During the three weeks of flight testing that the F/A-18 Advanced Super Hornet prototype fighter underwent, Boeing and partner Northr...
During the three weeks of flight testing that the F/A-18 Advanced Super Hornet prototype fighter underwent, Boeing and partner Northrop Grumman demonstrated the fighter can outperform threats for decades to come with improvements that make the jet much harder for radar to detect and give it significantly more combat range.
Through 21 flights in St. Louis and Patuxent River, Maryland, which began Aug. 5, the team tested conformal fuel tanks (CFT), an enclosed weapons pod (EWP) designed and built by Boeing, and signature enhancements, each of which can be affordably retrofitted on an existing Block II F-18 Super Hornet aircraft or included on a new jet.
Northrop completed the design and assembly of the tanks in less than 10 months, ahead of schedule, due to rapid prototyping processes.The conformal fuel tanks and other new Advanced Super Hornet features allow flexibility for longer range and/or low-observable missions.
Both the F/A-18 and its electronic attack variant, the EA-18G Growler, will benefit from the conformal fuel tanks. The tanks, which are added to the upper fuselage of the aircraft, accommodate up to 3,500 pounds (1590 kg) of additional fuel.
For a typical strike mission, a Super Hornet or Growler with CFTs can increase its unrefueled combat radius by up to 130 nautical miles or increase its station time by more than 30 minutes for a total combat range of 700 nautical miles. For the EA-18G aircraft, the tanks also provide enhanced capabilities when operating from an aircraft carrier by reducing overall weight.
CFTs are an example of practical modernization of a reliable, proven airframe. The tanks can be included on new aircraft or retrofitted to the 600-plus aircraft already operating worldwide.
The improvements will ensure that the Advanced Super Hornet outpaces enemy aircraft and defenses through 2030 and beyond, especially when that enemy tries to deny access to a specific area, such as skies over international waters near its assets.
"Even though we added components to the aircraft, their stealthy, low-drag design will enhance the combat capability and survivability of the Super Hornet on an aircraft that has a combat-proven history launching and recovering from aircraft carriers,” said Mike Wallace, the Boeing F/A-18 test pilot who flew the Advanced Super Hornet configuration.
But there are questions whether the Super Hornet can support the added weight and drag of the CFTs without seriously impairing its aerodynamic performance as it is already much slowest in class.
Northrop Grumman produces about 40 percent of the work content for F/A-18 and about 50 percent for the EA-18G. The company manufactures the center/aft fuselage and vertical tails for both aircraft, as well as the airborne electronic attack subsystem for the EA-18G.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman funded the testing. The companies, along with Hornet Industry Team partners GE Aviation and Raytheon, are investing in more advanced technologies for the Advanced Super Hornet, including internal Infrared Search and Track, an enhanced engine and a next-generation cockpit.
