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Combat aircraftIn service
Carrier-based multirole fighter
Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a carrier-based multirole fighter originating in United States. The cited manufacturer or builder is McDonnell Douglas (1995–1997) Boeing Defense, Space & Security (1997–present).
United StatesBoeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · ModifiedTechnical data
Carrier-based multirole fighter
United States
McDonnell Douglas (1995–1997) Boeing Defense, Space & Security (1997–present)
In service
United States Navy Royal Australian Air Force Kuwait Air Force
≥632 as of April 2020
1995–present
1999 2001 ( Initial operating capability , IOC)
29 November 1995 ( 1995-11-29 )
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
Boeing EA-18G Growler
F/A-18E: 1 (pilot), F/A-18F: 2 (pilot and weapon systems officer )
60 ft 1.25 in (18.31 m)
44 ft 8.5 in (13.62 m)
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 4.88 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
16 ft 0 in (4.88 m)
500 sq ft (46.5 m 2 )
32,081 lb (14,552 kg)
47,000 lb (21,320 kg) (equipped for fighter escort)
66,000 lb (29,937 kg)
2 × General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofans , 13,000 lbf (58 kN) thrust each dry, 22,000 lbf (98 kN) with afterburner
Mach 1.8, 1,030 kn (1,185 mph; 1,908 km/h) clean at 40,000 ft Mach 1.06, 700 kn (806 mph; 1,296 km/h) at sea level Mach 1.62, 932 kn (1,073 mph; 1,726 km/h) at 36,000 ft, air-to-air loadout (2× AIM-120, 2× AIM-9, internal fuel only)
482 kn (555 mph, 893 km/h) fighter escort
1,275 nmi (1,458 mi, 2,346 km) with armament of two AIM-9s
558 nmi (642 mi, 1,033 km) hi-lo-hi mission with 2× GBU-10 laser guided bombs, 1× AIM-120, 2× AIM-9, 3× drop tanks 404 nmi (465 mi; 748 km) fighter escort with 2× AIM-120, 2× AIM-9, internal fuel only 201 nmi (231 mi; 372 km) deck launched intercept with 2× AIM-120, 2× AIM-9, 1× drop tank 388 nmi (447 mi; 719 km) interdiction mission with 4× Mark 83 bombs, 2× AIM-9, 2× drop tanks
1,800 nmi (2,070 mi, 3,330 km)
52,300 ft (15,940 m)
44,882 ft/min (228 m/s)
1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A2 Vulcan , 412 rounds
F/A-18E: 14,700 lb (6,668 kg), F/A-18F: 13,760 lb (6,241 kg)
Up to 4 × 480 US gal (1,817 L) tanks, totaling 13,040 lb (5,915 kg), option for 2 x 515 US gal (1,949 L) conformal fuel tanks totaling an additional 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) on Block III
129 kn (148 mph, 239 km/h) power-off
94.0 lb/sq ft (459 kg/m 2 ) or 127.0 lb/sq ft (620 kg/m 2 ) at max takeoff weight
0.93
7.5 g
Air-to-air missiles Fighter escort: 7× AIM-120 AMRAAM and 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder or 5x AIM-120 and 4× AIM-9 or 4× AIM-174B , 3× AIM-120, and 2× AIM-9 or 4× AIM-7 Sparrow and 2× AIM-9 maximum of 2× AIM-9 and: 12× AIM-120 AMRAAM or 8× AIM-7 Sparrow Air-to-surface missiles AGM-65E/F Maverick AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER AGM-88 HARM AGM-88G AARGM-ER [being integrated] AGM-158 JASSM AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) - glide bomb AGM-84 Harpoon AGM-158C LRASM Joint Strike Missile (JSM) (to be integrated)
JDAM bombs (up to 10× GBU-32/35/38/54 or 4× GBU-31) Paveway series of laser-guided bombs Mk 80 series unguided bombs Mk-62/63/65 Quick Strike Naval mine
SUU-42A/A Flares/infrared decoy dispenser pod and chaff pod AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system pod up to 4× 480 US gal (1,800 L; 400 imp gal) drop tanks and 1× A/A42R-1 Aerial Refueling Store pod for aerial refueling. 12× ADM-141C TALD decoys AWW-13 Advanced data link pod
11 (2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage) with a capacity of Max payload: 17,750 lb (8,050 kg). Carrier bringback payload: F/A-18E: 9,900 lb (4,491 kg), F/A-18F: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg) , with provisions to carry combinations of:
Hardpoints: 11 (2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage) with a capacity of Max payload: 17,750 lb (8,050 kg). Carrier bringback payload: F/A-18E: 9,900 lb (4,491 kg), F/A-18F: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg) , with provisions to carry combinations of:
Length 60.2 feet (18.3 meters)
Height 16 feet (4.9 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight 66,000 pounds (29,937 kilograms)
Maximum Speed Mach 1.6
Ceiling 50,000+ feet (15,240+ meters)
Thrust Each engine up to 17,000 pounds (7,711 kilograms)
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
AustraliaAir Force exact named equipment holdings: F/A-18F Super Hornet. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FGA. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Reported count for Boeing F/A-18E/F · F/A-18F. Service scope: Royal Australian Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 24. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2024), not the article revision. 2024 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
Kuwait United StatesNaval Aviation Reserve exact named equipment holdings: F/A-18E Super Hornet; F/A-18F Super Hornet. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FGA. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
United States Navy Royal Australian Air Force Kuwait Air Force
Equipment reference ↗Naval Aviation exact named equipment holdings: F/A-18E Super Hornet. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / FGA. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Reported count for F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Service scope: Navy; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 549. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.