Contributor - UK

David Donald

Boeing has delivered the first production Block III F/A-18 Super Hornet to the U.S. Navy. The aircraft, an F/A-18F two-seater, was flown on September 27 from the factory at Lambert Field in St. Louis, Missouri, to the Navy’s main aircraft test center at Patuxent River, Maryland. It will undergo tests with VX-23 before being allocated to a front-line squadron. The first of two Block III aircraft intended for initial tests <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2020-06-06/boeing-flies-block-iii-super-hornet">made its maiden flight</a> on June 4, 2020, and both&nbsp;aircraft have been at Patuxent River since.

 


“The fleet needs capabilities to keep its edge,” said Captain Jason “Stuf” Denney, U.S. Navy F/A-18 and EA-18G program manager. “Getting the first operational Block III in our hands is a great step forward in supporting our capability and readiness goals.”

 


The Navy has 78 new-build Block IIIs on order as part of a March 2019 multi-year contract, comprising 61 F/A-18E single-seaters and 17 F/A-18Fs. Key features of the Block III are a 10,000-hour airframe, wide-area cockpit display, radar signature reductions, and improved networking capability. It features an open mission systems architecture that will allow it to be more easily upgraded as new capabilities and threats emerge, using an app-based approach to technology insertion.&nbsp;

 


“The hardware upgrades are complete,” said Jen Tebo, Boeing’s v-p&nbsp;for the F/A-18 and EA-18 programs. “Today we are maximizing the open hardware and software and developing the apps to keep Block III ahead of future threats. We are giving Navy pilots the tools to make the fastest and most informed decisions possible now and in the future.”

 


In addition to the new-build aircraft, Boeing is also upgrading existing Block II Super Hornets to a similar standard as part of its <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2018-03-05/boeing-modernize-navy-super-hornets">Service Life Modernization (SLM)</a> program. Two lines in St. Louis and San Antonio, Texas, are involved in SLM work, which not only includes installing Block III systems but also in extending service life from 6,000 to 10,000 hours.

 


In other Boeing defense news, on September 28 the company announced the receipt of an order for five P-8 Poseidons for Germany to replace the navy’s P-3C Orion maritime patrollers. The acquisition had been <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2021-06-26/germany-signs-funding-fcas-and-poseidon">approved by the German parliament</a> in June.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Boeing Hands Over First Block III Super Hornet

The next major iteration of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has moved a step closer to operational fielding with the delivery of the first production aircraft.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Hanneke Weitering

Honda's secretive eVTOL program picks up steam

FAA Greenlights Honda eVTOL Flight Tests

Curt Epstein

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Some models are seeing high demand, others not so much

Broker: Preowned Cessna Citation Market Remains Mixed

Charles Alcock

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

French start-up's new headquarters is located at Rochefort Airport

VoltAero Opens Assembly Facility for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Austrian start-up says it can produce "the Model T Ford of the sky"

FlyNow Aims For Price Breakthrough With eCopter eVTOL Aircraft

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Airframer is on its way to meeting its delivery forecast following a record Q3

Embraer Executive Jets Sees Record YTD Deliveries

Kerry Lynch

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

More In Aircraft

FAA Greenlights Honda eVTOL Flight Tests

Honda's secretive eVTOL program picks up steam

Broker: Preowned Cessna Citation Market Remains Mixed

Some models are seeing high demand, others not so much

VoltAero Opens Assembly Facility for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft

French start-up's new headquarters is located at Rochefort Airport

FlyNow Aims For Price Breakthrough With eCopter eVTOL Aircraft

Austrian start-up says it can produce "the Model T Ford of the sky"

Embraer Executive Jets Sees Record YTD Deliveries

Airframer is on its way to meeting its delivery forecast following a record Q3

NASA X-59 Engine Run Clearing Path to First Flight

First flight has pushed into 2025

AINsight: Due Diligence in Back-to-back Aircraft Transactions

More scrutiny is needed by buyers in back-to-back aircraft deals

Surprise North America Gain Boosts Bizav Flying in October

All regions outside of Europe saw increases in flight activity during the month

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN