It's the Super Hornet—and it promises to transform the Navy with its warfighting capabilities, weapon systems, and long-term operating and support cost savings.
The Navy stood up the first operational F/A-18E/F Super Hornet squadron—VFA- 115—in June 2001. In June 2002, the Super Hornets will make their deployment on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) to the western Pacific.
The Super Hornet has provisions to perform maritime air superiority, air combat, reconnaissance, fighter escort, air defense suppression, day and night strike, and through-the-weather attack. With two more weapon stations than earlier Hornets, the OF has more payload flexibility through the mixing and matching of air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance. If the mission is to establish air superiority, for example, the Super Hornet will be able to launch as many as 12 AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) and two Sidewinders, and fire 400 rounds of ammunition from its 20-mm cannon.
Plans call for the Super Hornet to carry a full complement of precision-guided munitions, including the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW). Loaded with as many as six air-toground precision weapons, the EIF can attack multiple targets on a single flight. Like earlier F/A-18s, the OF can be reconfigured from one mission load to another between launch cycles, which permits the aircraft to fly a variety of missions in a single day.
Two of the most visible improvements that the Super Hornet offers over the F/A-18C/D involve combat radius and time on station. The margins tend to be about onethird better for each mission. For example, an F/A-18E loaded with three 480-gallon drop tanks and four 1,000pound bombs can fly 520 nautical miles, compared to about 369 nautical miles for the Lot 19 FIA-18C carrying the same bomb load and three 330-gallon tanks and flying the same mission profile. The E/F's added range greatly improves the carrier's flexibility because it allows the carrier to remain even farther out to sea and out of enemy reach, yet still attack the same targets.
The E/F's improvement in range already has paid dividends for VFA- 122, the OF replacement squadron at NAS Lemoore (California). Unlike F/A-18C/D squadrons, the aircrews of VFA-122 do not have to mount a two-week detachment of aircrews, maintainers, parts, supplies, and support equipment to NAS Fallon (Nevada) to conduct dissimilar air-combat training. The Super Hornets have enough fuel to fly directly from Lemoore to the Fallon ranges, a distance of more than 200 miles, conduct training, then return to Lemoore after the opposing aircraft have run out of fuel and returned to Fallon.
Equally important is the E/F's ability to recover on board the carrier with 9,000 pounds of fuel, unexpended and expensive precision strike weapons, and external sensors. In contrast, the F/A-18C can recover with about 5,600 pounds of fuel, weapons, and external sensors. Being able to recover with more unexpended advanced weapons increases the air wing's potential ability to generate more sorties with the same inventory of weapons.
Although the OF is 25% larger than the CID, the Super Hornet's radar cross section is 90% less. Coupled with improved electronic countermeasures, a better radar warning receiver, an increased number of expendables, and a smaller vulnerable area, this makes the Super Hornet a more survivable aircraft than its F/A-18C/D predecessors. With the integrated defense electronic countermeasures (IDECM) systems, including a towed decoy, the OF will have the Navy's most capable airborne radio frequency countermeasures ever designed. It will be able to transmit confusing waveforms from considerable distance behind the aircraft, which will deceive enemy radars and missile guidance systems. Another of the E/F's important survivability features is its ability to operate passively as it integrates and fuses targeting information from multiple sources.
A Plug-and-Play Aircraft for the Future
With more than 5 cubic feet of usable volume, 19.6 kVA of electrical power, 9 kW of cooling air, and 15 kW liquid cooling, the Super Hornet was designed to be upgraded easily to incorporate new weapons, sensors, and other systems. Some planned major upgrades include:
Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR). This new system is on schedule to be fielded with F/A-18Es on their first deployment. Boeing is under contract with the Navy for low-rate initial production of 15 ATFLIR systems and spares. The full program is expected to produce 574 units—enough to equip all Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18A, C, D, and E squadrons with 10 systems and all F/A-18F squadrons with 12, plus sufficient spares to support maintenance requirements. The ATFLIR replaces the existing F/A- 18 electro-optic sensor suite. It combines navigation and targeting FLIR into one pod (which frees a weapon station) and includes a visible light camera. This third-generation FLIR can detect, classify, and track air-to-air and air-to-surface targets at three to five times longer range, supports autonomous delivery of laser-guided weapons and standoff weapons, and will be able to operate effectively from medium altitudes.
Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) and AIM-9X Missile. The Super Hornet will be the first U.S. Navy aircraft to employ the JHMCS and the highly agile AIM-9X air-to-air missile. When combined with the aircraft's high angle-of-attack capabilities, excellent roll performance, nose-pointing ability, and instantaneous turn capability, the JHMCS and AIM-9X will make the E/F a dominant, close-in fighter. A Boeing and Vision Systems International team is developing the JHMCS, which allows the user to track and attack targets more quickly by synchronizing the aircraft's sensors with the aircrew's head movements. Sensors point automatically where the pilot and/or weapons systems officer looks, and flight information is displayed on the inside of the helmet visor. This will have a revolutionary impact on the use of air-to-ground weapons, especially in close air support. When linked to the high off-bore sight capabilities of the AIM9X, the JHMCS allows an E/F aircrew to attack airborne targets at extreme angles from their aircraft without having to maneuver into line with the target. The Navy has been flight-testing E/F aircraft with the JHMCS since the spring.
Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS). The Super Hornet will be among the first Navy aircraft to receive the MIDS in 2002. The system will integrate U.S. and allied aircraft, ships, and ground units to provide superior situational awareness.
Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA). The AESA radar will boost dramatically the Super Hornet's capabilities in air-to-air and air-to-ground missions as well as its survivability. The AESA will be three times better than the present APG-73 radar in terms of detection and tracking ranges. It will offer a fivefold increase in reliability and a sophisticated capacity to jam enemy sensors even as other assets are being tracked. The AESA is scheduled to become operational in the E/F fleet in 2006.
The EA-18. Boeing is proposing a plan for a two-seat airborne electronic attack variant of the Super Hornet that will be equipped with the LR-700 wideband receiver (currently under development), ALQ-99 jamming pods, and an advanced crew station designed to enhance the electronic countermeasures officer's ability to perform the airborne electronic attack mission. It will perform such missions as wideband electronic support and electronic attack, selective reactive jamming, precision threat location and targeting, AESA spot jamming, and HARM suppression, and will have the ability to link with other systems for joint forces operations.
More than 350 aircrews have verified the effectiveness of the EA-18 crew vehicle interface in manned simulations. Initial electromagnetic interference testing indicates that the flight controls are hardened sufficiently to resist onboard jamming. Wind tunnel tests have shown that the EA-18 aerodynamics are similar to the E/F loaded for strike interdiction.
The EA-18 will provide Navy and battlefield commanders with operational flexibility. As a joint platform, it will be able to conduct a wide range of suppression of enemy air defense missions and be able to link with other systems in the network-centric scenarios of the future. And as a Super Hornet, the EA-18 will pack the punch to defend itself as it flies the same mission profiles as other Navy strike aircraft.
Increased Reliability and Reduced Maintenance
The Super Hornet will provide the Navy with dramatic savings in operating and support costs—especially when carrier air wings transition totally to F/A-18E/Fs and F/A- 18Cs.
Today, a typical carrier air wing is deploying with 10 F-14s, 36 F/A-18s, 5 EA-6Bs, and 6 S-3s. Operating and support costs for these aircraft range from a high of about $17,000 per flight hour for F/A-14As to a low of about $7,000 for F/A-18Cs. In 2010, the typical wing will consist of all F/A-18s—26 Super Hornets, 24 F/A-18Cs, and possibly 5 EA-18s. Operating and support costs for the E/F are estimated at less than $7,000 per flight hour.
The all-F/A-18 carrier air wing of 2010 would have annual operating and support costs of about $160 million. That's $67 million less than for the typical carrier air wing in 2000. For ten carrier air wings plus the fleet replacement squadrons, that adds up to a savings for the Navy of about $800 million annually.
In addition, Boeing and the Navy are implementing the F/A-18E/F Integrated Readiness Support Teaming (FIRST) to further improve readiness and lower support costs of the Super Hornet. Under this program, Boeing provides full logistics support for about 850 components unique to the E/F. By leveraging the strengths of the Navy, applying commercial practices whenever possible, and using streamlined procurement processes and acquisition strategies that give contractors increased flexibility, FIRST will provide an improved logistics support capability to meet the readiness goals of operational E/F squadrons.
The Navy and industry expect to keep down the Super Hornet's operating and support costs through effective supply chain management, active in-service engineering, sustained reliability improvement, integrated information systems, and the use of an integrated network of suppliers. The integrated supply chain will act as a single company, sharing design and performance information and linking information management and decision-making processes. The result will be an agile, streamlined support system designed to reduce logistics cycle time, manage parts obsolescence, and lower costs.
Fleet Experience with Super Hornets
The Navy's current timetable calls for all carrier air wings by 2012 to have 50 strike fighters—12 F/A-18Es, 14 F/A-18Fs, and 24 F/A-18Cs. By 2020, the mix will be 12 F/A-I8Es, 14 F/A-18Fs, and 24 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs). Eleven E/F squadrons are scheduled to be home-based at Lemoore and 11 others at East Coast sites yet to be determined. (Studies are under way examining Naval Air Stations Oceana, Virginia, and Meridian, Mississippi, as well as Marine Corps Air Stations Beaufort, South Carolina, and Cherry Point, North Carolina.)
VFA-122 received its first Super Hornet on 24 September 1999 when the E/F was undergoing operational evaluation. By July 2001, the squadron had flown more than 8,100 sorties, logged more than 12,600 flight hours, and trained more than 150 aviators. The squadron has about 32 Super Hornets, 11 of which are Es.
The pilots of VFA-122 fly all of the air-to-air and air-to-ground missions for which the Super Hornet was designed and have flown against F-16s, F/A-18s, F-14s, and F-Ss. Their commanding officer, Captain Scott Swift, reports that the Super Hornet does very well, especially in combat maneuvering, and that the VFA-122 aircrews have won most of their engagements—many against Top Gun instructors. The E/F's aerial combat performance has been especially noteworthy at high angles of attack, where it has much more lateral stability than the F/A-18C/D. This feature, because of improvements in the flight control system, enables aircrews to concentrate more on combat engagements.
VFA-122 pilots also have been flying tanker missions with their E/F aircraft. They have found that, in a short cycle, the Super Hornet can give away 25,000 pounds of fuel. On a normal cycle, it can give away more than 15,000 pounds and, in a full two-hour cycle, more than 12,000 pounds. Because they are able to carry weapons, Super Hornet tankers do not require an escort.
VFA-115, the first operational E/F squadron, has 11 aircraft and will have 12 by October 2001. In August, the squadron was in New Orleans for its first air-to-air detachment, where Super Hornet crews worked with F-15s. It took only 100 days for VFA-115 to become a fully operational F/A-18E squadron. Like VFA-122, pilots from VFA-115 have flown all Super Hornet air-to-air and airto-ground missions and have dropped live ordnance.
The Super Hornets have proved to be just as reliable as the FIA-18s before them. The squadrons report that only one Super Hornet has been grounded for maintenance problems for as long as 24 hours.
A Model Acquisition Program
The Super Hornet successfully completed engineering and manufacturing development in April 1999, after nearly 5,000 flight test hours. That same year, the Navy conducted a challenging operational evaluation that the program passed with flying colors. The E/F team has delivered 62 production model Super Hornets and has a multiyear contract to produce an additional 222 aircraft.
The design, testing, and development of the Super Hornet has included dozens of integrated product teams that include the Navy, industry, and academia, working together to ensure this strike fighter performs as promised. This program includes assembly of the aft fuselage by Northrop Grumman and radar by Raytheon in Southern California, the F414 engines by GE Aircraft Engines in Lynn, Massachusetts, and final assembly at Boeing in St. Louis. Delivery of the Super Hornet is the work of thousands of people at more than 2,500 companies in 46 states and several international sites.
To achieve the goals for the Super Hornet program, the E/F team has incorporated the latest advances in design and production technology. This group also has strived to improve cost performance while keeping ahead of the competition and maintaining an effective team. The aerospace industry always has been at the forefront of technology, but now it also leads the way in teamwork, product and process innovation, communications, day-to-day performance, and customer satisfaction.
From June 1992 to today, the E/F team has met or surpassed all of its major program goals and milestones. The program remains on cost and on schedule to the plan established nine years ago. The E/F has won the prestigious Collier Trophy, the top U.S. award for achievements in safety, efficiency, and performance in aerospace, the Quality Center Award from Aviation Week & Space Technology, and the Acquisition Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Defense.
Improved Affordability and Capability
The E/F team is embarked on a major cost-reduction effort to reduce the unit price of the Super Hornet from the current average flyaway cost of just under $50 million in fiscal year 1999 dollars to $40 million by fiscal year 2005 in then-year dollars. Initial cost-reduction measures have focused on production changes to the wing and forward fuselage. The team aims to cut wing assembly touch labor costs by 50%. In the forward fuselage, the team wants to cut the number of parts by 40% and reduce the number of fasteners by 25%.
To make these changes and reduce work content, the E/F team is employing three-dimensional solid models, virtual reality, and manufacturing simulations that the Boeing JSF One Team used to build successfully two concept demonstrators for the Joint Strike Fighter program. The E/F team has brought the union production workforce into the design effort and has had great support from suppliers, who have encouraged manufacturing technology improvements and are helping to lower overhead costs.
These efforts will produce not only a more affordable Super Hornet for the Navy but also an aircraft that will be more competitive in the international marketplace. During the past two years, as Super Hornets have performed at major air shows around the world, there has been growing interest in the aircraft among U.S. allies.
In June, the U.S. government granted clearance for foreign military sales of the Super Hornet, and current international customers of the F/A-18 (Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, and Kuwait) appear to be the prime candidates for a Super Hornet upgrade. International sales benefit the Navy because they could generate a savings of as much as $5 million per aircraft on the E/Fs that the Navy purchases—i.e., higher production rates mean lower unit costs.
A Complement to the JSF
No other aircraft offers the same blend of multimission capability, reliability and maintainability, affordability, and capacity for long-term, future growth as the Super Hornet. Moreover, the Super Hornet fits in well with the Navy's long-standing objective of reducing the number of aircraft types on the carrier deck. The commonality of parts, systems, mission profiles, and training among F/A--18E/Fs and F/A-18C/Ds will do much to increase the effectiveness of carrier aviation operations.
In the years before the first Joint Strike Fighters begin to deploy on board carrier decks, Super Hornets will provide the Navy with a decided tactical and operational advantage. A the same time, the Super Hornet fleet's capability continually will improve as upgrade programs usher in new systems.
The Super Hornet will be the cornerstone of the Navy's carrier aviation in the 21st century.
Mr. Finneran is vice president and general manager of Navy and Marine Corps Programs for Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems. He is responsible for the F/A-18, AV-8, T-45, multimission maritime aircraft, and V-22 programs. Vice Admiral Lockard, who retired from the Navy after 35 years of service, is vice president and general manager of Engineering for Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems.