AlmightyTallest
Posts: 279
Joined: 2/25/2014 Status: offline
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F-18E's with a more than 50% reduction in RCS with conformal fuel tanks, called the Advanced SuperHornet. http://defensetech.org/2013/11/04/navy-weighs-possible-upgrade-to-advanced-super-hornet/ quote:
The Navy is evaluating a series of upgrades to the F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft designed to increase the range, performance and “stealthy-ness” of the aircraft. The technological innovations include engine improvements, new electronics, the use of a conformal fuel tank, an enclosed weapons pod and efforts to reduce the radar detectability or “signature” of the aircraft, service officials said. These upgrades have resulted in newly configured or modified F/A-18s demonstrator flights in St. Louis, Mo., and Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Md., to provide assessment data for the Navy, said Capt. Frank Morley, F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Manager. “We’re getting good performance numbers on it and good signature measurements. These are items the Navy is considering,” Morley said in an interview with Military.com. The Boeing-funded enhancements, called the Advanced Super Hornet, are aimed at increasing performance while reducing the radar cross-section of the aircraft. “We reduced the signature of the aircraft by over 50-percent. We added low-signature treatments to specific areas of the airplane and then when we designed the conformal fuel tanks and enclosed weapons pod. They are designed specifically to address aerodynamic and signature components,” said Paul Summers, director of capabilities growth, F/A-18, Boeing. Aerodynamically configured conformal fuel tanks are engineered to carry up to 3,500 pounds of fuel, Boeing officials said. The conformal fuel tank and external weapons pod are engineered to help make the aircraft able to fly further with more weapons — without increasing signature or drag for the airplane, Morley explained. “If you have an external weapons pod then you can put weapons on that have a higher signature. You can be more aggressive in an anti-access or denied environment. It will give you more options for firepower without bringing up the signature of the airplane,” Morley said. The external weapons pod, as opposed to using pylons for weapon, could lead to greater use of air-to-air missiles as well as air-to-ground bombs. The enclosed, external aerodynamically engineered weapons pod is built to carry up to 2,500-pounds of weapons. The Super Hornet is configured to fire AIM-9X sidewinder air-to-air missile, the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM, the Joint Standoff Weapon, the Small Diameter Bomb and the Mk-84 general purpose bomb, among others. Additional aspects of the Advanced Super Hornet innovations include improvements to the engine designed to increase acceleration for the aircraft and next-generation cockpit technology, Boeing officials indicated. Read more: http://defensetech.org/2013/11/04/navy-weighs-possible-upgrade-to-advanced-super-hornet/#ixzz2woaDXkhq Defense.org Video of Advanced Super Hornet here with some specs: http://www.boeing.com/boeing/Features/2013/08/bds_adv_super_hornet_08_28_13.page U.S. Navy product card detailing capabilites and design changes: http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/defense-space/military/fa18ef/docs/ash_product_card_130904.pdf Boeing media packet explaining loadouts for the stealthy pods, the conformal fuel tanks, and other options including EA-18G's with CFT's and advanced jammers.: http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/bds/mediakit/2013/advanced_super_hornet/advanced_super_hornet_media_brief.pdf Along with more advanced AN/ALE-55 towed decoys. http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.display&key=357F6BEA-36F7-4B89-8F88-25BFB48C75A8 http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/ale-55-towed-fighter-decoys-for-us-navy-australia-05385/ quote:
IB-3: AN/ALQ-214 and the AN/ALE-55 Fiber Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) quote:
IDECM Blocks 1-3 when integrated with F/A-18E/F provide incremental, significant, improvement in survivability against RF threats. And MALD-J's for the F-18's http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-and-us-navy-begin-mald-j-super-hornet-integration-161536815.html
< Message edited by AlmightyTallest -- 3/23/2014 9:08:20 PM >
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