Summary

• The F/A-18 Super Hornet made its debut in 1995 as a larger and more advanced version of the original Hornet.
• The Super Hornet has seen action in various combat operations from OIF to OEF and has proven its worth.
• International allies like the RAAF and Kuwaiti Air Force have also purchased the Super Hornet, showing its popularity worldwide.

Though the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet multirole fighter jet had already been a well-known warbird for over two decades, it gained bona fide celebrity status in the summer of 2022 thanks to the boffo box office of the blockbuster action-adventure film "Top Gun: Maverick," the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 original which in turn had conferred celebrity status upon the Grumman F-14 Tomcat (though in fairness the Tomcat also got a wee bit of movie fame from the 1980 film "The Final Countdown").

Though perhaps not quite as over-the-top as its fictitious cinematic exploits, the real-life story of the Super Hornet is still plenty action-packed. Simple Flying now takes a look at the history of the F/A-18E/F.

Early history and specifications

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet made its maiden flight on November 29, 1995. It entered into the low-rate production phase in early 1997 and reached full-rate production in September of that same year. It was officially introduced into operational service with the US Navy in 1999 and attained initial operating capability (IOC) in 2001 (just in time for the beginning of the Global War on Terror [GWOT]).

The F/A-18E is the single-seat version of the Super Hornet, whilst the F/A-18F is the tandem seater. The E and F model Super Hornets are larger and more advanced versions of the F/A-18C and D Hornet, respectively, which in turn debuted in 1984. The original Hornets proved to be effective but limited in combat radius. Accordingly, the Navy directed the redesign of a larger F/A-18 Hornet to meet a requirement for a multirole fighter to complement -- and eventually replace -- the larger and more expensive Tomcat serving in fleet defense interceptor and air superiority roles.

The USN retired the F-14 in 2006. It still remains in service with the Iranian Air Force.

Specifications of the F/A-18E/F include:

To put those specifications in perspective, consider this from Maya Carlin of The National Interest:

"Although sharing the same designation and similar names, the Super Hornet is a meaningfully different aircraft. It is approximately 20% larger and weighs nearly 7,000 lbs more than the Legacy Hornet, with increased capability and functionality. Additional hardpoints and more powerful engines allow it to carry more ordnance and increase its range, and redesigned engine intakes make it more difficult to detect. Its powerful Mission Computers (MCs) process more data, faster."

Operational history

The Super Hornet's improvements over its predecessor were first put to the litmus test of real-world combat on November 6, 2002, when, in support of Operation Southern Watch, two F/A-18Es -- attached to the US Navy's Strike Fighter Squadron 115 (VFA-115) -- conducted a "Response Option" strike on two surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers at Al Kut, Iraq and an air defense command and control(C2) bunker at Tallil Airbase. In the process, one of the Super Hornet drivers dropped 2,000 lb (910 kg) Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) from the Super Hornet for the first time during combat.

Since then, the F/A-18E/F has proven its worth in combat operations time and time again, from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan to Operation Inherent Resolve (the air campaign against the ISIS terror group) to the current anti-Houthi campaign in Yemen, not just in USN/USMC hands but in the capable hands of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as well.

The plane has mostly been used for air-to-ground attack, but it also also proven itself in air-to-air combat: on June 18, 2017, a US Navy F/A-18E downed a Syrian Air Force Sukhoi Su-22 "Fitter" fighter-bomber. This signified the first aerial kill of a crewed aircraft by an American fighter since 1999 and the USN's first since Operation Desert Storm.

Foreign Military Sales (FMS)

Speaking of the RAAF, that makes a good segue to our next subheading discussion. Knowing a good thing when they see it, the following international allies of the United States have also purchased the Super Hornet:

• RAAF: Purchase decision announced in 2008; RAAF crews began training in the US in 2009; first in-country deliveries in 2010; Final Operational Capability (FOC) attained in December 2012.
• Kuwait Air Force: Purchase decision announced in 2018; first in-country deliveries in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is also considering the Super Hornet; competitors for the RMAF bid are the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, and Saab JAS 39 Gripen.

End of an era?

As superb a warbird as the Super Hornet is, as the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end," and though no *official* retirement date for the F/A-18E/F has been announced yet, there already are plans underway for the F/A-XX program, envisioned as a future 6th Generation air superiority fighter to replace the USN's F/A-18E/Fs and complement the F-35C Lightning II beginning in the 2030s.

However, the Navy brass doesn't seem to be in a particularly big hurry to get the ball rolling on the F/A-XX; they proposed delaying F/A-XX in their FY 2025 budget request in order to focus on near-term investments. Meanwhile, as reported by Mallory Shelbourne in USNI News this past March, the Navy issued a $1.1 billion USD contract modification to Boeing for the final 17 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets:

"'This modification procures 10 F/A-18F Lot 46 aircraft, as well as two F/A-18F and five F/A-18E Lot 47 aircraft,' the March 19 contract announcement reads... The aircraft will start delivering to the Navy at the end of 2026 and should finish by spring of 2027, according to a news release from Naval Air Systems Command."

“'The technical data package was a crucial part of this negotiation; it is necessary for naval aviation’s operational readiness and post-production sustainment,' Rear Adm. John Lemmon, the program executive officer for tactical aircraft at NAVAIR, said in a statement. 'The Super Hornet remains a predominant aircraft in the carrier air wing and will continue to provide significant combat capability into the 2040s.'”