Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Multirole Fighter Aircraft

Efran Syah       Fighter Aircraft    Comment   

Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. (Dale Coleman)

The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet.

RAAF Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet - Day 1 Avalon 2011 Australian International Airshow. (Robert Frola)

The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is an attack aircraft as well as a fighter through selected use of external equipment and advanced networking capabilities to accomplish specific missions. 

Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet. (Alan Wilson)

This “force multiplier” capability of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet gives the operational commander more flexibility in employing tactical aircraft in a rapidly changing battle scenario. In its fighter mode, it serves as escort and fleet air defense. In its attack mode, it provides force projection, interdiction, and close and deep air support.

Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet during Australian International Airshow 10-15 March 2009. (Robert Frola)

Super Hornet is about 25% larger than its predecessor the F/A-18C/D, but contains 42% fewer structural parts.

The single-seat F/A-18/E and the two-seat F/A-18/F fly greater ranges with heavier payloads, have more powerful engines and provide greater survivability.

Boeing F:A-18F Super Hornet. (Ronnie Macdonald)

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter performs traditional missions of fighter escort and fleet air defense, interdiction, and close air support, while still retaining excellent fighter and self-defense capabilities. The F/A-18E/F was designed to replace the F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft.

Also, the Super Hornet has a secondary mission as carrier-based aerial tanking aircraft - this capability used to be provided by the now retired S-3B Viking.

Boeing F:A-18F Super Hornet, 14 July 2016. (Ronnie Macdonald)

The cockpit in the F/A-18E/F is equipped with a touch-sensitive control display and a larger multi-purpose liquid crystal colour display, which shows tactical information, two monochrome displays and a new engine fuel display.

The aircraft retains the mission software and a high proportion of the avionics found in the C/D models. The cockpit also has a colour digital map and the pilots are equipped with night-vision goggles.

The zero / zero ejection seat is the SJU-5/6 supplied by the Martin Baker Aircraft Company in the UK.

Boeing F:A-18F Super Hornet. 14 July 2016. (Ronnie Macdonald)

The Super Hornet has 11 weapon stations, which include two additional wing store stations and will support a full range of armaments including AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.

It also possesses guided air-to-ground weapons capabilities such as Harpoon, SLAM/SLAM-ER, GBU-10, GBU-51, HARM and Maverick, as well as free-fall air-to-ground bombs, Mk-76, BDU-48, Mk-82LD, Mk-82HD and Mk-84.

The aircraft can also carry the GPS / inertially guided JDAM Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), joint stand-off weapon (JSOW) and joint air-to-surface stand-off missile (JASSM).

RAAF Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet and McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet. The Super Hornet is largely a new aircraft. (Robert Frola)

The aircraft’s power is provided by two F414-GE-400 turbofan engines from General Electric. The engines are an advanced derivative of the GE F404 engines installed on the Hornet.

The air inlets have been enlarged to provide increased airflow into the engines.

Each engine provides 22,000lb thrust, with afterburn giving a maximum speed in excess of Mach 1.8.

The structural changes to the airframe on the F/E variant of the aircraft increase the internal fuel capacity by 3,600lb, a 33% higher fuel capacity than the F-18C/D variant.

This extends the mission radius by up to 40%.

U.S. Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. (Anna Zvereva)

The Super Hornet is equipped with the APG-73 radar manufactured by Raytheon. The APG-73 radar has an upgraded processor with increased speed and memory capacity in comparison to the AN/APG-65, which was installed on the earlier builds of the Hornet.

The modes of the APG-73 include air-to-ground tracking, air-to-air velocity search mode, range while search and track while scan.

Raytheon’s AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) fire control radar increases the F/A-18’s air-to-air target detection and tracking range, and provide higher resolution air-to-ground mapping at longer ranges.

The AN/APG-79 AESA entered Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) in September 2003 and began Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) in July 2006. It is fitted to block 2 aircraft and retrofitted to 135 block 1 aircraft.

Boeing F:A-18F Super Hornet. (Ronnie Macdonald)

The F/A-18E/F began its maiden operational deployment on board USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in July 2002. Super Hornet made its combat entry in November the same year, striking air defence sites in Southern Iraq with Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). The aircraft was also deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.

Boeing FA-18F Super Hornet. (Ronnie Macdonald)

Variants

• F/A-18E Super Hornet: single seat variant.
• F/A-18F Super Hornet: two-seat variant.
• NEA-18G: Two F/A-18Fs modified as prototypes of the EA-18G Growler.
• EA-18G Growler: Electronic warfare variant of the F/A-18F to replace the U.S. Navy's Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler.
• Advanced Super Hornet: Variant of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet with Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFT) and has a further reduced radar cross section (RCS), with the option of a stealthy enclosed weapons pod and built-in IRST21 sensor system.

U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets deploy heat flares during a combat patrol over Afghanistan. Trust between joint terminal attack controllers and pilots serves as an important aspect of close-air support. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)

Specifications (F/A-18E/F)

General characteristics

• Crew: F/A-18E: 1 (pilot), F/A-18F: 2 (pilot and weapon systems officer)
• Length: 60 ft 1.25 in (18.31 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft 8.5 in (13.62 m)
• Height: 16 ft 0 in (4.88 m)
• Wing area: 500 sq ft (46.5 m2)
• Empty weight: 32,081 lb (14,552 kg)
• Gross weight: 47,000 lb (21,320 kg) (equipped as fighter)
• Max takeoff weight: 66,000 lb (29,937 kg)
• Internal fuel capacity: F/A-18E: 14,700 lb (6,667 kg), F/A-18F: 13,760 lb (6,241 kg)
• External fuel capacity: Up to 4 × 480 gal tanks, totaling 13,040 lb (5,914 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofans, 13,000 lbf (58 kN) thrust each dry, 22,000 lbf (98 kN) with afterburner

Performance

• Maximum speed: 1,030 kn (1,190 mph, 1,915 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
• Maximum speed: Mach 1.6
• Range: 1,275 nmi (1,458 mi, 2,346 km) with armament of two AIM-9s
• Combat range: 390 nmi (449 mi, 722 km) for interdiction
• Ferry range: 1,800 nmi (2,070 mi, 3,330 km)
• Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m) at least
• Rate of climb: 44,882 ft/min (228 m/s)
• Wing loading: 94.0 lb/sq ft (459 kg/m2)
• Thrust/weight: 0.93

Armament

• Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A2 Vulcan, 412 rounds
• Hardpoints: 11 (2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage) with a capacity of Max payload: 17,750 lb (8,050 kg). Carrier Bringback Payload: F/A-18E: 9,900 lb (4,491 kg), F/A-18F: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg),with provisions to carry combinations of:
• Missiles:
• 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder
• 12× AIM-120 AMRAAM
• 4× AIM-7 Sparrow
• 6× AGM-65 E/F Maverick
• 4× AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER)
• 6× AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile (ARM)
• 4× AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
• AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile
• 2× AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile
• AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), in the future
• Bombs:
• JDAM (up to 10× GBU-32/35/38/54 or 4× GBU-31)
• Paveway series of laser-guided bombs
• Mk 80 series unguided bombs
• CBU-78 Gator mine system
• Mk 20 Rockeye II cluster bomb
• Mk-62/63/65 Quick Strike Naval mine
• Other:
• SUU-42A/A Flares/infrared decoy dispenser pod and chaff pod
• AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system pod
• AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR Targeting pods
• up to 4× 480 US gal (1,800 l; 400 imp gal) drop tanks and 1× A/A42R-1 Aerial Refueling Store pod for aerial refueling.
• 12× ADM-141C TALD decoys
• AWW-13 Advanced data link pod

Avionics

• Hughes APG-73 or Raytheon APG-79 Radar
• Northrop Grumman/ITT ALQ-165 self-protection jammer system or BAE Systems AN/ALE-214 integrated defensive electronic countermeasures system
• Raytheon AN/ALE-50 or BAE Systems AN/ALE-55 towed decoy
• Raytheon AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver
• MIDS LVT or MIDS JTRS datalink transceiver