Boeing is offering the U.S. Navy a plan that includes continued long-term production of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to alleviate a major projected shortfall in the service’s strike-fighter numbers and keep the force capable until a replacement is fielded, in the mid-2030s or later.
The Navy’s oldest Super Hornet fleet will reach its 6,000-hr. design lifetime in 2017. The rest of the fleet will follow at approximately the rate they were acquired—around 40 per year—but the Navy can afford 20 Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighters each year, at most, and may buy fewer than that.
None of this has been easy for the Navy.
Where will the carrier deck be in 5 years; 10 years; 20 years?
Also:
About half the Navy/Marine Classic inventory is in “out of reporting” status today, either because they are in the Navy’s depots (at Jacksonville, Florida, or North Island near San Diego) or out of hours, waiting for the SLEP.
And...
But with the high rate of SLEPs—and each taking about a year—life extension alone will not fill the gap.
Big trouble for big carriers.
3 tacair squadrons anyone?
Where 1/3rd of all Super missions are tanker hops.
Talk among yourselves in regard to the Navy not being able to afford the number of defective F-35Cs to-plan or want.
Coercion or otherwise.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment