Military Aircraft, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Program

Download or read book Military Aircraft, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Program written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is described by some as the latest version of the Navy's carrier-based F/A-18 fighter/attack plane, with more range/payload and better avionics and weapons than the A/B and C/D models. Other's describe the Super Hornet as an entirely new aircraft. The F/A-18E/F entered production in FY1997 to replace current F/A-18s as well as other carrier-based planes. In the early 1990s, the Navy's plans for modernizing carrier aviation included the upgraded F/A-18E/F and a projected AFX- aircraft that was later canceled. As the only current aircraft program for modernizing Navy fighter and attack capabilities, the F/A-18E/F is considered critical to the future of naval aviation. Whether this program was the most cost-effective way to modernize naval aviation has been questioned. Proposed alternatives to the F/A-18E/F have included developing a fighter/attack version of the F-14 fighter, continued use of the F/A-18C/D version, or increased procurement of the Joint Strike Fighter when it is fielded. In May 1997, the Defense Department recommended procurement of between 548 and 785 F/A-18E/Fs instead of the 1,000 aircraft projected originally. A 462- plane program (not including 90 EA-18Gs) was estimated in December 2003 to cost about $43.57 billion in current-year dollars.