ST. LOUIS: The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) accepted its first F/A-18F Super Hornet during a roll-out ceremony at Boeing’s manufacturing facility in St. Louis July 8.
Twenty-four F/A-18F aircraft, built on a common U.S. Navy configuration, are scheduled to be delivered to the RAAF within the next three years.
The RAAF’s Super Hornet was unveiled to an audience of several hundred attendees, including representatives from the Australian government, U.S. government and industry partners responsible for building the F/A-18F aircraft.
“The unique partnership we have enjoyed with the Royal Australian Air Force for many years has enabled us to deliver this aircraft on time with the capability it requires,” said Capt. Mark Darrah, F/A-18 and EA-18G program manager.
The F/A-18F Super Hornet Block II aircraft is a multi-role strike fighter performing a variety of missions, including precision day and night strike, fighter escort, close-air support, aerial refueling and suppression of enemy air defense.
RAAF Super Hornets will also feature the APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Tracking twice as many targets as the radar it replaces, the AESA features active electronic beam steering, which allows for the nearly instantaneous repositioning of the radar beam.
“The outstanding performance of the APG-79 systems in the fleet continues to exceed expectations,” said Darrah. “Boeing and Raytheon have provided the warfighter with a cutting-edge radar that is demonstrating phenomenal performance and reliability in the fleet today. The RAAF will now enjoy that superb capability.”
The AESA radar also allots for more time for persistent target observation and information sharing before critical decisions are made. This results in increased aircraft effectiveness and aircrew survivability. The AESA provides the platforms with increased range and resolution, allows the tracking of more targets than current systems in use and features high-resolution SAR maps at long ranges.
“We are grateful for your support and proud to deliver this new, twenty-first century capability to the Royal Australian Air Force and the people of Australia. Today truly marks the beginning of a new generation of airpower for Australia,” said Bob Gower, vice president F/A-18 programs, Boeing.
Twelve of the F/A-18F aircraft on order will be wired on the production line for future upgrade as electronic attack EA-18G aircraft.
The government of Australia is the first foreign military sales customer flying the F/A-18F aircraft, procured under a U.S. Navy multi-year II contract.
“The roll-out of Australia’s first Block II Super Hornet is a very proud moment for the Royal Australian Air Force and me personally,” said Air Marshal Mark Binkskin, chief of RAAF. “I can assure you that the men and women of number one squadron are eager to get their hands on the Rhino. It is a great leap forward for Australia, and the beginning of our future air combat capability.”
The first RAAF Super Hornet is scheduled for delivery to the Navy for flight testing in the coming weeks, and the first in-country delivery is slated for spring 2010.
“The partnership between the Royal Australian Air Force, the U.S. Navy and Boeing is remarkable,” said Rear Adm. David Philman, U.S. Navy Air Warfare director. “Together, we are taking this aircraft to places in the world where mission success is essential.”
