How Effective is the Upgraed F/A-18 Super Hornet? Best 4th-gen in the world

By Maya Carlin

Introducing the F/A-18 Super Hornet: Last year, Northrop Grumman announced that its LITENING advanced targeting pod (ATP) successfully completed initial test flights aboard the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter. 

In a press release, the American technology company said that pilots conducted maneuvers and operations simulating combat missions to test the ATP’s digital video, autonomous target tracking and laser sensor capabilities.

The integration of the LITENING pods to the Navy’s Hornet fleet marks the latest modification to the twin-engine multi-role fighter aircraft that has been in service with the branch since the late 1990s.

History of the Super Hornet

The first variant of the F-18 Super Hornet was developed by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (now Boeing) in 1979. While the F/A-18A Hornet evolved into one of the Navy’s mainstay fighters, the branch initially rejected the jet’s original prototype.

The YF-17 prototype emerged from the Lightweight Fighter program in 1972, when Congress directed the Air Force to explore less expensive alternatives to the Air Force F-15 and Navy F-14. The Air Force chose General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman to construct two prototypes of their YF-16 and YF-17 designs. Ultimately, General Dynamics’ YF-16 won the evaluation, but the Navy nevertheless declared the F-17 variant would be its new lightweight fighter.

Video Above: Air Dominance and Air Force Innovation