Australia plans for longer service life with Super Hornet fleet

FlightGlobal ^ | 1/18/2010 | Siva Govindasamy

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Australia envisages that its Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets, which will begin entering service from March, could become a "long bridge" for an air force capability gap, and remain operational well into the 2030s.

Canberra has ordered 24 of the two-seat aircraft to cover a capability shortfall between the retirement of the Royal Australian Air Force's General Dynamics F-111s by year-end and the induction of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, projected to take place from 2014.

However, they could stay in use much longer, says Gp Capt Steve Robertson, head of the service's air combat transition wing and officer commanding the Super Hornet wing.

"The aircraft is on time, on budget and over-delivering on capability," says Robertson. "The Super Hornet is giving us flexibility and options, and will be combat-relevant up to the next generation. While we have forecast that they will be operational up until the 2020s, the US Navy plans to use them until the 2030s and there is no reason why we can't do the same."

Australia is due to take delivery of around four Super Hornets in the first quarter and 12 in total this year, when it also aims to declare initial operating capability. Its remaining aircraft, which will also be wired for possible conversion to the E/A-18G electronic-attack configuration, will be delivered by 2012.

[Vroomfondel]

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