Blue Angels To Get 18 Early Production Super Hornets

The U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, perform during the Vectren Dayton Air Show in Dayton, Ohio. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Schumaker

Warzone/The Drive: Blue Angels To Get 18 Early Production Super Hornets And Revised Routine For 2021 Season

The Blue Angels' Super Hornet routine will be shorter and its maneuvers modified to reduce airframe fatigue and increase safety.

The Navy is hard at work preparing the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, aka The Blue Angels, to transition from legacy F/A-18 Hornets to Super Hornets. With a new mount comes a lot of work and planning, as well as some significant changes to the Blue Angels iconic routine and to the 'new' aircraft themselves.

The transition, which will occur between the end of a shortened 2020 season and the beginning of a shortened 2021 season, will include providing the team with a whopping 18 Super Hornets. All of these jets will be low-rate initial production (LRIP) units—among the oldest around—that are not equipped for front line combat and are presently either in storage or being used as trainers or test airframes.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is quite an upgrade.