Boeing has been slow. They've been a bit too "politically correct". But they've finally dialed into the idea that they need to fight to keep the FA-18 in production.
Taking a page from the Lockheed Martin playbook they've launched a FA-18.com website.
About damn time.
With continued problems with the F-35 all but inevitable, with allies and the US Navy continuing to have doubts about the plane....and with the USAF practically abandoning electronic warfare, its all but certain that more EA-18G's will be purchased.
Long story short. Better late than never...
I think Boeing is trying to push the Super Hornet as a low cost alternative to the F-35
ReplyDeleteIt's about time they crank up the politik-marketo machine. LM has been doing this for years.
ReplyDeleteThe sad part is that the leadership is so hollow that they have to be marketed to, before they can make an intelligent decision. It's really a no-brainer to keep the F-18 line going for national security/infrastructure purposes. To build 18 to 24 units a year is nothing in the grand scheme of things, when you consider how much money is pissed away on useless adventures. On the HBO series "Vice" one should see the waste of money our country building in Afghanistan. It was at least $100 billion with little accounting for it.
totally agree. i believe in a strong national defense but there is so much waste that its sickening. everyone knows about the wasted funds but no one is trying to correct the problem. cutting F-35 buys and allowing the Navy and Marines to buy FA-18's for carrier work would be a win win.
DeleteAmazing Pic. Sol. It seems like the Advanced Super Hornet is in Strike role or as a forward sensor for air to air interception, the Super Hornet-F basically in air to air configuration and the Growler doing electronic attack. All of them with con-formal fuel tanks. It's a very flexible and capable "effective stealth" force covering the full spectrum of the aerial warfare. Not forget they already have an internal cannon except for the Growler and two engines.
ReplyDeletedidn't notice that but you're right. Growler to keep the enemies heads confused, a Advanced Super Hornet to get close and a Super Hornet to launch at long range.
Deletea pretty awesome air intercept package.
For frontal interception the advanced Super Hornet with 4 Amraams and 2 Aim-9X an the Super Hornet with 8 Amraams and 2 Aim-9X at stand off distance gives you the same punch than 2 F-35 with 6 Amraams each. You don't even need the Growler for that mission.
Deletewww.youtube.com/watch?v=8t_uw1mGohw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8l3BLn0V-8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
If you add to the equation another Super Hornet with 8 Amraams at stand off distance you will have 24 Amraams and 6 Aim-9X. With 3 F-35 you will have only 18 Amrrams in the air for more than double price. One advanced Super Hornet in stealth mode is all you need to detect the incoming figthers and to direct the storm of 24 amraams and 6 Aim-9X against the enemy.
DeleteYou don't even need the advanced Super Hornet, just one Super Hornet forward with 2 Amraams and 2 Aim -9X And will still hard to detect. 3 Super Hornets with 22 Amraams and 6 Aim-9x almost for the same price of one single F-35C with 6 Amraams. Is not that difficult to understand why the USNavy is not crazy in love for the F-35.
Deletewww.youtube.com/watch?v=P4m4li6wwNw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
It may be possible to sustain the Super Hornet/Growler production for a few more years, but not long enough until the transition to the F/A-XX in the 2030s. Boeing needs something more stable and permanent to preserve its fighter jet division, namingly winning the T-X program, and building a fighter derivative of T-X jet to replace the air national guard F-15 and F-16s.
ReplyDeleteMore Super Hornet is NOT the solution to Boeing's problem; winning the T-X is.
i disagree. additionally we can't forget that boeing has built more FA-18's than the Rafale or Typhoon or the Gripen...and i'm talking FA-18E/F/G
DeleteYes, but where are new markets for the Super Hornet? There are none and the US Navy can't continue to buy the Super Hornet into the 2030s. Both the Typhoon and Rafale are scheduled to stop production around 2018, a fate the Super Hornet can't avoid.
DeleteThe Korean F-X was the make-or-break moment for Boeing, and they had to pull all strings to close that deal. Instead, Boeing was trying to be a gentleman playing nice in a mud throwing game and Lockheed had its lobbying troop in full force both in the US and in Korea doing the unthinkable. Had Boeing managed to close that Korean F-X deal, all the JSF partners looking to bail out would have finally pulled the ejection lever and start talking to Boeing on half-priced Silent Hornet instead.
Lockheed makes shitty product, but their lobbying skill is second to none.
Who is to say that Boeing will not still sell an F-15 variant to South Korea. SK's commitment to the F-35 is not really for the reasons LM blabs about. I don't really see SK buying the F-35 in numbers, what they want is the technology for their own future industries. The SK airforce in the coming years will have serious numbers issues with the retirement of aging aircraft. The only way to make up for the shortfall is to buy T-50's, F-15's or F-16's. I still see them ordering another 20-40 F-15s in the next 1-3 years. If the timing is right they can order a follow on version of the Saudi advanced digital fly wire F-15 version.
Deleteresternon
Delete> Who is to say that Boeing will not still sell an F-15 variant to South Korea.
The ROKAF says they would replace the F-15K with the KFX C103 Block 3. Lockheed's lobbying force is working hard to stop the C103 model and is pushing something called the KFX-Economy(A single F110-GE-132A powered jet 10% bigger than the F-16 Block 50) instead, claiming that the ROKAF is asking for a pie in the sky by filling its inventory with a twin engine jet slightly bigger than the Typhoon. If it is the C103, the ROKAF would buy only C103 from now on to replace all retiring jets, upto 300 units. If it is the KFX-E pushed by Lockheed, then they would stop at 120 units and issue new "twin-engine" F-X contest to replace F-15Ks.
The KFX type decision is scheduled BEFORE the F-X decision. So if it is the C103, then the ROKAF will try to keep down the jet imports to the absolute minimum in order to preserve fund for the C103 purchase. If it is the KFX-E, then the ROKAF will have to import at least 180 additional foreign jets so there may be an opening for F-15SA.
the offerd the F18 to Belgium as a replacement for the aging F16
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the Aussies. I won't be surprised if they buy more.
ReplyDeletehttp://globalaviationreport.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/australias-exercise-lightening-viper-wraps-up-a-video-report/
www.qt.com.au/news/top-guns-show-us-how-its-done-during-war/2204422/
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