Two new elements of the Block III Super Hornet are its powerful new Distributed Targeting Processor-Networked (DTP-N) mission computer and its Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) data link. Understandably, Tebo wouldn’t say how much more stealthy the Block III model might be, explaining that the Super Hornet already has “really good radar cross section performance” and that the Block III improvement “is really just buying ourselves a little bit more margin for what we think is needed.” The Block III Super Hornet will be harder to detect according to Tebo with new treatments and coatings to reduce the fighter’s visibility to radar, known as its radar cross section. Tebo says that the few pilots who’ve flown the Block III with CFTs report that “they basically couldn’t even tell they were there.” “I assume it will fly just the same, same roll rate, same performance as a Super Hornet without them,” he says. The ex-Super Hornet pilot I spoke with thinks the CFTs make sense, noting that versions of Lockheed-Martin’s F-16 fighter have flown with CFTs for many years. I asked Boeing how much additional range the CFTs would give the Block III Super Hornet but Boeing spokesman Justin Gibson declined to provide a number, saying the range increase “puts it at comparable range with the F-35 so that both jets can continue serving as complimentary capabilities for the U.S. The tanks can hold 3,500 pounds of fuel she adds, making the Super Hornet “more compatible with the rest of the air wing to include the F-35.” Mounted flush to the leading edge extensions of the fighter’s wings, the CFTs “provide a low drag way to get more range” says Tebo. For comparison, the F-35C’s combat radius is roughly 670 nautical miles.Ĭonformal fuel tanks (CFT) should help, slightly increasing the range of the Block III Super Hornet. Given that the combat radius of the Super Hornet is a little over 500 miles, the strike fighter’s ability to fly far enough to strike targets is questionable. If they’re accurate enough to actually strike an American aircraft carrier that would necessitate keeping the carrier roughly that far away from DF-21Ds in a conflict. Modern anti-ship missiles like China’s DF-21D reportedly have a range of nearly 900 miles. With an advertised range of approximately 1,200 nautical miles the fighter lacks the endurance of the 1,600 nautical mile-capable F-14D Tomcat, the aircraft it replaced on the carrier deck. The combat range of the Super Hornet has been an issue since it entered service. Block III Super Hornet CFTs will carry 3,500 pounds of fuel. Note the conformal fuel tanks on this VX-23 test aircraft which begin atop the leading edge.
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