Free Republic

"... In service with the Navy and Marine Corps since 1983, the flexible design has gone through a Porsche 911-like evolution. Two type series of the original Hornet, the A/B and C/D preceded the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a larger more capable version of the F/A-18 introduced in 1999. Since then the Super Hornet has been updated with “Block II” models and now there’s a “Block III” Super Hornet....

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:45 P.M.) – The United States tested the new smart bomb, GBU-53 StormBreaker, using one of their modern warplanes. According to reports, the U.S. Navy’s FA-18E/F Super Hornet fighter and attack aircraft launched the GBU-53 StormBreaker all-weather bomb on a designated target. The new bomb can be used in all weather conditions, including poor visibility, Janes Defense reported last week. An RMD spokesperson told Janes that the U.S. Air Force determines the number of tests needed to validate the bomb, but did not specify when it would be available. “The USAF (US Air Force) program office, in co-ordination...

Israeli Military Industries Systems, or IMI Systems, in cooperation with Israel Aerospace Industries, abbreviated IAI, is close to finishing development of a new air-launched, precision-guided, high-speed weapon called Rampage that can hit targets more than 90 miles away. The announcement comes as Israel steps up its cross-border campaign against Iran and its interests in neighboring Syria, which has seen an increasing emphasis on stand-off capabilities given the complex air defense environment in that country, but the weapon could also be especially attractive to a number of foreign military forces. The two Israeli state-run companies officially unveiled the new weapon in...

The lightning rod for rapid fielding of directed energy (DE) weapons and advanced sensors will be the military’s next-generation jammer programs that exploit technologies like active electronically scanned arrays (AESAs) antennas and high-power microwave (HPM) capabilities, say senior U.S. government and industry officials at the 13th Directed Energy Conference. Radars on the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35, and Boeing F/A-18F and EA-18G, already have the potential to fire focused beams of energy as soon as funding is available to develop the necessary advanced algorithms. The U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Jammer program is expected to move AESA from radar applications to...

RAAF Super Hornet buy excites interest Mark Dodd August 17, 2007 AUSTRALIA'S $6 billion purchase of 24 F/A-18F Block 2 Super Hornets was open and transparent, and senior Boeing officials said yesterday they had a clear corporate conscience over the deal. The Howard Government's controversial decision to buy what its makers describe as the world's best multi-mission warplane has prompted renewed interest in the Super Hornet from other countries, according to Hornet program vice-president Bob Gower. The deal was covered by a government-to-government foreign military sale agreement, the first involving the Super Hornet, and Australia paid the same price for...

A memorable and very beautiful U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet "Rhino" flight demo (Hillsboro, Oregon, August 2005) flown by Lt. Steve Walborn of VFA-122 "The Flying Eagles".

It's a 3 minute and 46 second demonstration of the superb flying skills of the United States Navy's fighter pilots in the F/A-18F Super Hornet jet fighter. Once again we see why the U.S. military pilots are the best in the world.

Water vapor builds up around an U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet as it breaks the sound barrier during a fly-by near the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) in this military handout photo taken July 27, 2005. Kitty Hawk and embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 are currently conducting operations in the Philippine Sea. The Hornet is attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 102 of Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. Kitty Hawk is home ported in Yokosuka, Japan. REUTERS/HO/US Navy/Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Chandler

  Official U.S. Navy file photo of F/A-18 Hornets assigned to the "Mighty Shrikes" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 94, flying over the Western Pacific Ocean in a diamond formation during flight operations. The USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 return home in November after deploying in March. View Larger Download HiRes   Last Carrier Strike Group Returns Home From Combat OperationsStory Number: NNS031023-17Release Date: 10/24/2003 12:38:00 PMBy Commander, 3rd Fleet Public AffairsSAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The last Carrier Strike Group (CSG) from the combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom is returning...