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Super Hornet LOT 25 Has Arrived

NAVAIR News Release Press Release Number: E200210153

Release Date: 15-Oct-02

Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD -- An improved Super Hornet had its first flight in August, ahead of schedule, and with a long list of upgraded or new features. Thanks to the efforts of the Navy/Boeing Team the fleet has the foundation for significant warfighting improvements.

F/A-18E/F aircrews will appreciate the new suite of state-of-the-art displays, but the biggest benefit to the fleet is the increased software and hardware capacity. These improvements will allow the Super Hornet to easily incorporate future warfighting improvements like the active electronically scanned array (AESA) and the advanced crew station (ACS). Thanks to higher order language (HOL) operational flight programs (OFPs) software upgrades can be incorporated with ease.

The delivery of the LOT 25 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was two months ahead of production schedule in spite of the challenges the team had to overcome. Engineers had to coordinate five major computers, running in real time, as well as integrate and test a completely new set of pilot displays. The Advanced Mission Computers and Displays (AMC&D) replaced the Digital Mission Computer. With AMC&D came the Digital Expandable Color Display (DECD), which replaced the center display Multi Purpose Color Display. Other features include the Signal Data Computer (fuel system computer, an interface computer between several analog aircraft systems and the digital mission computer), the digital engine control computer, and the stores management computer upgrade.

The team made major use of commercial-off-the-shelf components and modules in the upgraded avionics. The hardware also includes a new one gigabit-per-second state-of-the-art high-speed serial interface between the mission computers. The team rewrote over two million words of legacy assembly language software code into the higher order C++ language and added necessary new capabilities in support of the new avionics. This required not only the normal testing for new systems but also a complete regression test of functionality in the aircraft.

The team surmounted a wide range of issues typical of a very large, integrated, real-time system - an incredible accomplishment to complete early. (This may well be a software industry first for a project of this size.) It took all members of the F/A-18 Team to deliver this result.

The team included leadership from PMA265, PMA209, the Boeing production crew, Boeing suppliers, the China Lake/Boeing software team, and the China Lake and Patuxent River flight test teams.

F56, the jet used in flight test, is currently involved in developmental testing of its new systems, but will transfer in the fall to the F/A-18 Fleet Readiness Squadron, VFA-122, to train fleet-bound aircrews. Next year the aircraft will transfer to a combat-ready fleet squadron.