F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters will soon be a thing of the past

The American manufacturer Boeing has failed to find new customers interested in the F/A-18 Super Hornet, so production capacity will be freed up for other aircraft.

Here's What We Know

The latest order for the F/A-18 Super Hornet was placed by the US Navy on 19 March this year, with a $1.3 billion purchase price for 17 units. The fighters will be ready for service no later than spring 2027, and after that, the production of the model will be fully completed. It is worth noting that the recent batch of aircraft is an additional one, as the F/A-18 was supposed to be completed in 2025.

According to Boeing's Mark Sears, the inability to find new customers for the F/A-18 Super Hornet has forced production facilities to refocus on other aircraft models. The gradual phasing out of the F/A-18 will be accompanied by a transition to the production of other fighters, including the F-15EX, T-7A trainers and the MQ-25 Stingray tanker UAV.

However, no one will completely abandon the F/A-18 Super Hornet. Quite the contrary, this fighter remains a key deck aircraft and will be actively used for a long time to come.

Flashback

The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a multi-role fighter designed for all types of combat. It is powered by General Electric F414 engines, which provide high speed and manoeuvrability, and can carry AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and bombs and missiles for ground targets. The F/A-18 was first introduced in 1999 and remains a key aircraft of the US and allied navies to this day.

Source: Breaking Defence