As the backbone of the US Navy's carrier air wing, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet remains a top priority for Naval Aviation. The Navy expects the final delivery of new Super Hornets to occur in 2025, ensuring the strike fighter's capabilities remain at the nation's service for decades to come.
U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets deploy heat flares
Rear Adm. John Lemmon, Program Executive Officer, Tactical Aircraft Programs (PEO(T)), emphasized the Navy's mission to support, sustain, and advance the fleet through the acquisition and readiness of combat aircraft and systems. The F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265) directs effective sustainment and modernization programs and practices to keep the fleet flying these aircraft well into the future.
The Super Hornet will remain the numerically predominant aircraft in carrier fighter airwing through the 2030s. Service Life Modification (SLM) initiatives and capability upgrades will help the aircraft already in the fleet maintain their tactical relevance. Future SLM efforts will provide Block II aircraft with Block III capability, increasing service life to 10,000 hours, significantly enhancing lethality and survivability via onboard and shared high-fidelity sensor data, and improving aircrew tactical decision aids.
PMA-265, which falls under PEO(T), is responsible for acquiring, delivering, and sustaining the F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft, ensuring mission success for US Navy and Marine Corps aviators and international partners. Capt. Jason Denney, PMA-265 program manager, said the team is committed to supporting naval aviation, its warfighters, and foreign partners.
Lt. Sarah Huston launches an F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 86 from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) during flight operations in the Adriatic Sea, Feb. 20, 2023
Since entering fleet service in 1999 as a replacement for the F-14 Tomcat, the Super Hornet has maintained fleet air defense and close air support while increasing mission range. Its first operational cruise was aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in 2002, and it flew its first combat mission over Iraq that same year.
The sustained efforts of PMA-265 will ensure that the Super Hornet remains a vital asset to the US Navy for years to come.
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