Super Hornet's Extended Service Life Marks New Era for Naval Aviation
Story by Sarah Wilson
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, that sentinel of naval aviation since its 2001 operational debut, is set to take to the sky for another two decades because of the Service Life Modification program. The first Super Hornet to complete depot repairs under the ambitious program was recently delivered by the Defense Contract Management Agency Boeing St. Louis.
Navy Capt. Paul Filardi, commander of DCMA Boeing St. Louis and a F/A-18 weapons system officer, spoke to the significance of this milestone. The SLM program is one of the Navy’s top priorities, expected to last more than 15 years with a program cost of approximately $7.8 billion, he said. The program functions under the “one program, two sites” philosophy, Filardi said, with activities split between St. Louis and San Antonio.
It’s just a phased approach, said Jess Overby, DCMA Boeing St. Louis F/A-18 E/F Service Life Modification program integrator. The first phase takes 18 months to extensively disassemble, inspect modify, and repair the aircraft and includes extending the service life 25 percent from 6,000 to 7,500 flight hours. This first phase which is upwards of $10 million per aircraft in comparison to 65 million dollars for a new aircraft is cost effective.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/super-hornet-s-extended-service-life-marks-new-era-for-naval-aviation/ar-AA1q2z3e?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=c8d241740de344c1919bd1cbf257ee9a&ei=26
