- "Walk along the razors edge in one of these and you'll truly know what it feels like to be a Navy Pilot as you push the envelope."
- ―Captain Helene "White Dove" Buchholz, VFA-217 'Spartan' NAS Lemnos
 | |
| F/A-18F Advanced Super Hornet | |
|---|---|
| Production Information | |
| Type |
Multirole Fighter |
| Average Unit Cost |
64-68 Million Tarakian Dollars |
| Designed |
2028 |
| Manufacture |
General Dynamics Aviation Systems |
| Sub Contractors |
|
| Country of Origin |
Democratic Republic of Tarakia |
| Variants |
|
| Developed Into |
|
| In Service |
2033-Present |
| Used By |
Tarakian Navy |
| Foreign Users |
|
The General Dynamics Aviation Systems F/A-18E Advanced Super Hornet and its related twin seat F/A-18F are twin-engine carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the General Dynamics F/A-18E/F Block I/II and III Super Hornets. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants still maintain the size of the the original super hornets, while adding in new advanced components such as Conformal Fuel Tanks, newer uprated engines, enclosed weapons pod and other upgrades.
The Advanced Super Hornet first flew in 2030, with full rate production beginning in August of 2031, the Advanced Super Hornet entered service in 2033 and serves alongside the Super Hornet Block III.
The Advanced Super Hornet has found service with two PAMA Countries (Not Including Tarakia) as well as four CDC Countries. For countries operating the original Super Hornet, any components from the Adv. Super Hornet can be fitted to regular Super Hornet, most often recommended is the uprated engines and CFTs.
Operational History[]
Variants[]
Operators[]
Tarakia[]
Pacific Fleet
- VFA-21
- VFA-27
- VFA-30
- VFA-31
- VFA-32
- VFA-44
- VFA-49
- VFA-71 'White Knights'
- VFA-77 (Fleet Replacement Squadron)
- VFA-101
Atlantic Fleet
- VFA-112
- VFA-116
- VFA-121 (Fleet Replacement Squadron)
- VFA-154
- VFA-155
- VFA-177
- VFA-180
Mediterranean Squadrons
- VFA-217 'Spartan' (F/A-18E/F Adv.)
- VFA-221 'Leonidas' (F/A-18F Adv.)
- VFA-223 'Scorpions' (F/A-18E/F Adv.)
Testing and Evaluation Units
- VX-22 'Grim Reapers' (Operates F/A-18E/F Adv. as well as other aircraft)
- VX-28 'Red Devils'
- VX-29
- NSAWC (Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, operates F/A-18F Adv.)
Future Squadrons (Atlantic, Pacific or Mediterranean)
- VFA-72 'Black Knights'
- VFA-97
- VFA-118
- VFA-199
- VFA-201
- VFA-204
Australia[]
- No. 3 Squadron RAAF
- No. 75 Squadron RAAF
- No. 77 Squadron RAAF
- No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF
- Aircraft Research and Development Unit
Kuwait[]
- 9th Fighter and Attack Squadron
- 25th Fighter and Attack Squadron
Malaysia[]
- 18 Squadron
Spain[]
- Squadron 121
- Squadron 122
- Squadron 151
- Squadron 152
- Squadron 153
- Squadron 426
Switzerland[]
- Fliegerstaffel 11
- Fliegerstaffel 17
- Fliegerstaffel 18
Specifications[]
General Characteristics
- Crew: F/A-18E: 1, F/A-18F: 2
- Length: 60 Feet, 1¼ Inch (18.31 Meters)
- Wingspan: 44 Feet, 8½ Inches (13.62 Meters)
- Height: 16 Feet (4.88 Meters)
- Wing Area: 500 Feet² (46.5 Meters²)
- Empty Weight: 32,081 Pounds (14,552 Kilograms)
- Loaded Weight: 47,000 Pounds (21,230 Kilograms) In Fighter Configuration
- Maximum Takeoff Weight: 66,000 Pounds (29,937 Kilograms)
- Powerplant: 2x General Electric F414-GE-600 Turbofans
- Dry Thrust: 15,600 Pounds per foot (each) 31,200 total dry
- Thrust with Afterburner: 26,400 Pounds per foot (each) 52,800 total afterburner
- Internal Fuel Capacity: 14,400 Pounds (6,780 Kilograms)
- External Fuel Capacity: 5x 480 gal tanks totaling: 16,380 Pounds (7,381 Kilograms)
- Conformal Fuel Capacity: 3,500 Pounds (1,587 Kilograms)
Performance
- Maximum Speed: Mach 2.0
- Range: 1,500 Nautical Miles
- Combat Radius: 450 Nautical Miles
- Ferry Range: 2,000 Nautical Miles
- Service Ceiling: 50,000+ Feet (15,000+ Meters)
- Rate of Climb: 44,882 Feet per Minute (228 Meters per second)
- Wing Loading: 94 Pounds Per Foot² (459 kg/m²)
- Thrust/Weight:
- Design Load Factor: 7.6 g
Armament
- Guns: 1x M73A1 20mm nose mounted Gatling-style cannon (578 Rounds)
- Hardpoints: 11 Total: 2x wingtips, 6x under-wing, 3x under-fuselage or 1x Enclosed Weapons Pod under-fuselage, total capacity of 17,750 Pounds (8,050 Kilograms) of external fuel and ordnance
- Missiles:
- Air-to-Air Missiles
- 4x AIM-11X Sidekick or 4x AIM-188B JDRADM and
- 2x AIM-170A or 2x AIM-200 Ares NGJDRADM or
- AIM-9X Block IV Sidewinder Short-Range Infrared Air-To-Air Missile
- AIM-132 Advanced Short-Range Infrared Air-To-Air Missile
- AIM-120X Advanced Medium-Range Active Radar Homing Air-To-Air Missile
- AIM-155X Spyder Block III Advanced Medium-Range Active Radar Homing Air-To-Air Missile
- AIM-152 Phoenix II Long-Range Active Radar Homing Air-To-Air Missile
- AIM-157D Meteor Beyond Visual-Range Active Radar Homing Air-To-Air Missile
- AIM-170A Gungnir Advanced Long-Range Active Radar Homing Air-To-Air Missile
- Air-to-Surface Missiles
- AGM-84K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Munition-Extended Range)
- AGM-88E AARGM (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile)
- AGM-65L Maverick Air-To-Ground Missile
- AGM-169A Joint Common Missile
- AGM-154C Joint Standoff Weapon(JSOW)
- AGM-158B Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER)
- Anti-Ship Missiles
- AGM-84F Harpoon Advanced Anti-Ship Missile
- AGM-181F ArcLight II Advanced Anti-Ship Missile
- Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM)
- Air-to-Surface Bombs
- GBU-31(V)1/B Joint Direct Attack Munition
- GBU-31(V)3/B Joint Direct Attack Munition
- GBU-30 Smart Precise Impact Cost-Effective
- GBU-10 Paveway II Bunker Buster
- GBU-15 Paveway II Bunker Buster
- GBU-24 Paveway III Bunker Buster
- GBU-28 Paveway IV Bunker Buster
- GBU-50 Enhanced Paveway II Bunker Buster
- GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb
- GBU-52/B Small Diameter Bomb II
- GBU-141 Thumper (Thermobaric)
- GBU-142 Thumper Mark-2 (Thermobaric)
- GBU-143 Thumper Mark-3 (Thermobaric)
- GBU-144 Thumper Mark-4 (Thermobaric)
- GBU-225 Pave Knife
- Cluster Munitions
- CBU-78/B
- CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition
- CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
- CBU-100 Cluster Bomb (Mark-20 Rockeye)
- CBU-105 Precision Guided Sensor Fuzed Weapon (CBU-97 with Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser)
- CBU-107 Passive Attack Munition
- CBU-110 Anti-Runway Cluster Munition
- CBU-110/A Improved Anti-Runway Cluster Munition
- Anti-Runway Bombs
- BLU-107/D Durandle Anti-Runway Munition
- Tactical Deterrence
- B62-21 Nuclear Missile
- Others
- SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared Decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod
- Electronic Countermeasure (ECM) Pod
- AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR Targeting Pods
- Up to 3x US 330 gal (1,200 Liters) drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time
- 1x US 330 gal (1,200 Liters) and 4x 480 US Gal (1,800 Liters) tanks for Aerial Refueling System (ARS)
- 1-3x Enclosed Weapons Pod
- Air-to-Air Missiles
Avionics
- Raytheon AN/APG-88 AESA Radar
- BAE Systems AN/ALE-214 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasure System
- BAE Systems AN/ALE-55 Towed Decoy
- Northrop Grumman AN/ALR-67(V)3 Radar Warning Receiver
- Lockheed Martin AAQ-40 E/O Targeting System
- Common Avionics Architecture Structure
- Joint and Allied Threat Awareness System
- Internal Infrared Search and Tracking
- MIDS JTRS Datalink Transceiver