Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Top Boeing executives in St. Louis to introduce first Super Hornet jets to get upgrades
St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | May 4, 2018 | Brian Feldt

Posted on 05/06/2018 9:30:44 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki

Boeing executives, including president and CEO Dennis Muilenburg, welcomed on Friday the first of potentially hundreds of well-used Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets that will return to the company’s north St. Louis County campus for upgrades designed to extend the life of the Navy’s workhorse aircraft.

The fighter jet, with just under 6,000 flight hours under its belt, is one of four Block II Super Hornets that will be delivered to Boeing this year to undergo an 18-month Service Life Modification (SLM) program meant to extend the flight hours of the aircraft carrier-based fighter to 9,000 hours.

Moving forward, funded by a $73 million contract awarded by the Navy in February, Boeing expects to see more than 40 Super Hornets per year come through its St. Louis facilities for the upgrades, which also will include new touch-screen cockpit computers for pilots, more advanced targeting and data systems and new fuel tanks to increase range.

More than 350 jets are slated to be upgraded, though some of those aircraft will be worked on at a Boeing facility in San Antonio.

Along with new Super Hornets Boeing will soon build for the Navy, the improvement program will “keep this fleet healthy and strong and doing the work of the Navy well into the 2030s and stretch into the 2040s,” Muilenburg said.

The program means more work for employees at Boeing’s massive production facility next to St. Louis Lambert International Airport, but probably won’t lead to a large boost in new jobs. Still, it’s a boost for the company’s operations, providing work well into the next decade. Just a few years ago, many had expected the Super Hornet line to begin winding down.

(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerospace; boeing; stlouis; superhornet

1 posted on 05/06/2018 9:30:45 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki
No mention of defensive ECM upgrades.

Fifteen or so years ago, the F-18 still had not received the planned IDECM upgrade. The equipment bay was there, but no hardware.

By that time, many of the original components of the first modules were not available, due to suppliers going out of business.

What do the modern F-18s have, as the earlier ones were never fielded with the defensive ECM they were supposed to have had from the beginning?

2 posted on 05/06/2018 9:54:42 PM PDT by doorgunner69 (Give me the liberty to take care of my own security..........)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki

Good idea. I should take my Super Hornet in, too.


3 posted on 05/06/2018 10:40:54 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki

Kudos to whoever did the lighting.


4 posted on 05/06/2018 11:41:09 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki

And the mechanics were saying, “We just learned this thing...”


5 posted on 05/07/2018 2:49:28 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vermont Lt

I had left the service just prior to the Marines retiring it’s A4 and F4 aircraft. We were all in awe by the appearance of Navy F18s.


6 posted on 05/07/2018 4:36:24 AM PDT by MGunny
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: sukhoi-30mki

Does it have a longer range?


7 posted on 05/07/2018 4:44:40 AM PDT by bmwcyle (People who do not study history are destine to believe really ignorant statements.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: SaveFerris

“Good idea. I should take my Super Hornet in, too.”

Mine is also due for an upgrade. I can just drive it along route 90 to the facility in San Antonio. Hopefully my F-35 will be ready in time so I can give the F-18 to my kid for a birthday present.


9 posted on 05/07/2018 5:57:46 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (What is a Blue City? First world cities run by third world politicians.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: ping jockey

That is a good thing. The men that flew them said it was its biggest downfall.


10 posted on 05/07/2018 6:20:30 AM PDT by bmwcyle (People who do not study history are destine to believe really ignorant statements.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: doorgunner69

Since you asked:

https://defpost.com/harris-supply-86-alq-214-idecm-onboard-jammer-systems-f-18-aircraft/

Dunno if these systems will get fitted to refurbed aircraft, but a least a clue here.


11 posted on 05/07/2018 6:42:53 AM PDT by Sam_Damon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: EQAndyBuzz

Always make sure they use those paper floor mats when they change the oil.


12 posted on 05/07/2018 11:40:38 AM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson