Production Moves Forward on Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet for Australia

[tigershark]

Production Moves Forward on Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet for Australia
 ST. LOUIS, March 08, 2009 -- The outer skin of the first Boeing [NYSE: BA] F/A-18F Super Hornet for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is fitted to its forward fuselage on a pulse assembly line in St. Louis. The aircraft is approximately three months ahead of schedule and set for an early delivery date in July.

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a multirole aircraft equipped with the APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, is able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum. The RAAF has 24 Super Hornets on order.

Each of the more than 380 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets Boeing has delivered to the U.S. Navy has been delivered on or ahead of the original delivery timeline.

Source
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2009/q1/090308a_pr.html

[F-111 C/C]

From what I've read, Australia is only getting 20 or so aircraft to bridge the gap between the F-111C phase out and the F-35s arrival. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

[tigershark]

There be flying it for many years to come just like there doing with the current Hornets.  Took me a long time to like this aircraft but I do.  For it's size and what its design for it does well and lets face not too many air to air threats out there.  If you think about most carriers have more fighters then countries have in their air forces so it works for now.