(Washington, D.C.) After decades of service, multiple upgrades and service life extension plans, the Navy’s classic F/A-18s may be headed to the boneyard given the meteoric rise of the Air Force and Navy Next Generation Air Dominance 6th-Generation stealth fighter aircraft
The combat tested F/A-18s have served admirably for decades and have already extended or outlived initial service life expectations, due in large measure to a series of upgrades and sustainment efforts. In fact, F/A-18s may have initially been thought of as flying as many as 6,000 mission hours, however sustainment upgrades have extended that beyond 8,000 and moved the jets toward a previously unexpected 10,000 flight hours.
U.S. Navy F/A-18 Upgrades
How was this accomplished? Navy developers years ago told The National Interest that the service and its industry partners made modifications to the center barrel section and extended the life of the Nacelles to preserve the airframe structure.
These upgrades were driven in large measure by the successful performance of the F/A-18 as well as a consistent demand for more in recent years.
Budget requests as far back as 10-years ago from the Navy regularly asked for much greater numbers of F/A-18s to fill a deficit caused by F-14 retirement and waiting for the arrival of the F-35C. The Navy’s 2017 budget request, for example, asked for 21 new Super Hornets to be added through 2021 and put 14 more Super Hornets on the “unfunded requirements” list to Congress, as part of a clear effort to “bridge a gap” until the F-35C arrived.
