The 1970s may have been a time of overall “malaise” for the United States, but in terms of military aircraft development, it was a golden age. The fourth-generation series of warplanes is likely the greatest set of warplanes the United States has ever produced. Oh, sure, the fifth-generation birds, the F-22A Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, are technically far more advanced than any of their fourth-generation predecessors. But none have the kind of track record that the fourth-generation planes have.

The F/A-18 Hornet was one of those important fourth-generation planes, not for what it was, but for what it ultimately became—the Super Hornet. McDonnell Douglas (which is today part of Boeing) and Northrop designed the Super Hornet to be a versatile, multirole fighter for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. This bird was the replacement for the F-4 Phantom II and A-7 Corsair II.

An incredible bird

Therefore, the Super Hornet was made to have capabilities in both air-to-air combat and ground-attack missions. Because of this versatility, the Super Hornet’s design emphasized agility, advanced avionics, and a variegated, complex armaments package.

These birds were designed to fight the Soviets at the height of the Cold War but spent their time in service to the nation waging war over the unfriendly skies of the Greater Middle East. They earned their fame once the United States was called to do battle there after Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring Kuwait in 1991 and again following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

By the late 1980s, the Navy was already working on an enhanced version of the F/A-18 Super Hornet. When the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union came crashing down as a challenger to the United States, U.S. defense budgets reflected that happy new reality. Navy platforms like the A-12 Avenger II and the Navy Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF) were scrapped or reduced in priority.

The original F/A-18 was highly versatile but nonetheless limited in range, payload, and survivability. All these deficiencies became apparent as aerial warfare tactics evolved. What’s more, the Navy wanted to streamline its carrier air wings by reducing the number of aircraft types to cut costs and simplify logistics. So, the idea was to build fewer aircraft types that could perform a variegated mission set reliably.

Hence, the creation of the F/A-18E/F. These major considerations played a role in the development of the enhanced Super Hornets. The F/A-18 Super Hornet’s airframes were about 20 percent larger than the Hornets were. That gave the Super Hornet better lift and internal fuel capacity than its Hornet predecessors, which also drastically extended its range.

The Navy tacked on two General Electric F414-GE-400 engines. These engines provided significantly more thrust than the F404 engines that were installed on the legacy Hornet models. These newer engines drastically enhanced the Super Hornets’ performance, notably during carrier operations.

And the Super Hornet’s avionics package is impressive. In the Block I F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet (there are multiple blocks of this variant), the APG-73 radar was included. In subsequent blocks, they were upgraded to the APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar. These birds can see you from afar and kill you without you even knowing what is coming.

Taking wing 

The first flight of the F/A-18 E Super Hornet occurred on November 29, 1995. A year later, the F/A-18F, the two-seat version of the bird, took wing. By 1999, the Super Hornet had entered service, complementing and ultimately replacing the F-14 Tomcat in the air superiority role for the U.S. Navy’s carrier wings. Despite the Super Hornet being an excellent plane (that was actually deemed to be cheaper than the older F-14 Tomcat), it lacked the ability to engage multiple targets over the horizon that the powerful F-14 had.

Still, the Super Hornet has proven itself repeatedly in various combat situations. It is a proven air-to-air combatant as well as a devastating ground attacker. There is even the much cooler electronic warfare (EW) variant of the Super Hornet, known as the EA-18G Growler. That important allies like Australia and Kuwait have purchased export models of these birds shows how valuable and versatile a warplane the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet is.

Ultimately, these storied planes will be replaced by the fifth-generation F-35C. Until that day comes, though, the Super Hornet will continue dominating the skies over where American aircraft carrier battle groups operate. These planes are so amazing that Will Smith chose to fight aliens in “Independence Day” in a Super Hornet. So, that should prove how great of a bird this is. 

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.