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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1261.PDF
Lhnfcal description Block 2 is the basis of the electronic attack EG-18G All the ultra-modern capability of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet's Block 2 upgrade will soon be coming together GUY NORRIS / ST LOUIS CUTAWAY/TIM HALL Less than a year from now, US Navy technical evaluation pilots at China Lake, California will be turned loose on the first produc tion representative examples of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fitted out with all the elements of the long- awaited Block 2 upgrade. This milestone, which paves the way towards operational evaluation in February 2006 and planned initial operational clear ance the following September, opens the route to the most significant step change in overall capability since the original Super Hornet programme was launched in 1992. At the core of the upgrade is the highly capable Raytheon APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar which, at a stroke, allows the Super Hornet to take pole position among the most modern of 21st century fighters. The upgrade, which includes a wide array of cockpit display, computing, coun- termeasures and other system and sensor improvements, is also one of the most comprehensive ever undertaken on a US Navy aircraft and gives the F/A-18E/F not only a key role in the network-centric envi ronment, but also a sharp competitive edge for forthcoming export contests for the rest of the decade. Block 2 is also a vital stepping stone towards the US Naval Aviation Plan, which sees the Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35C as the two main elements of the future carrier air wing. By embracing the roles of all-weather precision attack, maritime strike, close air- support, air-defence suppression, air supe- OFF THE BLOCK riority, electronic attack, reconnaissance, fighter escort and tanker, the Super Hornet and F-3S will together replace earlier F/A-18A/CS, Lockheed S-3Bs and Northrop Grumman F-14A/Ds and EA-6Bs. Fitting out the Super Hornet for such flexibility involves more than simply plug ging in the new equipment, says Randy Harley, programme manager for what was to become known as engineering change proposal (ECP) 6038. Radical surgery was required on the front fuselage to encapsu late the AESA, its greater liquid-cooling requirements and five additional new mis sion systems, including a much larger 200 x 250mm (8 x lOin) tactical display in the aft cockpit. "We were after two primary things - to enhance the war fighting capa bility of the aircraft and, second, we wanted to significantly reduce the recur ring unit cost of the forward fuselage," says Harley. Boeing set goals of a 25% cut in unit costs, a 50% cut in cycle time and a 90% reduction in defects. Making these tough targets even harder to achieve were 92 13-19 JULY 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.conn
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