Boeing lands $313.4M Super Hornet life extension contract

Arlington-based Boeing Co. has received a $313.4 million contract modification to upgrade and extend the service life of 25 Navy Super Hornet jet fighters, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

The contract includes non-recurring engineering, system engineering program management and Block III avionics upgrades to extend the service life up F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets from 6,000 flight hours to 10,000 flight hours. The Super Hornet entered the fleet in 1999 as a replacement for the Navy’s F-14 Tomcat; the E variant is a single seat, twin engine carrier capable fighter, while the F variant is a tandem seat aircraft.

Boeing delivered two Block III test jets to the Navy in 2020; the upgrade incorporates an advanced cockpit system with touchscreen display, reduced radar cross section and advanced networking infrastructure. The company is under contract to build 78 new Block III Super Hornets for the service through 2024 ; Defense News reported in 2021 that if the Navy puts all of its Block II Super Hornets through upgrades, it will have more than 500 Block III aircraft that will work their way into the fleet into the 2030s.

Work under the latest contract is expected to be complete in February 2025.