Navy Fighter Jet Shortage: Not Enough F/A-18 Super Hornets and F-35s

Video Above: Patriot Interceptor Missiles & F-35s Could Defend NATOs Eastern Flank Together

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

The Navy continues to struggle with a concerning strike fighter deficit due to decreased arrivals of new F-35Bs and upgraded F/A-18 Super Hornets, creating some concern that the service may be ill equipped for the possibility of great power warfare.

F-35Bs and F/A-18 Super Hornets

Certainly any major engagement against China, for instance, would require the service to project and “mass” combat air power across a wide envelope or operational area. Aerial nodes will also be in great demand when it comes to surveillance, targeting an dwell time over high-value target areas.

“The Navy and the Corps have reduced their request for F-35s and the Navy is not requesting additional F-18s,” Rep. Kay Granger, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, told senior leaders at a Navy 2023 budget hearing.

“We have a strike fighter shortfall we are hoping to close. Our goal was to close it by 2025, but now we will not close it until 2031,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday told lawmakers.

Part of the solution to this, Gilday explained, is to expedite ongoing upgrades to the existing fleet of Super Hornets, which have already gone through a number of Service Life Extension Programs to ensure the 1980s-era aircraft can fly into future years and reach as many as 10,000 flying hours.