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#18
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Mike Burleson
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Feb 20, 2004 10:29 PST
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Greetings!
Here is an original article I thought you might enjoy!
NEW HORNET IS SUPER!
The US navy seems well satisfied with the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. With
post-combat reports still being evaluated, the Super hornet often comes
up as one of the keys to victory in operation Iraqi Freedom. Amazingly,
this is not so much due to its fighter or bomber capabilities, which are
considerable, but for its refueling abilities.
Throughout the air campaign in Iraq, aviation fuel was at a premium, not
uncommon in combat situations or suffered by the air forces alone. The
Air Force uses the venerable KC-135 and newer KC-10 aerial tankers, and
naturally gives its own fleet of fighters and bombers refueling
priority. Navy carriers possess a few S-3 Vikings as tankers, but with
space precious on its flattops, few of these can be carried.
When Turkey refused the US overflight of its airspace during the war,
this left 2 Navy carriers, USS Theodore Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
out of the initial strikes. Roosevelt finally got into the fight days
later, and was forced to perform numerous refueling from her position in
the southern Mediterranean Sea. This was a start, but it was soon
obvious something better was needed for the carriers to make an impact.
Someone on the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, then in the Arabian Sea,
came up with the idea to use its brand new F/A-18 E/F, the only squadron
in the region (two more squadrons were enroute on USS Nimitz), as buddy
refueling aircraft. Four Super Hornets were readied and the idea worked
perfectly. The navy planes began making a significant contribution. By
adding some 2.3 billion pounds of extra fuel, the navy bombers carried
the air war deep into Iraq, even flying during the much-publicized
sandstorm which held up other US forces. At wars end the E/F carried the
equivalent fuel of 56 larger KC-10 tankers.
Also interesting is that, were it not for some fancy marketing on the
Navy’s part, the Super Hornets would likely not made a show in Iraq. The
Navy’s original choice for its future attack plane was the longer range
and stealthier A-12 Avenger. When this was prematurely canceled in 1991
by a Defense Department intent on cutting back after the Cold War, the
search for a replacement became an urgent priority. Older A-6 Intruders,
purchased during the Vietnam War, and F-14 Tomcats from the 1970’s were
swiftly wearing out, and only the small and short range Hornet F/A 18
C/D would soon be left to fill the carrier decks.
The F/A 18 E/F was chosen for several reasons, including longer range,
11 weapon stations, and ability for growth, but mainly because it could
be acquired quickly. By selling the Super Hornet as an upgrade of the
older F-18 C/D version, years of fly-off testing and prototyping was
averted. This required testing for all new built aircraft, such as the
F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter, can add precious years to the gestation
period of a weapon system. With so much red tape averted, the Super
Hornets were procured in record time, from its first flight in November
1995, to its delivery in September 2001.
In recent years, the Navy’s capital ships have been increasingly
overshadowed by cruise missile firing submarine and surface ships.
During the Cold War, most of the 600-ship fleet existed to support and
protect the 15 aircraft carriers, which provided the main offensive
capability at sea. With the coming of Tomahawk and Harpoon surface
attack missiles, the bulk of the cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and
submarines in service have become offensive weapons themselves. Without
the Super Hornet, the Navy may have lacked the justification for
building new $6 billion dollar warships, such as the CV-21, due to
arrive in 2014. Often called the weapon of last resort, it could also be
argued that for the aircraft carriers, the Super Hornet was the right
plane at the right time. Mike
Burleson
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