Boeing Wants To Sell Its Super Hornets To Canada

Boeing will offer Canada an advanced version of the Super Hornet fighter jet, shown in this company produced graphic

Saltwire/Ottawa Citizen: Boeing pitches guarantee of billions of dollars of work for Canadian firms if its Super Hornet is picked by Canada

U.S. aerospace giant Boeing is pitching its guarantee of billions of dollars of work for Canadian companies as well as keeping aircraft maintenance in country as it tries to convince the Liberal government to select a new version of the Super Hornet fighter jet.

Boeing is hoping that new technology on the Super Hornet and its commitment to place as much as $30 billion of work with Canadian firms will result in it winning the competition to build 88 jets.

The move comes as the NDP and aerospace unions are becoming more vocal about the need for Canada’s fighter jet replacement project to pay major dividends for the economy.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said last week he would be pushing that issue when Parliament returns and he hopes to have a discussion with the Liberal’s new defence minister about how Canadian jobs can be created and sustained by the program.

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WNU Editor: IMHO. The Super Hornet is a better fit for the Canadian Air Force than the F-35.

Boeing Has High Hopes For The Super Hornet

Front to back, an EA-18G Growler, an F/A-18F Super Hornet, and an F/A-18E Super Hornet. Boeing

Warzone/The Drive: Here's Where Boeing Aims To Take The Super Hornet In The Decades To Come

The Block III program will take deliveries of new and revamped jets out to 2033 and Boeing also sees big potential for export sales and more upgrades.

Last time we checked in with Boeing about the state of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet program, the company had already laid out an impressive plan for the jet’s future based around the new Block III configuration, which promises to significantly expand the combat capabilities of the aircraft. We’ve now had a chance to receive an updated brief from Boeing officials on the Super Hornet program, which points to a bright future for the fighter jet, including additional upgrades and potential foreign sales, through the end of the coming decade and beyond.

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WNU Editor: It is good to know that the F-35 will not be the only U.S. jet that is on the market.

The U.S. Navy Wants A New And Improved Super Hornet

US Navy

Popular Mechanics: U.S. Navy Approves Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet Upgrades

The Navy's flagship carrier-based fighter is getting a major tune-up.

The U.S. Navy has decided to fund Boeing's fighter division to upgrade the service's F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets to the "Block III" configuration. The most recent budget request from the U.S. Navy allocates $264.9 million over the next five years to upgrade the Super Hornet fleet with more advanced avionics and sensor capabilities, according to Aviation Week. The first Block III Super Hornets are slated to enter service in 2019. The program is designed to keep the Navy's primary carrier-based fighter relevant deep into the 21st century.

Boeing originally suggested upgrading the Super Hornet fleet to Block III back in 2008. Recent pressure from the White House to look into an advanced Super Hornet, a large defense budget from the new administration, and rising international tensions have led the Navy to approve the upgrade.

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WNU Editor: This is a clear signal that the F-35 program will not (in the short to medium term) be the fighter jet that the US Navy will solely be dependent on. Is this a lack of confidence in the F-35 program .... not really .... but costs and not putting all of one's eggs in one basket is probably the reason why this upgrade has been approved.

The F-35 Is Here To Stay

An F/A-18E Super Hornet Source: LT Colin Crawford/U.S. Navy

Bloomberg: Lockheed’s F-35 Stealth Fighter Is Here to Stay

Trump has assailed the jet’s cost, but only a modest order by the U.S. Navy is really in question.

As president-elect, Donald Trump wasted little time publicly questioning the Pentagon’s most expensive combat platform, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed Martin Corp.

“Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!” Trump wrote on Twitter in December. Days after Trump took office, the Defense Department began a formal assessment to determine the costs and capabilities of a modernized F/A-18 Super Hornet, a fighter that has figured famously on television and film whenever a carrier battle group steamed by.

The proposed upgrade, a suite of modifications Boeing Co. has been pushing as orders for new F/A-18s slow, is now suddenly in play.

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WNU editor: Even though President Trump's talk on buying some Super Hornets instead of the F-35 will not impact the Air Force buy .... Trump’s call to compete F-35 vs. F-18 won’t involve Air Force (Dayton Daily News) .... even hinting his preference for having some competition in the process is making Lockheed Martin executives and their political backers worried .... Granger says Trump’s plan to pit F-18 vs. F-35 ‘doesn’t make sense’ (Star-Telegram).

U.S. Navy Grounds Super Hornets And Growlers

F-18A Super Hornet. Boeing

Navy Times: All Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets, Growlers grounded after incident injuring aircrew

The Navy temporarily grounded all F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and E/A-18G Growlers Friday after an aircrew was injured and a Growler damaged in an undisclosed incident Friday at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Navy officials said.

The aircrew of an E/A-18G jet assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 132 was injured in an "on-deck emergency" about 11 a.m. Friday, according to a statement from Naval Air Forces.

Naval Air Forces has temporarily suspended flight operations for all F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and E/A-18G Growlers as a safety precaution since they share common aircraft systems, according to the Navy statement.

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Update: Navy grounds Super Hornets, Growlers (San Diego Union Tribune)

WNU editor: Details are sketchy on why these planes have been grounded, but I will update when more information becomes available.

Can Boeing's Super Hornet Rival Lockheed's F-35?

Boeing Touts Fighter Jet To Rival F-35 — At Half The Price -- CBC

Super Hornet less stealthy, but has lower sticker price and operational costs.

In a dogfight of defence contractors, the hunter can quickly become the hunted. It's happening now to the F-35.

The world's largest defence contractor, Lockheed Martin, is trying to convince wavering U.S. allies — including Canada — to stick with its high-tech, high-priced and unproven F-35 stealth fighter. But the F-35 is way behind schedule, way over budget and, now, it's grounded by a mysterious crack in a turbine fan.

After years of technical problems, it's a tempting target for Lockheed Martin's rivals.

It's no surprise, then, that the No. 2 defence contractor, Boeing, smells blood.

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Update: Boeing's bid to replace CF-18s gets CBCNews.ca readers talking -- CBC Community Blog

My Comment: Another added feature to the Super Hornet (for Canada) that is a big positive is the following ....

.... The cost of transitioning our pilots and mechanics from our existing F-18 fleet to the Super Hornet is minimal considering the transition to an entirely new aircraft like the F-35. Furthermore, I suspect there are a lot of parts we have for our existing F-18 fleet that would be applicable to the new Super Hornet," said GGaudreau.

Kudos to the CBC for doing this story .... and the above video is a must see.