Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet — History, Specs & Stories

Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet banking in flight over the ocean
Aircraft Museum › Carrier Multirole Fighter › F/A-18 Super Hornet

Boeing F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet

Not an upgraded Hornet but a larger, essentially new aircraft — roughly 20% bigger, longer-legged and harder-hitting than the legacy F/A-18, and today the backbone of the US Navy’s carrier air wings.

Mach 1.6+Top speed · clean
~20% biggerThan the legacy F/A-18 Hornet
11Hardpoints · vs 9 on the legacy jet
1995 · 2001First flight · entered service
Photo: U.S. Navy (PO1 David Mercil) · Public domain
RoleCarrier-based multirole strike fighterEra1995–presentEngine2 × General Electric F414-GE-400OriginUSA · McDonnell Douglas / BoeingStatusActive frontline fighterWant to fly a fighter jet yourself?
The Story

A new jet wearing an old jet’s name

By the late 1980s the US Navy had a problem. The A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair were ageing, the F-14 Tomcat was expensive to run, and the stealthy A-12 Avenger II attack jet meant to replace them collapsed in a spectacular 1991 cancellation. McDonnell Douglas offered a lower-risk answer that had been on the drawing board for years as “Hornet 2000”: take the proven, well-liked F/A-18 Hornet and grow it into something far more capable.

The result only looks like the legacy Hornet. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is about 20% larger, some 3,200 kg heavier empty, and shares only a fraction of its predecessor’s parts. The fuselage was stretched by about 86 cm, the wing grew by a quarter, the rounded intakes of the legacy jet became distinctive rectangular “caret” inlets, the leading-edge root extensions (LERX) were enlarged, two more weapons stations were added, and two new General Electric F414 engines replaced the F404. It first flew on 29 November 1995.

The payoff was reach and payload: roughly 40% more mission range and 50% more endurance than the legacy Hornet, the ability to bring thousands of kilograms of unused ordnance back to the carrier, and a built-in role as the fleet’s aerial tanker. Entering service in 2001, the Super Hornet — together with its EA-18G Growler electronic-attack sibling — became the aircraft the US Navy now builds its carrier air wings around.

Same name, same silhouette from a distance — but a bigger, longer-ranged, more heavily armed machine underneath.Legacy Hornet vs Super Hornet — why the Navy treats them as two different aircraft
01Why the Super Hornet is a new aircraft, not an F/A-18 upgrade

It is tempting to read “Super Hornet” as a mid-life refit of the F/A-18C/D. It is not. The two aircraft share a name, a general layout and a family resemblance, but the E/F is dimensionally larger in almost every axis, structurally different, and built around new engines, new intakes and a different wing. Where the legacy Hornet is a nimble, medium-weight fighter, the Super Hornet trades a little agility for markedly greater fuel, range, payload and growth room.

That is exactly why MiGFlug lists it as its own exhibit. The legacy F/A-18 Hornet has its own story — the Super Hornet is a related but genuinely different jet, closer in weight and reach to an F-15-class aircraft than to the original Hornet it is named after.

Design & Engineering

What makes the Super Hornet special

01

Two F414 engines — a third more thrust

The Super Hornet is powered by two General Electric F414-GE-400 afterburning turbofans, each rated around 22,000 lbf (98 kN) — roughly 35% more thrust than the F404s of the legacy Hornet. That extra power feeds the bigger, heavier airframe while preserving carrier-launch and bring-back margins. The enlarged, rectangular caret intakes that feed them are one of the quickest ways to tell an E/F from a legacy C/D at a glance.

02

A growth airframe built for range and payload

Stretching the fuselage and enlarging the wing let designers pack in far more internal fuel and add two extra hardpoints, for eleven in total. The result is about 41% more mission range and 50% more endurance than the legacy Hornet, plus the ability to recover to the carrier carrying more than 4,000 kg of unspent fuel and weapons — a capability the smaller Hornet never had.

03

AESA radar and modern avionics

From Block II (around 2005) the Super Hornet carries the Raytheon AN/APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, able to track air and ground targets simultaneously and resist jamming. Later additions — the ALQ-214 defensive suite, an infrared search-and-track (IRST) pod and, in Block III, large-area cockpit displays — keep the airframe competitive against far newer designs.

02The Super Hornet as the carrier air wing’s tanker

When the S-3 Viking was retired, the US Navy lost its dedicated carrier tanker — and the Super Hornet stepped in. Fitted with a centreline buddy refuelling store, F/A-18E/Fs now pass fuel to other aircraft in the air wing, and a large share of every carrier’s Super Hornet sorties are flown purely to keep other jets airborne. It is an unglamorous but critical role, and one reason the type is so central to carrier operations. The purpose-built MQ-25 Stingray drone is intended to eventually take over much of this mission and free the Super Hornets for combat.

03Carrier suitability: designed around the boat

Everything about the Super Hornet is shaped by the aircraft carrier. The wing folds; the structure is stressed for catapult launches and arrested landings; the approach is deliberately stable and forgiving. The enlarged wing and leading-edge extensions improve low-speed handling for the carrier approach, and the generous bring-back weight means a pilot can return to the deck without dumping expensive ordnance into the sea. These are the compromises that make it a heavier, less agile dogfighter than a land-based fighter — but a superb one from a pitching flight deck.

Technical Data

Full specifications

Airframe & Performance

Crew
1 (F/A-18E) or 2 (F/A-18F)
Length
18.31 m
Wingspan
13.62 m (over missiles)
Height
4.88 m
Empty weight
~14,550 kg
Max takeoff weight
~29,900 kg
Max speed
Mach 1.6+ (some sources ~1.8)
Combat radius
~720 km (interdiction)
Ferry range
~3,330 km
Service ceiling
~15,000 m

Propulsion & Systems

Engines
2 × GE F414-GE-400
Thrust (each)
~98 kN (22,000 lbf) with afterburner
Radar
AN/APG-79 AESA (Block II+)
Gun
1 × 20 mm M61A2 rotary cannon
Hardpoints
11 (vs 9 on the legacy Hornet)
First flight
29 November 1995
Introduced
2001 (US Navy)
Built
600+ (production winding down mid-2020s)
Unit cost
~$60–70 million (estimate)
04The Super Hornet’s cost: cheaper to buy and run than the jets around it

Exact figures vary by year, block and how you count, but the Super Hornet’s big selling point has always been value. Flyaway unit prices are commonly cited in the region of $60–70 million, and Boeing and the US Navy have long argued its cost per flight hour — frequently quoted around $10,000–$18,000 depending on the source and era — is markedly lower than that of the F-35 or the F-22. Treat any single number as an estimate: procurement accounting is notoriously slippery. But the through-life economics, more than raw performance, are why the Navy keeps buying and upgrading the type.

Timeline

From “Hornet 2000” to the fleet’s backbone

1980s

The Hornet 2000 concept

McDonnell Douglas studies an enlarged, longer-ranged Hornet derivative — the seed of the Super Hornet.

1992

Programme launched

With the stealthy A-12 cancelled, the US Navy backs the lower-risk F/A-18E/F as its next strike fighter.

1995

First flight

The first Super Hornet flies on 29 November 1995 — visibly larger than the legacy jet it is named after.

1997

Boeing takes over

McDonnell Douglas merges into Boeing; low-rate production of the Super Hornet begins.

2001

Enters service

Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-115 reaches initial operating capability with the F/A-18E.

2002–03

Combat debut

First strikes over Iraq during Operation Southern Watch (2002), then full combat in the 2003 invasion.

2017

The Su-22 kill

An F/A-18E downs a Syrian Su-22 near Raqqa — the first US air-to-air kill of a crewed aircraft since 1999.

2021–20s

Block III and beyond

Upgraded Block III jets enter service; the EA-18G Growler soldiers on as production of new airframes winds down.

Stories & Eyewitnesses

Twelve Super Hornet stories

Origins

Not an upgrade — a new jet

The Super Hornet grew ~20% larger than the legacy Hornet and shares only a fraction of its parts.

Read the full story
The Super Hornet began life as McDonnell Douglas’s “Hornet 2000” studies in the 1980s, and became the Navy’s answer after the stealthy A-12 attack jet was cancelled in 1991. Rather than a refreshed F/A-18C, the E/F is about 20% larger, roughly 3,200 kg heavier empty, with a stretched fuselage, a 25%-bigger wing, enlarged leading-edge extensions, rectangular intakes and new engines. The Navy treats it as a distinct aircraft — and so should anyone comparing the two.
First flight · 1995

A bigger Hornet takes off

The first F/A-18E flew on 29 November 1995, kicking off a test programme that ran smoother than most.

Read the full story
The prototype Super Hornet lifted off for the first time on 29 November 1995. The flight-test programme uncovered an early aerodynamic problem — an uncommanded wing drop at certain transonic conditions — that was cured with a porous wing-fold fairing. Otherwise development was comparatively trouble-free, and low-rate production began in 1997, the same year McDonnell Douglas merged into Boeing.
Service · 2001

Into the fleet

Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-115 took the F/A-18E to sea and declared it ready for combat in 2001.

Read the full story
The Super Hornet reached initial operating capability with VFA-115 “Eagles” in 2001. It arrived just as the US Navy needed longer reach and a home-grown tanker after the retirement of the A-6 Intruder, F-14 Tomcat and S-3 Viking — roles the growth airframe was ideally suited to absorb.
Combat debut · 2002–03

First bombs over Iraq

VFA-115 dropped the type’s first combat ordnance in November 2002 during Operation Southern Watch.

Read the full story
The Super Hornet first went to war policing the Iraqi no-fly zone: on 6 November 2002 VFA-115 delivered JDAM guided bombs during Operation Southern Watch. Months later the type flew intensively in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, both striking targets and refuelling other aircraft — the multirole, tanker-capable pattern that has defined its career ever since.
Air-to-air · 2017

The Su-22 shootdown

On 18 June 2017 an F/A-18E downed a Syrian Su-22 — the US’s first crewed-aircraft kill since 1999.

Read the full story
Protecting US-allied ground forces near Raqqa, Lt Cdr Michael “Mob” Tremel of VFA-87, flying from USS George H.W. Bush, engaged a Syrian Air Force Su-22 that had bombed friendly positions. His first missile, an AIM-9X, was decoyed by the Fitter’s flares; a follow-up AIM-120 AMRAAM destroyed it. It was the first air-to-air kill of a crewed aircraft by a US fighter since the 1999 Kosovo campaign — and the Super Hornet’s signature aerial victory.
Anti-ISIS

Years over Iraq and Syria

Super Hornets flew thousands of strike and tanker sorties against ISIS in Operation Inherent Resolve.

Read the full story
From 2014 the Super Hornet was a workhorse of the campaign against Islamic State, flying precision strikes across Iraq and Syria and refuelling coalition aircraft over the battlefield. The long endurance and heavy payload that separate it from the legacy Hornet made it especially valuable for the long loiter times these missions demanded.
Tanker

The fleet’s flying gas station

A large share of Super Hornet sorties are flown purely to refuel other aircraft in the air wing.

Read the full story
With no dedicated carrier tanker after the S-3 Viking retired, the Navy pressed the Super Hornet into the role using a centreline buddy store. On a typical carrier, a substantial fraction of Super Hornet launches exist only to pass fuel to other jets. The unmanned MQ-25 Stingray is being introduced to take over much of this duty and return the Super Hornets to combat tasking.
Sensors

An AESA radar and a digital cockpit

From Block II the Super Hornet gained the APG-79 AESA radar and, later, large-area displays.

Read the full story
The Super Hornet’s electronics have been repeatedly modernised. The AN/APG-79 active electronically scanned array, fielded from around 2005, can search for air and surface targets at the same time and is highly jam-resistant. Block III adds a large-area cockpit display, more processing power and conformal fuel options — keeping a 1990s airframe relevant against far newer rivals.
Power

The F414 engines

Two F414 turbofans give the Super Hornet about a third more thrust than the legacy Hornet’s F404s.

Read the full story
The move from the F404 to the General Electric F414 was central to making a bigger, heavier Hornet work. Each F414-GE-400 produces around 22,000 lbf in afterburner — roughly 35% more than the legacy engine — giving the Super Hornet the muscle to launch heavy from a carrier and still bring weapons home.
Growler

The EA-18G electronic-attack sibling

The EA-18G Growler turns the Super Hornet into a dedicated radar-jamming and electronic-attack platform.

Read the full story
Built on the two-seat F/A-18F, the EA-18G Growler replaced the EA-6B Prowler as the US Navy’s electronic-attack aircraft. Carrying jamming pods and anti-radiation missiles, it blinds enemy radars and air defences so strike packages can get through. Australia is the only export operator, flying the Growler alongside its own Super Hornets.
Block III

Keeping it current

Block III upgrades and new-build jets are extending the Super Hornet’s front-line life into the 2030s and beyond.

Read the full story
Rather than replace the Super Hornet outright, the Navy has invested in Block III standards — new displays, networking, reduced signature tweaks and structural life extension — and is upgrading existing jets. Even as new-build production winds down, the type is planned to serve alongside the F-35C for many years to come.
Exports

Australia, Kuwait — and the ones that got away

Only Australia and Kuwait bought new Super Hornets; many competitions went to the F-35 instead.

Read the full story
Beyond the US Navy, the Super Hornet found just two export customers for new aircraft: Australia (24 F/A-18Fs plus 12 EA-18G Growlers) and Kuwait (28 Block III jets, delivered from the early 2020s). It was pitched hard in Canada, Finland, Germany, India and elsewhere but repeatedly lost to the stealthy F-35 or, in India’s naval contest, the Rafale — a reminder that its strength is value and payload rather than low observability.
Gallery

The Super Hornet in pictures

An F/A-18E and a twin-seat F/A-18F together the single- and two-seat Super Hornet variants.
An F/A-18E and a twin-seat F/A-18F together — the single- and two-seat Super Hornet variants.Photo: U.S. Navy (PHAA Ralph Michael Zamora) · Public domain
An F/A-18E Super Hornet flung off a carrier catapult the growth airframe launching heavy.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet flung off a carrier catapult — the growth airframe launching heavy.Photo: U.S. Navy (PO3 Sabrina Fine) · Public domain
An F/A-18F lighting its two F414 afterburners about a third more thrust than the legacy Hornet.
An F/A-18F lighting its two F414 afterburners — about a third more thrust than the legacy Hornet.Photo: U.S. Navy (PHAN Mark J. Rebilas) · Public domain
An F/A-18E of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-131 catapulting off a Nimitz-class carrier.
An F/A-18E of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-131 catapulting off a Nimitz-class carrier.Photo: U.S. Navy (MC3 Chad R. Erdmann) · Public domain
An EA-18G Growler at sunrise the Super Hornet-based electronic-attack aircraft.
An EA-18G Growler at sunrise — the Super Hornet-based electronic-attack aircraft.Photo: U.S. Navy (PO2 Jackson Adkins) · Public domain
An F/A-18F Super Hornet making a high-speed pass, vapour tearing off the wings.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet making a high-speed pass, vapour tearing off the wings.Photo: U.S. Navy (PH2 Daniel J. McLain) · Public domain
Watch

The Super Hornet in motion

DroneScapes — one of the most-watched Super Hornet films on YouTube.

Operations

Where the Super Hornet flies

Combat Record

The score that defines it

The Super Hornet is above all a strike aircraft, and most of its combat record is written in bombs dropped over Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria and in fuel passed to other jets. But it also holds a rare distinction: the only air-to-air kill scored by any Hornet variant in US service this century.

1Air-to-air kill — Syrian Su-22, 18 June 2017
2002First combat strikes, Operation Southern Watch
600+Built for the US Navy, Australia and Kuwait

The 2017 kill — an AIM-120 AMRAAM downing a Fitter that had bombed US-allied ground forces — was the first US air-to-air kill of a crewed aircraft since the 1999 Kosovo campaign. Compare the combat record of every military aircraft. Figures as of July 2026.

Questions & Answers

Everything people ask about the Super Hornet

Can I fly in an F/A-18 Super Hornet?
No — the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a frontline US Navy fighter and is not available for civilian flights anywhere. You can, however, fly in several genuine ex-military jets today — see migflug.com/flights-prices/.
What is the difference between the Super Hornet and the legacy Hornet?
A lot. The legacy F/A-18 Hornet (A/B/C/D) and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet share a name and a look, but the Super Hornet is about 20% larger, roughly 3,200 kg heavier empty, and has a stretched fuselage, a bigger wing, enlarged leading-edge extensions, rectangular intakes, new F414 engines and two extra hardpoints. It carries more, flies further and shares only a fraction of the legacy jet’s parts — the Navy treats it as a separate aircraft.
How fast is the Super Hornet?
Its top speed is a little over Mach 1.6 (some sources cite roughly Mach 1.8 at altitude). It is slightly slower than the legacy Hornet because of its larger, draggier airframe — the trade for far greater range and payload.
Did a Super Hornet ever shoot down another aircraft?
Yes. On 18 June 2017 an F/A-18E flown by Lt Cdr Michael Tremel downed a Syrian Air Force Su-22 near Raqqa with an AIM-120 AMRAAM after an AIM-9X was decoyed by flares. It was the first US air-to-air kill of a crewed aircraft since 1999.
What is the EA-18G Growler?
The EA-18G Growler is an electronic-attack version of the two-seat F/A-18F. It carries jamming pods and anti-radiation missiles to blind enemy radars and air defences, and replaced the older EA-6B Prowler in US Navy service. Australia is the only export Growler operator.
Is the Super Hornet a stealth aircraft?
No, though it is not entirely conventional either. It uses shaping tricks — aligned edges, serrated panels and caret intakes — to cut its frontal radar signature well below older fighters, but it is not a low-observable stealth jet like the F-22 or F-35. Its strengths are payload, range and cost, not stealth.
Who flies the Super Hornet?
The United States Navy is the primary operator, using it as the backbone of its carrier air wings. Australia flies F/A-18F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers, and Kuwait ordered 28 Block III jets delivered from the early 2020s. The US Marine Corps and other nations fly the legacy Hornet, not the Super Hornet.
Is the Super Hornet still in service and production?
Very much in service — it is a frontline US Navy fighter and will be for years, flying alongside the F-35C. New-build production is winding down in the mid-2020s, but existing jets are being upgraded to Block III standard.
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Related Aircraft

Continue the tour

The OriginalF/A-18 HornetThe smaller, lighter legacy Hornet the Super Hornet is named after — a related but genuinely different aircraft.Read the Hornet storyThe PredecessorF-14 TomcatThe big carrier fighter the Super Hornet replaced on US Navy decks — Maverick’s swing-wing legend.Read the Tomcat storyThe StablemateF-35 Lightning IIThe stealth fighter now flying beside the Super Hornet — and the jet that beat it in contest after contest.Read the F-35 story
Sources & Further Reading

Every fact, checked