Six new Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets arrived at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley on July 06, expanding the RAAF’s fleet of Super Hornets to 11. The first five had arrived in March this year.
In March 2007, Australia had announced plans to acquire 24 of the Block II version of the aircraft equipped with the Raytheon-built APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.
The Super Hornet’s proven technologies including its fully integrated AESA radar, advanced sensors, two-engine design and network-centric data-sharing environment provide the RAAF with a broad spectrum of new capabilities. The two-member crew of the Super Hornet can conduct simultaneous air and ground operations with unprecedented situational awareness.
The Super Hornet is a multi-role aircraft with the ability to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions.
So far, Boeing has delivered more than 430 F/A-18E/Fs to the US Navy.
