Milestones
Jan. 11, 1988 -- McDonnell Douglas announces that it and the U.S. Navy are studying concepts for an advanced version of the F/A-18 Hornet, called "Hornet 2000."
May 6, 1992 -- The Defense Acquisition Board approves the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase for the F/A-18 E/F program. The Super Hornet is to be built under tenets of an Engineering Change Proposal rather than a new-start program with a cap of $4.8B.
Dec. 7, 1992 -- EMD contract signed.
May 1995 -- F/A-18E1 final assembly begins at McDonnell Douglas.
May 1995 -- General Electric delivers the first production F414-GE-400 engines.
Sept. 19, 1995 -- F/A-18E1 roll-out ceremony at McDonnell Douglas attended by 1,500 people. Admiral Jeremy Boorda, Chief of Naval Operations, names the E/F the Super Hornet.
Nov. 29, 1995 -- F/A-18E1 first flight at St. Louis, MO.
Feb. 14, 1996 -- F/A-18E1 arrives at NAS Patuxent River, MD.
Feb. 19, 1996 -- F/A-18E2 arrives at Patuxent River, MD.
Mar. 1996 -- The F/A-18E/F Program receives the first U.S. Department of Defense Acquisition Excellence Award.
Apr. 1996 -- The Program is authorized to procure low-rate initial production (LRIP) long-lead items.
Apr. 1996 -- McDonnell Douglas and Northrop Grumman develop a plan for an electronic warfare variant of the F/A-18F to replace the EA-6B. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is planned to be between 2007 and 2009.
Apr. 1, 1996 -- The F/A-18F1 first flight.
Apr. 12-13, 1996 -- F/A-18E1 completes the first supersonic test flights achieving Mach 1.1 (April 12) and Mach 1.52 (April 13).
May 14, 1996 -- Test program surpasses 100 flight hours.
May 21, 1996 -- he first F/A-18/E/F (F1) arrives at NAS Patuxent River, MD.
May 22, 1996 -- F/A-18E2 completes the longest single flight to date -- five hours -- for the E/F flight test program.
June 13, 1996 -- Test program surpasses 100 flights.
June 26, 1996 -- Test program surpasses 200 flight hours.
July 1996 -- F/A-18/E/F Integrated Test Team named winner of The Order of the Daedalians Weapon System Award for 1995. The award is presented annually to recipients in the Army, Navy or Air Force who have made major contributions to the development of an outstanding weapon system.
Aug. 5, 1996 -- F/A-18F1 performs catapults steam ingestion tests at NAS Patuxent River.
Aug. 22, 1996 -- Test program surpasses 300 flight hours.
Aug. 22, 1996 -- F/A-18E4 arrives at NAS Patuxent River.
Aug. 27, 1996 -- F/A-18E5 first flight.
Sept. 30, 1996 -- Test program surpasses 400 flight hours.
Oct. 1996 -- The F/A-18E/F Program wins the Aircraft Design Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Oct. 29, 1996 -- Test program surpasses 500 flight hours.
Dec. 1996 -- Test program completes 586.5 flight hours for the year.
Jan. 22, 1997 -- F/A-18F2 arrives at NAS Patuxent River.
Jan. 24 1997 -- F/A-18F1 completes initial sea trials aboard the USS John C. Stennis one week earlier than scheduled.
Feb. 1, 1997 -- The seventh and final E/F flight test aircraft, F/A-18E3, arrives at NAS Patuxent River.
Feb. 19, 1997 -- F/A-18E/Fs successfully completes the test program's first stores separation test by dropping an empty 480-gallon fuel tank from 5,000 feet.
Feb. 26, 1997 -- F/A-18E/Fs first flight with full combat load of three 480-gallon fuel tanks, two Mk-84 bombs, two AIM-9s and two high-speed anti-radiation missiles.
Mar. 1997 -- Weapons separation tests including single, paired, multiple and ripple configuration tests (SLAM, Harpoon, Mk-82s, and 480-gallon tanks from both centerline and wing stations).
Mar. 28, 1997 -- CNO Admiral Jay Johnson flies with Commander Tom Gurney in F/A-18F2.
Apr. 5, 1997 -- F/A-18F2 fires the first AIM-9 missile of the flight test program.
May 1, 1997 -- F/A-18 test article successfully completes static drop test program at St. Louis.
Aug. 1997 -- Super Hornet begins barricade engagement testing.
Aug. 29, 1997 -- 1,500th flight hour flown by F/A-18E1.
Sept. 12, 1997 -- 1,000th test flight flown by F/A-18E4.
Sept. 15, 1997 -- The first Super Hornet enters low rate initial production at The Boeing Company.
Nov. 13, 1997 -- Clean aircraft new technologies demonstration completed.
Nov. 20, 1997 -- First Operational Test (OT-IIA) is completed.
Dec. 5, 1997 -- AIM-9 wingtip and AIM-120 fuselage station missile launches completed.
Dec. 8, 1997 -- 2,000th flight hour flown by F/A-18F2.
Feb. 25, 1998 -- F/A-18F1 ferried to NAS Lakehurst, NJ for carrier suitability tests.
Mar. 23, 1998 -- F/A-18F1 completes carrier suitability tests in NAS Lakehurst.
Mar. 1998 -- LRIP II production funding approved and LRIP III advanced procurement funding approved.
Apr. 1998 -- F/A-18F2 transitions to NAWS China Lake, CA.
June 19, 1998 -- First LRIP Super Hornet fuselage spliced at Boeing St, Louis.
Aug. 1998 -- OT-IIB completed.
Aug. 13, 1998 -- General Electric delivers first F414-GE-400 production engine.
Oct. 23, 1998 -- F/A-18E1 completes EMD flutter flight test program one month ahead of schedule.
Nov. 6, 1998 -- F/A-18E1 completes EMD flutter flight test program one month ahead of schedule.
Nov. 9, 1998 -- Flight test program completes the 2,500th flight.
Dec. 1998 -- OT-IIB results deem Super Hornet potentially operationally effective and suitable.
Dec. 18, 1998 -- F/A-18E6 delivered one month early to U.S. Navy.
Jan. 1999 -- VFA-122, the first Super Hornet Squadron, "stands up".
Jan. 12, 1999 -- Flight test program completes 4,000 flight hours.
Mar. 3, 1999 -- Follow-on sea trials begin; second Super Hornet sea detachment aboard USS Harry S. Truman.
Mar. 8, 1999 -- Super Hornet completes first night carrier launch and recovery.
Mar. 1999 -- Super Hornet demonstrates aerial refueling capabilities at NAS Patuxent River by refueling another Super Hornet, an S3 Viking, and an F-14 Tomcat.
Apr. 1999 - US Navy flight testing of Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) on Super Hornet begins.
Apr. 30, 1999 -- EMD concludes. The 4th and 5th production models delivered to Navy (F models).
May 5, 1999 -- he Flight Test program is completed with 3,100 test flights and 4,600 flight hours.
May 30, 1999 -- Operational Test and Evaluation (OPEVAL) begins.
June 1999 -- VX-9 conducts first Super Hornet OPEVAL detachment at NAS Key West, FL.
July 1999 --VX-9 conducts second OPEVAL detachment aboard USS Stennis -- two weeks of day and night carrier operations integrating the Super Hornet into the carrier air-wing.
Aug. 1999 -- VX-9 conducts third OPEVAL detachment by participating in "Red Flag" at Nellis AFB, NV.
Nov. 1999 -- F/A-18F2 makes 500th flight at NAWS China Lake.
Nov. 16, 1999 -- OPEVAL concludes.
Nov. 17, 1999 -- VFA-122 receives first seven Super Hornets at NAS Lemoore.
Nov. 22, 1999 -- Boeing announces selection of Raytheon to develop the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for the Super Hornet.
Dec. 13, 1999 -- Super Hornet reaches 5,000 flight hours at NAWS China Lake.
Feb. 14, 2000 -- OPEVAL results announced - the Super Hornet is operationally effective and suitable, the best possible grade.
Feb. 15, 2000 -- Full-rate production begins.
Feb. 17, 2000 -- The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) selects the Super Hornet for the 1999 Collier Award Trophy.
Mar. 24, 2000 -- The first JDAM is released from a Super Hornet (F/A-18E4) at NAS Patuxent River MD.
Apr. 4, 2000 -- Three Super Hornet squadrons -- VFA-122, VX-9 and the ITT -- begin sea trials aboard USS Lincoln.
May 3, 2000 -- NAA presents the Collier Trophy to the Navy and Industry team at Washington, D.C.
June 15, 2000 -- he U.S. Government awards the Boeing Company a 5-year multi-year contract (MYP) worth $8.9B for 222 Super Hornets. This is the first MYP ever awarded a tactical aircraft program at the completion of OPEVAL.
July 14, 2000 -- Super Hornet makes an international flying debut at Farnborough Air Show 2000.
Nov. 14, 2000 -- Aviation Week presents the Super Hornet U.S. Navy and Industry team the Quality Center Award for superior quality management in civil, military and space organizations and facilities.
Dec. 1, 2000 -- Super Hornet E1 makes its final flight before retiring to flyable storage status.
Dec. 4, 2000 -- LtJg Corey "Pops" Pritchard becomes the first Fleet Readiness Squadron (VFA-122) student to carrier qualify in the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.
Dec. 7, 2000 -- VFA-115, the first operational Super Hornet squadron receives its first Super Hornet.
Feb. 2001 -- The Super Hornet participates in the Australia Down Under Air Show.
May 2001 -- Navy awards a FIRST (F/A-18E/F Integrated Readiness Support Teaming) contract to Boeing to provide full logistics support for several items unique to the F/A-18E/F.
May 18, 2001 -- VFA-122 pilots fly in a U.S. air show marking the first time the Super Hornet and the US Navy have performed a flight demonstration In the US.
September 2001 -- The U.S. Navy declares Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the Super Hornet.
Sept. 26, 2001 -- Boeing delivers first full-rate production (FRP) Super Hornet to U.S. Navy.
Nov. 15, 2001 -- Boeing completes initial flight demonstration of EA-18 Airborne Electronic Attack concept aircraft.
June 14, 2002 -- 100th Super Hornet F-128 delivery ceremony at St. Louis attended by CNO Admiral Vernon Clark.
July 24, 2002 -- F/A-18E's first operational deployment with VFA-115 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).
Oct. 15, 2002 -- Delivery of first Lot 25, Super Hornet two months ahead of schedule. Lot 25 includes: Advanced Mission Computers & Displays and increased software and hardware capacity to enable incorporation of the APG-79 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) and Advanced Crew Station.
Nov. 6, 2002 -- F/A-18E's enter combat over Iraq's southern "no-fly" zone.
Nov. 20, 2002 -- AESA debut ceremony at Raytheon, El Segundo, CA.
Nov. 29, 2002 -- Cmdr. Matt Tysler is the first pilot to log 1,000 flight hours in a Super Hornet.
Dec. 12, 2002 -- The F/A-18 Hornet fleet surpasses 5,000,000 flight hours.
Feb. 8, 2003 -- Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine awards the F/A-18's APG-79 AESA program a Laureate Award in the Electronics division.
Mar. 3, 2003 -- VFA-14 and VFA-41 deploy aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
Apr. 3, 2003 -- The first operational flight of the Fast Tactical Imagery (FTI-II), a photo reconnaissance intelligence strike module, on an F/A-18F from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), flying over Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
May 1, 2003 -- VFA-115 returns from deployment to NAS Lemoore, CA, after participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
May 27, 2003 -- The FIRST program receives letter of commendation from Dianne Morales, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Logistics, Materiel & Readiness for the high standard of contractor support the program established in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Aug. 30, 2003 -- The APG-79 AESA radar completes its first flight in a test aircraft.
Sept. 2, 2003 -- The first Block II Super Hornet with the redesigned forward fuselage, ECP 6038, is delivered to NAS China Lake.
Sept. 3, 2003 -- The U.S. Navy awards Boeing (Raytheon) a $47.5M contract for low-rate initial production of the AESA radar system.
Sept. 5, 2003 -- The ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared sensor (ATFLIR) pod receives ratings of "operationally effective and operationally suitable," the highest rating possible, from its OPEVAL.
Sept. 10, 2003 -- The ATFLIR reaches IOC with VFA-103 at NAS Lemoore, CA.
Dec. 17, 2003 -- The U.S. Navy awards a $298.2M full-rate production contract to Raytheon Corporation for the ATFLIR.
Dec. 29, 2003 -- The U.S. Navy awards a second $8.6B Multi-Year Procurement (MYP2) contract to Boeing for 210 Super Hornet.
Dec. 29, 2003 -- The U.S. Navy awards a $1B, 5-year System Design and Development (SDD) contract to Boeing for the EA-18G airborne electronic attack aircraft. The contract is worth.
June 23, 2004 -- GKN conducts the first "chip cutting" for an EA-18G part, when the company begins milling the first "G" Y204 bulkhead from a 3-3/4 inch thick, 44 x 52-inch plate of aluminum.
July 1, 2004 -- Northrop Grumman's begins assembly of the center/aft fuselage for the first SDD EA-18Gs at in El Segundo, Calif.
Aug. 24, 2004 -- Boeing delivers the 200th Super Hornet, F-108, to Test and Evaluation Squadron 9 (VX-9), at NAS, China Lake , CA.
Sept. 2, 2004 -- The first Super Hornets to be assigned on the East Coast join the Fleet Replacement Squadron VFA-106 "Gladiators," at NAS Oceana, VA.
Oct. 22, 2004 -- First SDD EA-18Gs begins final assembly in St. Louis, MO.
Dec. 28, 2004 -- First production APG-79 AESA radar is shipped to St, Louis from Raytheon facilities in El Segundo, CA.
Apr. 21, 2005 -- Block II Super Hornet with Advanced Radar System debuts.
Aug. 30, 2005 -- Hornet fleet surpasses 6,000,000 flight hours.
Jan. 3, 2006 -- The FIRST Program awarded $995M Long-Term Contract.
Aug. 4 2006 -- Formal roll-out of first EA-18G developmental airframe "EA-1" at St. Louis MO.
Aug. 16 2006 -- First flight of EA-18G developmental airframe EA-1.
Sept. 30 2006 -- The Super Hornet achieves 102,000 mishap free flight hours in FY06 - the first USN TACAIR aircraft to exceed 100,000 mishap free flight hours in a year .
Oct. 2006 -- First Block II squadron, VFA-213 at NAS Oceana, VA, declared fully operational.
May 2007 -- the Commonwealth of Australia signs a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets.
Sept. 30 2007 -- The Super Hornet exceeds 116,000 mishap free flight hours for FY07.
Dec. 2007 -- Super Hornet Block II reaches IOC.
May 2008 -- VFA 22 embarks on first Block II deployment.
Aug. 2008 -- First EA-18G delivered to Fleet Readiness Squadron VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island, WA.
Dec. 17, 2008 -- Final assembly of Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornets begins at Boeing St. Louis.
Jul. 14, 2008 -- The Hornet Fleet surpasses 7,000,000 flight hours.
Sept. 30 2008 -- The Super Hornet exceeds 119,900 mishap free flight hours for FY08 and holds three of four all-time yearly safety records for Naval Aviation.
Jan. 7 -- 23 Mar. 2009 -- 2 F/A-18Fs (VFA-122) complete an around the world flight demonstration flying 27,000 miles and 17 air show demonstrations in 9 countries.
Jun. 8, 2009 -- Boeing Debuts 1st Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet (AFA01).
July 14, 2009 -- First RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet flight, three months early.
July 24, 2009 -- Boeing Delivers 400th F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to US Navy.
Sep. 30 2009 -- EA-18G reaches IOC with VAQ-132 at NAS Whidbey Island WA.
Mar. 28, 2010 -- First five RAAF Super Hornets arrive at RAAF Amberley, Australia.
Apr. 22, 2010 -- The first USN tactical aircraft to fly with biofuel, the "Green Hornet" F/A-18F, broke Mach at NAS Patuxent River using a 50/50 mixture of biofuel made from camelina oil.
June 2010 -- The Super Hornet fleet exceeds 750,000 flight hours Jun 1, 2010 -- The Green Hornet Team is awarded the CNO Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition Award by CNO Admiral Gary Roughead.