F/A -18 E/F Super Hornet and Advanced Super Hornet, is it a contender?

I understand that Australia bought the F/A 18 E/F’s as a stop gap while waiting for the F35’s…..they are still discussing Growlers as far as I knew…..as well, I believe that the RAAF has NO Plans to “get rid” of their F/A 18’s, but will utilize them in CONJUNCTION with their F35’s, once they are recieved and active…..the Idea being that they will retain the Multi Airframe TYPE capability they had with their F 111’s and Legacy F 18’s…

The US NAVY has NO immediate replacement for the F/A 18 E, F’s or the Growlers. There seems to be NO plans to get rid of these any time soon…so what “successor” does the US Navy have on “Order” for them?…….from all the reading I did, it seems like the ONLY F 18’s going out are the Legacy F18 C, D’s….that ALL the current F/A 1b E, F Squadrons are staying as such and the US Navy is looking at adding further Squadrons of the “G” Growlers, some 22 of them….

Can you elaborate on your statements?….I may have missed something …

Concerns re the longevity given that only two countries and three forces currently utilise it.

And both those countries & all three forces already have a successor on order.

Well said Jay.
It is incredibly tiresome that any comment that even strays close to F35 territory gets attacked if it doesn’t go as far as hero worshipping the damn F35.

To your question re the F/A 18, i suspect that there is a combination of three elements in various percentages that count against it.

1) It is not perceived to be the latest, shinest toy
2) It is not perceived as the toy that will ensure US (political and physical) support if purchased
3) Concerns re the longevity given that only two countries and three forces currently utilise it.

The Growler is simply the “G” model enhanced for electronic warfare, by using the assigned “model letters, e, f and g” it was pretty clear to ANYONE what was being reffered to.

I have NO idea HOW your assuming that I said ANYTHING about cutting the F35 in favour for more F/A 18 E/F’s…..In fact ALL I wrote is as bellow…….it neither advocates more F35’s NOR more F/A 18’s E, F’s at all……ALL I SAID WAS LOOKING AT 22 More Growlers

I quoted the article directly that LOCKHEED WAS pressuring the US Navy to buy MORE F35C’s…….I am not advocating anything…….this thread isn;t even about the F35…it was about the F/A 18 varients…..

“US Navy looking for perhaps a further 22 F/A 18 G’s!…..

and ALL “UNDER PRESSURE” by Lockheed to buy more F35’s……..

Guess the Navy knows that their F/A 18’s E,F and G’s are golden and are staying put………bad news for the F35 though, I;m sure they would like to see all planes gone EXCEPT for the F35………seems like at least someone has their heads on right….

Guess the F/A 18 E, F and G’s are a good bet anyway…….. “

NO WHERE did I say that the F35s will replace all the F/A 18 E, F’s and certainly NOT the Growlers….the LEGACY F 18 C’s and D’s are going out the door

stop trying to flame what I said…….I have no idea what your issue is, but NOTHING I initially wrote NOR the article I posted the link to had anything to attack me about…

take your vendetta and please just remove your pathetic attempt to instigate an issue

absolutely incredible….trolls

1. Yes – 33 was a typo.

2. Sorry – there is no such aircraft as a “F/A-18G”!
There is only the EA-18G, the F/A-18F, or the F/A-18E.

3. Your writing clearly advocated the USN cutting the F-35C in favor of more F/A-18E/Fs, and that you believed this EA-18G buy would mean a reduction in the numbers of F-35Cs. You also claimed the USN wants to replace the F/A-18E/Fs with F-35Cs – despite this not being the plan at all (hint – the USN always planned a carrier strike force of F-35C AND F/A-18E/Fs operating together, and recently issued a request to begin development of a new fighter to replace the F/A-18E/Fs, not to buy more F-35cs to replace them).
As quoted below:

Guess the Navy knows that their F/A 18’s E,F and G’s are golden and are staying put………bad news for the F35 though, I;m sure they would like to see all planes gone EXCEPT for the F35………seems like at least someone has their heads on right….

WHY don;t you READ what I said mate………….I SAID VERY CLEARLY “US Navy looking for perhaps a further 22 F/A 18 G’s!“…….and by the way, the article CLEARLY says 22 Growlers, NOT 33

ALSO what I DID say about the F/A 18 E,F.G’s is that the Navy KNOWS they are good and are keeping them …hence “Golden”

ALSO the Article, IF YOU HAD READ IT, clearly says that the NAVY is being PRESSURED BY LOCKHEED MARTIN to buy MORE f35’s…..

IF you want to flame someone, and act a right ****, then at least do so quoting correctly and at least read the article…….

Seems like you just wanted to attack someone because they posted something that the NAVY likes, that isn;t a F35……get over it…..EVEN YOUR Article clearly says 22 Growlers…..SO HOW ABOUT YOU not DISTORT THE TRUTH and get things right.

Big Girls Blouse……..

Interesting article today in the news……..

ca.news.yahoo.com/u-navy-says-looking-possible-further-orders-boeing-025811469–finan

US Navy looking for perhaps a further 22 F/A 18 G’s!…..

and ALL “UNDER PRESSURE” by Lockheed to buy more F35’s……..

Guess the Navy knows that their F/A 18’s E,F and G’s are golden and are staying put………bad news for the F35 though, I;m sure they would like to see all planes gone EXCEPT for the F35………seems like at least someone has their heads on right….

Guess the F/A 18 E, F and G’s are a good bet anyway……..

Can we get things right, and not distort the truth?

The U.S. Navy is looking at possible additional orders of Boeing Co’s EA-18G electronic attack planes, or Growlers, as it shapes its fiscal 2016 budget request, the Navy’s top uniformed officer said Saturday.

The USN is looking for 22 EA-18Gs ONLY!
NO F/A-18Es (single-seat fighter/attack), NO F/A-18Fs (2-seat attack/fighter) – ONLY the electronic warfare EA-18G!

The EA-18G has now replaced the EA-6B Prowler (the last USN operational EA-6B squadron just returned from its last deployment).
Yes, the USMC still has 4 EA-6B squadrons, and will operate them until all F/A-18A/C/Ds and AV-6Bs are replaced with F-35Bs.

The USN deployed 4 EA-6Bs aboard its carriers in the 1980s & 90s, but increased that to 5 recently.
They currently deploy 5 EA-18Gs, and the Navy wants to have 7 aboard each carrier as it deploys.*

Since there is no EW version of the F-35, more “Growlers” would NOT drop the numbers of Lightning IIs the USN purchases.

From earlier this year:
http://news.usni.org/2014/03/26/navy-wants-growlers-fight-deadlier-high-end-air-war

The service is asking for 22 additional EA-18G Growlers in the service’s yet-to-be released unfunded requirements list to increase the size of the current EA-18G squadrons to seven aircraft apiece up from the current complement of five jets, Rear Adm. Mike Manazir, the Navy’s director of air warfare, told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

“We have determined in our campaign analysis that when you increase from five towards eight aircraft, that actually gives us a knee in the curve to reduce the time of the [air] campaign and increase the effectiveness of the electromagnetic maneuver warfare,” he said.

The unfunded request would expand from a planned force of 138 to 160.

…..

Additionally, the new pods will be able to perform airborne cyber attacks.

“NGJ will be capable of generating ‘digital payloads’ that could be used against cyber targets,” Bailey wrote.

…..

Meanwhile, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is also an extremely capable electronic attack platform — but only over a limited part of the spectrum, Manazir said.

The F-35 uses its Northrop Grumman APG-81 for its electronic attack capability and therefore is limited to jamming enemy emitters within its own frequency band.

“The EA [electronic attack] capabilities of the F-35 are designed to support its own strike package in a specific portion of the EM [electromagnetic] spectrum. The EA-18G by design has a much broader and wider application of EA capabilities,” wrote Capt. Scott Conn, who heads the strike branch under Manazir’s office, in a statement to USNI News.

“The EA-18G is utilized as a theater level asset, attacking the full spectrum of threat kill chains from communication systems, surveillance, acquisition, and fire control radars,” Conn wrote.
“The EA capabilities of the F-35 complement the EA-18G, and the synergy between the two are very effective against advanced IADs [integrated air defenses] threats.”

Manazir testified that the EA-18G would be used to support the F-35B and C in their penetrating strike role in an anti-access/area denial environment (A2/AD).

* Similarly, while the USN used to and still does deploy 4 E-2C Hawkeye AEW&C aircraft per carrier, they want to deploy 5 E-2Ds as they replace the earlier Hawkeyes.

Interesting article today in the news……..

ca.news.yahoo.com/u-navy-says-looking-possible-further-orders-boeing-025811469–finan

US Navy looking for perhaps a further 22 F/A 18 G’s!…..

and ALL “UNDER PRESSURE” by Lockheed to buy more F35’s……..

Guess the Navy knows that their F/A 18’s E,F and G’s are golden and are staying put………bad news for the F35 though, I;m sure they would like to see all planes gone EXCEPT for the F35………seems like at least someone has their heads on right….

Guess the F/A 18 E, F and G’s are a good bet anyway……..

On another board, I have contact with a former USN F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat pilot. He has repeatedly stated that his former squadron-mates who remained in the USN and transitioned to the F/A18E Super Hornet to a man state that in a fight between F-14s and F/A-18Es they’d much rather be in the Super Hornet, as it would not only be much more likely to still have all systems working throughout the fight, but that it is more maneuverable in actual A-A fighting and its radar and systems would give them a much better chance to win.

Simply put, they told him that even the F-14Ds with their new radars, computers, etc and the AIM-120/AIM-9X could not dominate – or even match evenly – against the F/A-18E with the AIM-120/AIM-9X.

The only advantages the Tomcat held were aircraft range and extreme range of their AIM-54 missiles. And the AIM-54 was, even in its newest model, simply no good against a fighter-sized/fighter-maneuverable target – it was purely an anti-bomber/anti-non-maneuvering cruise missile weapon.

As fighters against other fighters, the Super Hornet was, and is, superior to the Tomcat.

The Tomcat’s abilities have been boosted to mythical level online I have noticed.

I like the F-14 as much as the next guy, but……

EXACTLY, the RAAF utillized the Legacy F18’s along side the F111’s….and they will now use the F35’s alongside the F/A 18 SH’s, the don;t need to upgrade their SH’s yet….and are maintaining capability to cover for and compliment their f35’s….they are wisely NOT putting all their egg’s into one basket as it where.. and the F111 fiasco certainly didn;t help opinion towards the F35 delays and program issues

Well, I think you will see the Super Hornets doing more and more of a supporting role as soon as the F-35A’s come on in strength. Which, is ok as the Super Hornet performs very well in the role of Electronic Warfare and Tanker.

Odds are the Super Hornet won’t win anymore export orders pass the RAAF. Even the latter and the USN don’t seem to be very interested in an “Advanced” Super Hornet.

Seeing as you’re puzzled about why customers are lining up to buy the Advance SH (‘why no takers’), its worthwhile pointing out that the sole export order for the SH was on account of delays in the F-35 program, without it wouldn’t have gotten even that one.

Yet the US Navy is operating them as well correct?….and how long is full replacement with the F35 expected to take?…..my point, they will be around for some time….

The Super Hornet will be out of production by 2017.

Unlessfurther orders come in…it’s not a dead duck until it’ s totally done….

You heard wrongly. The RAAF’s F-35A plans were never in any real danger of being scrapped.

RUBBISH I heard AND READ from numerous sources that the Government change and the public dissaproval very nearly did cause it to fold, including from a number of people in Australia that followed the situation,

Australia has been fielding ‘multi-type’ capabilities since the legacy Hornet. And its SH fleet is almost brand new, they’re not going to be upgrading it anytime soon (let alone reengining it).

EXACTLY, the RAAF utillized the Legacy F18’s along side the F111’s….and they will now use the F35’s alongside the F/A 18 SH’s, the don;t need to upgrade their SH’s yet….and are maintaining capability to cover for and compliment their f35’s….they are wisely NOT putting all their egg’s into one basket as it where.. and the F111 fiasco certainly didn;t help opinion towards the F35 delays and program issues

Perhaps it has a point, to discuss as not everyone is a F35 fanboy.. and other aircraft exist and are flown….

Seeing as you’re puzzled about why customers are lining up to buy the Advance SH (‘why no takers’), its worthwhile pointing out that the sole export order for the SH was on account of delays in the F-35 program, without it wouldn’t have gotten even that one.

and I would assume that the Super Hornet is here for some time to come…

The Super Hornet will be out of production by 2017.

and the fact that Australia didn;t drop the F35 totally was rather a close call as I had heard…

You heard wrongly. The RAAF’s F-35A plans were never in any real danger of being scrapped.

regardless, it is in Australia’s plans to now field MULTI TYPE capabilities with Super Hornets STAYING, not like they are being sold or moth balled when the F35’s get there.

Australia has been fielding ‘multi-type’ capabilities since the legacy Hornet. And its SH fleet is almost brand new, they’re not going to be upgrading it anytime soon (let alone reengining it).

Perhaps it has a point, to discuss as not everyone is a F35 fanboy..and other aircraft exist and are flown….and I would assume that the Super Hornet is here for some time to come…and the fact that Australia didn;t drop the F35 totally was rather a close call as I had heard…regardless, it is in Australia’s plans to now field MULTI TYPE capabilities with Super Hornets STAYING, not like they are being sold or moth balled when the F35’s get there.

Curious, as it has come up in another thread as having potential, perhaps on the upper end of the Gen4.5’s?…could it be that good? If so, why no takers?…

What would be the point? Take a look at the 2013 DSCA release relating to a potential sale of 24 aircraft to Australia (12 SH + 12 Growlers). Priced at upto $3.7bn. That’s a thin cost margin against the F-35A. It was ordered by the RAAF in the first place only on account of delays in the F-35 program.

On another board, I have contact with a former USN F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat pilot. He has repeatedly stated that his former squadron-mates who remained in the USN and transitioned to the F/A18E Super Hornet to a man state that in a fight between F-14s and F/A-18Es they’d much rather be in the Super Hornet, as it would not only be much more likely to still have all systems working throughout the fight, but that it is more maneuverable in actual A-A fighting and its radar and systems would give them a much better chance to win.

Simply put, they told him that even the F-14Ds with their new radars, computers, etc and the AIM-120/AIM-9X could not dominate – or even match evenly – against the F/A-18E with the AIM-120/AIM-9X.

The only advantages the Tomcat held were aircraft range and extreme range of their AIM-54 missiles. And the AIM-54 was, even in its newest model, simply no good against a fighter-sized/fighter-maneuverable target – it was purely an anti-bomber/anti-non-maneuvering cruise missile weapon.

As fighters against other fighters, the Super Hornet was, and is, superior to the Tomcat.

The Aussies say the F-18F has all the good points of legacy Hornet but with much better battle space management in the A2A and A2G roles

as for poor acceleration I had not heard of it before and if it dose then it is down to the pilot to manage the airspeed when in the fight

I have to say if I was tasked with buying a 100 new fighters today and had no ties I would be taking a hard long look at Advanced Super Hornet

Interesting points so far, Tempest, I understand what you are saying totally…..

now, why does there seem to be so much discrepancy over the A2A capabilities, some saying not good to nil, and others saying one of the best out there, where is reality?…..

The reason I have put this up is to get some info and discussion going on IF the Advanced Super Hornet, for example, could take the F18 into contender status….

The Nations that have flown the legacy version F18 Hornet, including the CF188 version, have done very well with them, including the US Marines, Aussies etc. is the NEWER F/A 18 E/F made of the “same stuff”…sure it’s bigger, carries more ordnance, more fuel and has longer range, but how much has it sufffered in speed and manouverability due to that? I know it has done alot of A2Ground work and certainly dropped lots that goes “bang” on bad guys….but has it had A2A chances at all?….

pipe in guys…..

neither is geared for a2a,

That’s funny. F/A-18E/F is one of the world’s best equipped aircraft for air-to-air, avionics and armament wise.

F/A-18’s number one design priority is to protect the CVN. This means shooting down airplanes which are carrying huge AShMs or shooting down missiles after they are launched. A2A against other fighters is way down their list of things to do.