USN Super Hornet. (Photo: USN/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Drew Verbis)
Boeing has obtained an $11.99 million order from the US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, to provide production engineering services in support of the integration and installation of weapon systems on USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft.
The DoD announced on 23 July that work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (82%); and St. Louis, Missouri (18%), with completion due in July 2022.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, a total of 532 Super Hornets and 156 Growlers are in service with the US armed forces.
The Super Hornet and Growler each have 11 weapon stations for air-to-air and guided air-to-ground missiles.
Recent weapon integration developments for the F/A-18E/F include guided release tests in 2020 of the GBU-53/B StormBreaker precision-guided bomb.
The contract modification, awarded to Boeing, is worth $61.2 million and will support the US Navy’s (USN's) evolution of its P-8 Poseidon aircraft as continued upgrades are made to boost its capabilities and lethality.
The UK Ministry of Defence remains resolute that the Typhoon sits at the heart of the country’s air defence capabilities and is focused on the aircraft’s potential export orders, despite its continued focus on F-35 procurement.
The likely scrapping of Boeing’s Apache helicopter comes after a huge budget cut approved by the South Korean National Assembly. The helicopter procurement had already been reconsidered by the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier in the year.
The number of aircraft was stated by UK Defence Secretary John Healey during a Defence Committee hearing. It follows on from the UK’s decision to purchase F-35A aircraft to boost its nuclear deterrence, although hurdles and questions about the order still remain.
The use of air power by both sides in the ongoing conflict has been extensively focused on, influencing policy and procurement around the world. But are the lessons from the front line universally applicable, or should other nations be planning for very different scenarios?
Six Super Tucano aircraft were ordered in July 2024, with Paraguay the fifth South American country to add the aircraft to modernise its fleet.
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