Boeing promotes Super Hornet at CANSEC

Avatar for Lisa GordonBy Lisa Gordon | June 3, 2013

Estimated reading time 10 minutes, 9 seconds.

The Boeing Company was at CANSEC 2013 to deliver a message to Canada’s defence community: the F/A-18 Super Hornet may have a similar name and look to the legacy Hornet that Canada is flying now, but that’s pretty much where the commonalities end. 
Company representatives hosted a press briefing at CANSEC, Canada’s largest defence technology trade show, to highlight some key points about the jet that is considered to be the most likely challenger to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II.
Boeing has renewed its efforts to promote the Super Hornet after the Canadian government announced last December that it was pressing the “reset” button on the fighter procurement process. Essentially, that means taking a step back to re-evaluate other possible jets, in addition to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter. 
Mike Gibbons, Boeing’s VP for F/A-18 programs, said Canada is understandably concerned about procuring a fighter that offers capability and affordability, along with industrial offset work for Canadians. “That’s why we’re here. We believe the Super Hornet is a really good candidate for Canada,” he said at the press briefing.
Ricardo Traven is Boeing’s Canadian-born chief test pilot for the Super Hornet program. As a former CF-18 pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), he’s flown missions in the far north. When it comes to capability, he said the Super Hornet does what Canada needs it to do. He has no doubt, either, that the jet will be able to address both near-future and far-future threats, due to constant evolutionary improvements. 
“We started with a very robust, capable airframe for the next 40-plus years,” said Traven. “Since it was introduced, the aircraft has continually undergone a spiral development process. As technology became ready, we inserted it – bigger displays, advanced computer systems, a joint helmet mounted cueing system (working in both seats of the two-seat aircraft), improved radar, electronic countermeasures, and an information distribution system.”
He explained that Boeing planned for the Super Hornet to evolve with the times. “We have a pretty good idea of what will be going on in 2020, and we continue to work in that direction and evolve the technology for tomorrow.”
The test pilot said the Super Hornet’s design incorporates several key survivability features, including two engines. The single-engine versus twin-engine debate is ongoing, with proponents on both sides of the fence when it comes to whether two engines are necessary for the role that will be played by Canada’s next fighter. But Traven said he knows the value of a second engine from experience: during a flight to Germany in a CF-18, he lost an engine over the Atlantic Ocean, and had to turn around and “limp” back home. Without that second engine, he said, he wouldn’t have made it back. As well, although engine technology has certainly come leaps and bounds, Traven added that it’s impossible to predict unexpected situations – a bird strike, for example – that could bring down a single-engine aircraft.
In combat situations, Boeing said the Super Hornet’s larger control surfaces also increase the jet’s survivability factor. “It is the opinion of this test pilot that if you make those control surfaces smaller (as on the F-35), you can reduce the radar cross section, but that also increases your vulnerability to damage,” said Traven. “If you get shot, you have that much less control surface for survivability.”
Boeing is touting other benefits to a Canadian Super Hornet purchase, as well. Traven said there would be a smooth training transition for both pilots and maintenance personnel, in comparison to purchasing a new type of jet. 
“I’m a Canadian Hornet guy,” he said. “When I went to test fly the Super Hornet, I was briefed for an afternoon; then I hopped into a single-seat Super Hornet and flew it the same day. It is so familiar. It’s like moving from one BlackBerry to the next version. Nobody goes back and reads the book; you already know how it works. It’s the same thing with the Super Hornet – how it’s laid out; how you start it; how you shut it down; it’s all the same.”
Traven added that the transition for maintenance personnel would also be “insignificant,” which would see Canada benefit from lower training costs.
Program Pitch 
According to Gibbons, the Super Hornet’s price tag has come down through a series of multi-year procurements. 
Various cost estimates have been released for both the F-35 and the Super Hornet, with some claiming Boeing’s jet will cost half as much as the F-35 to buy and operate. 
“Procurement and operational costs are low compared to other tactical fixed-wing jet fighters,” Gibbons added. “We have a very affordable offering to Canada. Now, couple that with the capability offered by the Super Hornet. Since it launched, we’ve been improving the capability year in and year out.” 
He said that Boeing has a proven track record of providing high quality work in Canada as offset for past procurements. “We have always met those commitments,” he said. “Over a billion dollars of work goes on annually here. We also have the capability to provide in-country support for our product line, which means Canada would have the ability to support its own aircraft here in the country.”
If Canada were to reach the competition stage in the procurement process, Gibbons said the Block II Super Hornet is the jet it would buy, and then decisions could be made about which advanced features are needed, and when. All are retrofittable and can be added at any time. He said Boeing continues to work with its industry partners to improve the Super Hornet’s capabilities.
If ordered, Canada would receive its first Super Hornets in approximately three years. And as for the production timeline, Gibbons emphasized that contrary to some media reports, the assembly line will keep rolling as long as there is a demand for the jet. Other possible customers for the Super Hornet include Brazil, Denmark, various Middle Eastern countries, and Malaysia. Australia, which already operates a fleet of 24 Super Hornets, announced in early May that it would buy an additional 12 Boeing EA-18G Growler advanced electronic warfare technology aircraft.
“There is no plan at all for us to shut down the Super Hornet production line,” said Gibbons. “We continue to maintain our opportunities to advance the production line. We expect that we’ll be in production beyond 2025 with the Super Hornet and the (full spectrum radar-jamming EA-18G) Growler, or the Advanced Super Hornet concepts. The most important thing for Canada though, is that for the time frame they’re looking at, we have no problem committing to building the jets.” 
But just how far into the future will the Super Hornet fly? Gibbons said “this jet will be in service beyond 2040 in a lot of big air forces, and the Growlers probably longer. They will be supported and sustained during those years, and they will continue to be developed in terms of hardware and software upgrades.” 
Tomorrow’s Hornet
Boeing is in the preliminary stages of designing a new version of the fighter, called the Advanced Super Hornet.
“It will feature an advanced cockpit system that we’re developing for future customers,” said Gibbons. “It’s certainly a very up to date, technically advanced aircraft and not an old design. It’s very much the future.”
Traven said stealth characteristics are being enhanced in the Advanced Super Hornet “where it makes sense,” and range is being increased with conformal fuel tanks. An enclosed weapons bay pod that will reduce the radar cross section will be part of a modular design, which can be used when operating in a high-threat environment. 
The Advanced Super Hornet design will focus even more heavily on survivability. Its next generation all-glass cockpit will function like a huge iPad, and new engines and a missile laser warning system are just some of the planned improvements.  The prototype is expected to fly later this summer.

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