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<i>Boeing hedges against JSF delays with stealthier Super Hornet

A Boeing Phantom Works team is working on the design of a stealthier version of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, known internally as the Block 3. The design is being studied as a hedge against further delays with the Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which has already slipped by at least a year.

Block 3 studies are being led by the Phantom Works' low-observable (LO) team, headed by Alan Wiechmann. (Super Hornets are now being delivered in the Block 2 configuration, with a revised nose to accommodate the Raytheon APG-79 radar.) The basic Super Hornet already incorporates some LO technology, including edge alignments, swept inlets and treated blocker vanes in front of the engines, and the Phantom Works has been working since the early 1990s on ways to reduce the radar cross-section (RCS) of conventional aircraft and external stores. Boeing engineers acknowledge that the Block 3 would not be as stealthy as the JSF, and state that there are no plans to change the external shape of the aircraft, but assert that even today's aircraft has more LO technology in it than is generally recognised.

Meanwhile, US Navy (USN) Super Hornet programme manager Captain Don Gaddis disclosed at the Avalon air show that the USN has changed it s future force mix. Previously, it planned to field 20 squadrons of F/A-18E/Fs, a fleet of EA-18G jamming aircraft and 20 squadrons of JSFs. Now, however, the USN plans to operate 22 F/A-18E/F squadrons and 18 F-35C squadrons. The change will not make any immediate difference to aircraft purchases, Capt Gaddis said. The reduction in JSF numbers will not take effect until the end of the programme, while the extra Super Hornet squadrons will be filled by higher utilisation of the basic aircraft and by rationalising test and training assets. </i>

http://www.janes.com/aerospace/military ... _1_n.shtml

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Boeing hedges against JSF delays with stealthier Super Hornet<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

A dbsm here and a dbsm there, pretty soon it ends up to be real stealthy...Not! I'd just rather start from somewhere else. Perhaps they are just looking to stay even with advancing radar technology. Like they say, "Hey, It couldn't hurt".

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"Who cares if it works? Does it look good on the ramp?"

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????

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote> and state that there are no plans to change the external shape of the aircraft, but assert that even today's aircraft has more LO technology in it than is generally recognised.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

How would the Block 3 be any stealthier then?

Would they just add RAM to the outside/trailing edges?

Dont know if this information is classified but if anyone knows and can tell please describe what kind of changes would me made.

Thanks,
Alex

Hornets have received RAM paint since at leaste DS-1, no reason to believe it hasnt gotten better as time goes on. F-16 has had numerouse LO upgrades too. With F-22 coming online it's materials and coatings should be available as well.
Just because the SHAPE doesnt change doesnt mean the materials it's made of cant change. They wouldent want to change the shape cause then they would have to go through flight testing again.

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The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

HAVGLASS? I've heard that that's supposed to help with LO, but I don't know if it would handle salt water well enough.

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yeah F-16 got HAVEGLASS on the intake a while ago, I suppose it can be painted with a marine grade paint or coating of some sort.

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The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

Not just on the intake, the whole jet has the stuff now. We had to change the type of stencil we used because it wouldn't stick on the AME. Fun stuff.

"Some pup"
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"AME"?
Ugh the WHOLE jet? Last I saw HAVEGLASS was rather er um "texturous" lol is it a smooth coating now?

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The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

Alternate Mission Equipment. All the launchers and pylons and stuff.

Yeah, the whole jet. It's not terribly bad as far as texture is concerned, it's a pain in the butt to keep clean though. And it peels easily, so you can't just unscrew a screw, you have to cut the paint so it doesn't mess up the whole paint job. I shudder to think of taking panels off the jet. one wrong move and you gotta get paint barn on it.

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