The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a supersonic carrier-based fighter/attack aircraft. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a larger and more advanced derivative of the F/A-18C/D Hornet. The Super Hornet entered service with the United States Navy in 1999 and will serve alongside the original Hornet. It has been ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force in 2007 to replace its aging F-111 fleet.
The design of the Super Hornet may have gone through a more extensive evolution than any other combat aircraft. The F-5 Freedom Fighter donated its basic wing platform, enlarged wing root extensions, and nose as the starting point for the Northrop YF-17 Cobra lightweight fighter. The YF-17 was then sized up to produce the middle-weight F/A-18 multi-role fighter, which roughly matched the Phantom in range/payload and missile armament. The Super Hornet is about 20% larger, 7000 lb (3000 kg) heavier empty, and 15,000 lb (6800 kg) heavier at maximum weight than the original Hornet. Although the original YF-17 was about the same weight as the small F-5, the Super Hornet carries 33% more internal fuel, increasing mission range by 41% and endurance by 50% over the "Legacy" Hornet. The empty weight of the Super Hornet is about 11,000 lb (5000 kg) less than that of the F-14 Tomcat that it replaced.
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