Boeing shows off new Super Hornet display

Boeing is showing off some of the advanced features it is\nproposing for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Some of these include conformal fuel\ntanks, an external weapons pod to reduce the jet's radar cross-section, better\nengines, and a new missile warning system among other improvements.

Inside the cockpit (both cockpits in the case of the\nF-model) is a new single-screen color LCD display. But what is truly impressive\nis a new 3D situational awareness display mode--it overlays various threats and\ndisplays them in an easy to understand graphic. Terrain can be overlaid on the\ndisplay along with color-coded contours.

What's more, airborne enemy threats are displayed as color-coded\naircraft-shaped icons appropriate to their type. The same goes for the\nengagement radius of surface-to-air missile systems and the like. Apparently,\naccording to the Boeing engineer who was showing me the setup, the jet already\ncollects that data, it's just that there is no way to display it in the current\nBlock II cockpit.

Here are a few images I took of the cockpit the company was\nshowing off at the Navy League's Sea Air Space Exposition. Forgive the poor quality;\nI was using a Blackberry camera...

 Sorry the flash caused some problems...

Anyways, the demonstrator actually runs the real\nflight-model for the F/A-18E/F according to the Boeing software engineer, who\nworks on the system. But it doesn't model the new engines or other proposed\nmods and, of course, the avionics and weapons are dumbed down for public\ndisplay.

Nonetheless, when I flew the demonstrator, the aircraft\nhandled remarkably well (at least compared to anything I have flown).\nIncidentally, using that 3D situational awareness display, I shot down three\nFlankers with AMRAAMs effortlessly, but of course, they weren't shooting back.\nI then killed the last one with the gun, again, a piece of cake...  but alas, it was dumbed down since he\nwasn't shooting back.

But I did land on the carrier with no help whatsoever or\neven having the dude talk me down on my first (and only try). I wonder if it\nwas dumbed down, even if my engineer acquaintance insists that it's not. The\nBoeing demo pilots practice on it, he says. Still seems too easy...