Boeing
Advanced Super Hornet Demonstrates Significant Stealth, Range Improvements
During
three weeks of flight testing the Advanced Super Hornet, Boeing and
partner Northrop Grumman demonstrated that 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, Md., that began Aug. 5,
the team tested conformal fuel tanks (CFT), an enclosed weapons pod
(EWP), and signature enhancements, each of which can be affordably retrofitted
on an existing Block II Super Hornet aircraft or included on a new jet.
Conformal fuel tanks (CFT), an enclosed weapons pod (EWP), and
signature enhancements were tested on an existing Block II Super Hornet
aircraft
“We
continually insert new capabilities into today’s highly capable,
already stealthy Super Hornet, and the Advanced Super Hornet is the
next phase of this technology evolution,” said Debbie Rub, Boeing
Global Strike vice president and general manager. “Boeing and
our industry partners are investing in next-generation capabilities
so warfighters have what they need when they need it, and so the customer
can acquire it in a cost-effective manner.”
Improvements to the aircraft’s radar signature, including the
enclosed pod, resulted in a 50 percent reduction compared with the U.S.
Navy’s stealth requirement for the current Super Hornet variant.
The tests also showed that the CFTs increase the jet’s combat
radius by up to 130 nautical miles, for a total combat radius of more
than 700 nautical miles.
A
whole range of weapons may be fitted inside the enclosed weapons pod
"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.
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.
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.
Conformal fuel tanks (CFT), an enclosed weapons pod (EWP), and
signature enhancements were tested on an existing Block II Super Hornet
aircraft
A
whole range of weapons may be fitted inside the enclosed weapons pod