Royal Australian Air Force Receives Four Boeing Super Hornets

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Royal Australian Air Force Receives Four Boeing Super Hornets By Daniel Baxter

		January 7, 2010 - Boeing delivered four new F/A-18F Super Hornets to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley in December, expanding the RAAF's fleet of the advanced multirole fighters to 15. The delivery enabled the RAAF's achievement of Initial Operating Capability (IOC) with its first Super Hornet squadron, the Amberley-based No. 1. Boeing has delivered all 15 Super Hornets to Australia ahead of schedule. "Early delivery of our new Super Hornets at Amberley has been a vital part of our path toward IOC for our first Super Hornet squadron, which we have now achieved ahead of schedule," said RAAF Group Capt. Steve Roberton, Officer Commanding 82 Wing, which operates the Super Hornet.

"As we've continued to hit our marks on time or early, in many instances with the Super Hornet program, we've enabled the RAAF to ensure Australia's regional air superiority as we transition from the F-111 and classic Hornet." The December arrival was the third Super Hornet delivery to the base during 2010. Three aircraft in the latest delivery were prewired for potential conversion to electronic attack capability during production at Boeing facilities in St. Louis; the remaining nine aircraft in the contract will be prewired in the same way before delivery to the RAAF's No. 6 Squadron. "The Boeing Super Hornet team has surpassed expectations by delivering 15 aircraft to the RAAF in 2010 instead of the 12 originally scheduled," said Carolyn Nichols, Australian Super Hornet program manager for Boeing. "Additionally, each aircraft has been delivered within budget. We are fully committed to ensuring the same delivery success and budget excellence throughout 2011. We congratulate the men and women of the RAAF on the outstanding achievement of reaching No. 1 Squadron's Super Hornet IOC ahead of schedule." The Australian government announced in March 2007 that it would acquire 24 of the advanced Block II versions of the Super Hornet, all of which are equipped with the Raytheon-built APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.

The Boeing Super Hornet is a multirole aircraft, able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions. Boeing has delivered more than 440 F/A-18E/Fs to the U.S. Navy. Every Super Hornet produced has been delivered on or ahead of schedule and on budget.

		A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide. Other News Stories Eurocopter Modernize 36 AS350 Ecureuil Helicopters Sen. Stevens Plane Crash, NTSB Issues ELT Recommendations Canada Approves G450 And G350 To Operate At 45,000 Feet American Airlines And The Online Travel Agency Debate ARSA Sets Record Straight For Future Of Aviation Advisory Committee Pan American Flight 281 Hijacker Sentenced Northrop Completes Second Flight Test Phase Of The MR-TCDL Relief Flight With Medical Supplies Headed To Pakistan?s Flood Victims SkyWest Purchases Four CRJ700 NextGen Regional Jets FAA Approves ToughWriter Flight Deck Printer On The Boeing 767 Aircraft World Fuel Services Completes Acquisition Of The Hiller Group The Association Of Flight Attendants Has New Leadership FAA Light-Sport Aircraft Safety Seminar-2011 Honda Achieves First Flight Of FAA Conforming HondaJet International Passengers Are Entitled To Compensation For Tarmac Delays Sex Flights Gets Grounded By The Civil Aviation Authority NTSB To Review Emergency Certificate Actions Regulations Russian Jet Burst Into A Ball Of Fire Just Before Takeoff Flight Design Seeking New Representatives To Better Serve Customers Wayne County Airport Saves Millions Trough Bond Refinancing NTSB Update On Jackson Hole B-757 Runway Overrun Incident Passenger Jet Flight 2253 Fails To Stop After Landing - This New Year's Eve Don't Drink And Drive Put Safety First AeroVironment Receives Order For 123 Raven Unmanned Aircraft GE?s 1000th Dowty Propeller System Makes First Flight On C-130J American Airlines Provides Update On Disputes With Orbitz And Expedia Boeing Delivers First 737 Sky Interior To Continental Airlines Alfred E. Kahn ?Father of Airline Deregulation" Dies At 93 Busted At The Airport With 49 Pellets Of Heroin In His Stomach Fighting Fires In Ecuador With The Flight Design CTLS Garmin Receives EASA Approval On The G1000 Equipped King Air 200