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LEMOORE NAVAL AIR STATION (CALIFORNIA): The race for a $10 billion Indian order for 126 fighters just got hotter with the US Navy enthusiastically batting for the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, saying it was best suited for an Indian Air Force (IAF) requirement for a multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA). Such was the spirit with which UN Navy pilots put the jet through its paces at this sprawling air base in central California that it left no doubt it was making a strong pitch for the fighter that it assisted Boeing in developing. "The F/A-18 has delivered on all that it...

A Naval facility in San Diego, Calif., has wrongly assembled the part that supplies electricity to fighter jets being used by the U.S. Navy and sold to ally-countries since 2001 - and possibly since as early as 1981. But government officials found no urgency to recall the planes. Meanwhile, a government mechanic who exposed the maintenance problem - a complaint substantiated by investigations from both the Navy last year and by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in April of this year - was retaliated against by his supervisors, according to a whistleblower complaint. Richard Conrad, the mechanic, reported to...

NEW DELHI: The race for an Indian Air Force (IAF) order for 126 combat jets just got hotter, with US aerospace major Boeing offering to jointly produce the frontline F-18 Super Hornet in India if it wins the contract. "In the F-18, we have arguably the most advanced fighter in the world. If we win the contract, we offer the opportunity of entering into a joint production arrangement with an Indian defence contractor," Said Chris Chadwik, Boeing Vice President and General Manager, Global Strike Systems. "Clearly, there is very strong competition but we believe we are positioned very strongly," he...

Photo 1. An F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the "Diamondbacks" of Strike Fighter Squadron One Zero Two (VFA-102), Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), 5 November 2006, Pacific Ocean. Image ID: 061105-N-8591H-389 Photographer Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jarod Hodge, United States Navy Linkshttp://www.Navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/061105-N-8591H-389.jpg (big image) http://www.Navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=40674 (original source) http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20061112.htm (above image from this site's fine F/A-18 photo gallery) Photo 2. An F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron One Zero Two (VFA-102), Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), 11 September 2006, East China Sea. Image ID:...

Boeing aims to beat Indian arms limits By Arie Egozi in Tel Aviv Boeing is evaluating the possibility of offering its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to India equipped with Israeli-made avionics in an effort to bypass the US government’s opposition to the export of some US-produced systems to the country. India is expected to consider the Super Hornet design for a new air force requirement for 126 new lightweight fighters, a request for proposals (RFP) for which is expected to be released later this year. The invitation for Israeli companies to participate in the project is also being based on the...

FA-18 Fighter Jets Collide Near King City Written for the web by C. Johnson, Internet News Producer E-mail Story Print Story One pilot has been found dead and another was injured following the collision of two Navy jets on training maneuvers about 150 miles south of San Francisco. According to a Navy spokesman, the FA-18 fighter jets were practicing dogfighting maneuvers over the Hunter-Liggett Military Operating Area. The aircraft were based out of LeMoore Naval Air Station near Fresno. The pilots are members of Strike Fighter Squadron 125, also known as "Rough Riders." The aircraft is a McDonnell-Douglas single-seat fighter...

KING CITY, Calif. -- A military spokesman said two Navy fighter jets have collided over a Monterey County military base near King City. It's unclear whether there are casualties. The jets were FA-18 fighter jets based out of Fort Hunter Liggett, located about 100 south of San Jose. The jets were on a training mission.

Before this weekend's free airshow at Naval Air Station Atlanta, AJC staffer Steve Beatty joined Lt. Kevin Davis for a fun-filled afternoon of barrel rolls and other tricks high above Athens in a $24 million F/A-18. Beatty only passed out three times.See the highlights.

AL ASAD, Iraq (March 13, 2006) -- Imagine every time your vehicle travels 3,000 miles, a group of highly skilled experts dismantle it, check all the fluids and parts for wear and tear, then quickly reassemble it. Not a very common occurrence for today's drivers, unless you are a pilot and your vehicle happens to be an F/A-18 Hornet with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Eight highly skilled Marines with the Hawks' phase maintenance section are responsible for performing a complete maintenance check of the Hornets every time they...

Squadron Homecoming Marks End of Era for Tomcats Story Number: NNS060310-05 Release Date: 3/10/2006 1:58:00 PM By Journalist 1st Class Stefanie Holzeisen-Mullen, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The “Tomcatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VF) 31 and the “Black Lions” of VF-213 arrived at Naval Air Station Oceana March 10, ending their six-month deployment with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 embarked on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), and closing the book on the Tomcat as an asset in the Navy’s war fighting arsenal. VF-31 and 213’s “fly-off” marked the last operational flight of...

United States officials have confirmed an FA-18 Hornet strike fighter plane has ditched into the sea while attempting a night landing near Brisbane. The aircraft was attempting to land on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan during a training exercise early yesterday morning about 200 kilometres south-east of Brisbane. Lieutenant Commander Gary Ross says the pilot ejected safely but the $37 million aircraft was lost. The pilot was rescued from the sea. Lieutenant Commander Ross says five other jets were forced to fly in to Brisbane because they were short on fuel. "There were five aircraft that were...

Ditched jet to stay on seabed Cameron Atfield and Rosanne Barrett30jan06 A $40 million fighter jet which ditched into the sea 220km southeast of Brisbane after failing to land on aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is unlikely to be salvaged. The pilot was forced to eject from the US Navy jet off the Australian coast late on Saturday after a night landing "mishap". The single-seat F/A-18C twin-engine strike fighter was the first plane lost from the 97,000-tonne carrier, which spent last week moored at Brisbane's Fisherman Islands. It was not clear last night if the jet had been carrying weapons....

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Planning for the upcoming open house on Oct. 22 and 23 is hitting a fever pitch as base officials finalize one of the most diverse air shows to hit the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles area in years. This year there will be just under seven hours of continuous flying featuring nearly 34 separate flight demonstrations; more than triple those of most shows common to southern California. Some highlights include a special performance by aviation legend Chuck Yeager flying a P-51 Mustang, the same type of aircraft Yeager flew when he became an ace in...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The front-line fighter jet of the Navy and Marines has suffered a series of recent accidents blamed on brake failure, exposing a problem that has spurred urgent warnings from commanders, military documents obtained by The Associated Press show.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military has found the body of the pilot of one of two Marine Corps jets that crashed in Iraq and believes the warplanes may have collided in mid-air, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. The U.S. military lost contact with the two Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet aircraft in Iraq on Monday night, a military statement said. The planes were flying from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, the military said. In Washington, defense officials said they suspected the two fighters collided in mid-air at 30,000 feet, but no final conclusion had been reached. One official, who...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The U.S. military found the body of an American pilot while searching Tuesday for two Marine fighter jets that disappeared while flying in support of operations in Iraq, the military said. The brief statement did not say whether either of the two missing F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from the USS Carl Vinson had been found or where the body had been recovered. The search continued for a second missing crew member, the statement said. It was unclear how many servicemen had been aboard the two jets when contact was lost with them at 10:10 p.m. Monday (2:10...

Brent Hume on Fox News just showed an awesome video clip from Fallujah. Can anyone get screen shots of the video clip of an F-18 delivered laser guided bomb that set off numerous secondary explosions. The target was a suspected Improvised Explosive Device, and appeared to be linked to multiple IEDs along at least one street and possibly along an adjacent street.

The federal government has spent $488 million to equip Australia's F/A-18 Hornet pilots with the world's most advanced missiles. The government declared the RAAF's latest acquisition - the state-of-the-art ASRAAM missile - fully operational, six years after a decision was made to replace older American-made Sidewinder missiles. ASRAAM stands for advanced short-range air-to-air missile and it's regarded as the best in the world for shooting down hostile aircraft at dogfighting ranges out to about 15 kilometres. In a ceremony at RAAF base Williamtown, the home of two of the RAAF's Hornet squadrons, Defence Minister Robert Hill said the ASRAAM was...

Story Number: NNS040325-01 Release Date: 3/25/2004 1:42:00 PM From Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet Public Affairs NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft on a routine training mission crashed at about 12:30 p.m. EST March 24 off the coast of South Carolina. The pilot was rescued uninjured and taken to a hospital at Hunter Army Air Field near Savannah, Ga., for observation. The aicraft was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 82 based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. Known as the "Marauders," the squadron returned Feb. 25 from a six-month deployment as part...

<p>NORFOLK, Va. - You can now have your very own Navy F/A-18A Hornet jet fighter - but some assembly may be required.</p> <p>The price for the jet, which formerly belonged to the Navy's Blue Angels aerial demonstration team, is just over $1 million on the auction firm eBay, or about $9 million for a buyer who wants it assembled, painted and certified ready-to-fly.</p>