighter escort with two Sidewinders and two AMRAAMs, internal fuel only
Combat endurance (Einsatzdauer): 2 h 15 min with six AAMs and external tanks, 280 km from the carrier
Design load factor (Belastung): +7,5 g
Operating cost (Betriebskosten): less than 6000 US-Dollars/hour

Costs (Kosten)
Fly-away unit cost estimated at 43,6 million US-Dollars by US GAO in 1996.
Development contract valued at 4,88 billion US-Dollars (1992 values). Currently, total programme cost for 548 aircraft is estimated at 47,3 billion US-Dollars. Previouly, the US Navy planned a 1000 aircraft buy at a total programme cost of 79,5 billion US-Dollars.

Customers (Kunden)
US Navy had plans to procure 1000 aircraft through 2015, but this now seems unlikely. The Quadrennial Defence Review of May 1997 spoke of 548 aircraft, rising to a maximum of 785, depending on how fast the transition to the forthcoming JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) is made at around 2008 onwards.

Competitors (Konkurrenz)
Eurofighter EF2000 (Typhoon)
Dassault Rafale
Suchoi Su-30/Su-35

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
The F-18E/F is a completely new design based on the F-18C/D aerodynamic configuration. It features a much larger wing, larger wing extensions, a stretched fuselage, much more powerful engines, new, rectangular intakes and other refinements. Avionics and software are 90 per cent common with current F-18C/Ds.
An improved F-18 was first proposed in 1991 to fill in for the cancelled A-12 bomber and to replace older Navy aircraft. After much discussion, McDonnell Douglas got a 4,88 billion US-Dollar engineering and manufacturing development contract on June 1, 1992.
Critical design review was passed in June 1994, and the first aircraft rolled out on 18. September 1995. It took to the air at St. Louis on 29. November with project test pilot Fred Madenwald at the controls, and was delivered to Patuxent River (where the integrated contractor/customer tests take place) in February 1996.
A total of seven flight test aircraft were included in the development contract, and all have now joined the programme as follows:

F/A-18E1 first flew on 29. November 1995 and got to Pax River on 14. February 1996
F/A-18E2 first flew on 26. December 1995 and got to Pax River on 19. February 1996
F/A-18E3 first flew on 2. January 1997 and got to Pax River on 1. February 1997
F/A-18E4 first flew on 2. July 1996 and got to Pax River on 22. August 1996
F/A-18E5 first flew on 27. August 1996 and got to Pax River on 25. October 1996
F/A-18F1 first flew on 1. April 1996 and got to Pax River on 21. May 1996
F/A-18F2 first flew on 11. October 1996 and got to Pax River on 23. January 1997

An additional three airframes were built for static testing (starting in August 1995), shock loading assessment and fatigue testing (from January 1997).
The development programme (EMD) is scheduled to last seven and a half years to the end of 1999. Major milestones achieved during flight tests so far are:

April 12-13, 1996 - F/A-18E1 completes the first supersonic test flights for the E/F flight test program. The aircraft achieves a speed of Mach 1.1 April 12 and Mach 1.52 April 13.
May 14, 1996 - Test program surpasses 100 flight hours.
May 22, 1996 - F/A-18E2 completes the longest single flight - five hours - to date for the E/F flight test program.
June 13, 1996 - Test program surpasses 100 flights.
June 26, 1996 - Test program surpasses 200 flight hours.
Aug. 5, 1996 - F/A-18F1 performs first steam ingestion catapults at Patuxent River.
Aug. 22, 1996 - Test program surpasses 300 flight hours.
Sept. 30, 1996 - Test program surpasses 400 flight hours.
Oct. 29, 1996 - Test program surpasses 500 flight hours
January 1997 - F1 successfully completes initial sea trials aboard the USS John C. Stennis one week earlier than scheduled.
Feb. 19, 1997 - F/A-18E/Fs successfully completes the test program's first stores separation test by dropping an empty 480-gallon fuel tank from 5,000 feet.
Feb. 26, 1997 - F/A-18E/Fs makes successful first flight with three 480-gallon fuel tanks, two Mk-84 bombs, two AIM-9s and two high-speed anti-radiation missiles.
March 1997 - Weapons separation tests including single, paired, multiple and ripple configuration tests were begun. Weapons include SLAM, Harpoon, Mk-82s, and 480-gallon tanks separated from both centerline and wing stations.
April 5, 1997 - F/A-18F2 fired the first missile of the flight test program - an AIM-9 missile
May 1, 1997 - Successfully completed drop test program
August 1997 - Super Hornet begins barricade engagement testing
Aug. 29, 1997 - 1,500 flight-hour flown by F/A-18E1.
Sept. 12, 1997 - 1,000 test flight flown by Super Hornet F/A-18E4.
Sept. 30, 1997 - LRIP I contract for first F414 engines signed with General Electric. Value is 244 million US-Dollars
Nov. 20, 1997 - First operational test (OT-IIA) completed
Dec. 5, 1997 - AIM-9 wingtip and AIM-120 fuselage launches completed
Dec. 8, 1997 - 2,000 flight-hour flown by F2.
March 23, 1998 - F1 completes carrier suitability tests in Lakehurst, NJ
April 1998 - F/A-18F2 transitions to China Lake
April 15, 1998 - Boeing and NAVAIR sign the contract for 30 additional Low Rate Initial Production aircraft, bringing total orders to 62.
June 4, 1998 - First night flight of the Super Hornet, made by prototype F2 at China Lake, with LtCdr Bill Hamilton at the controls
July 1998 - F/A-18F2 completes 39 flights during the month, a new record for the Super Hornet
July 31, 1998 - First ever Super Hornet release of live ordnance, when prototype F2 delivered ten Mk.82 bombs at China Lake range.
August 1998 - OT-IIB completed at China Lake (California), with pilots and weapon system officers of VX-9. A total of 60 test flights was made.
Oct. 23, 1998 - E1 completes EMD flutter flight test program one month ahead of schedule.
Nov. 9, 1998 - Flight test program completes the 2,500th flight

Flight test so far produced good results, with the exception of a wing drop problem at high subsonic speeds which has been difficult to cure with software changes. A new, porous cover was finally fitted over the wing-fold in early 1998.
Low-rate initial production began in fiscal year 1997 with 12 aircraft, and currently 62 F-18E/Fs are authorised in three low-rate initial production batches. The first production F-18E made its maiden flight on November 9, 1998 at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis. Test pilot Dave Desmond was at the controls for the 1.3 hours mission. Delivery to the Navy is expecteed before Christmas, and by next April seven F/A-18E/Fs should be ready for the six month OPEVAL.
Production rate is to rise to 36 aircraft a year by 2000, leading to service entry in 2001. Boeing is likely to propose a multi-year procurement contract after the LRIP-phase. Whether the US Navy will get all ist aircraft remains to be seen, as the cost-effectiveness of the F-18E/F was often criticised by the General Accounting Office.

Last updated November 30, 1998

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