GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Price reduction could help fighter programme avoid possible US Navy budget cuts
Boeing has redesigned the forward fuselage of the F/A-18E/F to reduce cost and accommodate new systems, particularly the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, to be installed under the Block 2 avionics upgrade of the Super Hornet.
The new forward fuselage, known internally as engineering change proposal (ECP) 6038, is a major element in Boeing's "must cost" initiative to reduce the unit price of the Block 2 aircraft to $40 million by 2005. Intended to make the Super Hornet more competitive on the export market, the cost reduction effort could help the F/A-18E/F programme avoid possible US Navy budget cuts.
Boeing has withdrawn the F/A-18E/F from Brazil's F-X fighter competition because the aircraft "is just entering service [and] cannot meet the strict budgetary requirements". The company is "continuing aggressive cost-cutting initiatives that will result in a competitive price for international sales".
Assembly of the first test articles has begun and the new forward fuselage will be incorporated beginning with production Lot 26, scheduled for delivery beginning in mid-2003. ECP 6038 includes provisions for all the systems planned under the Block 2 upgrade, including AESA radar and advanced crew station, which will be phased in as funding allows then retrofitted.
The backbone of the Block 2 upgrade - advanced mission computer and displays, fibre-channel network and redesigned F/A-18F aft cockpit - will be introduced with Lot 26. A digital video map computer will be introduced with Lot 27, paving the way for installation of a 200 x 250mm (8 x 10in) situation awareness display in the rear cockpit beginning with Lot 28, scheduled for delivery in 2005.
Beginning with Lot 26, aircraft will have provisions for the current RaytheonAPG-73 radar and the company's APG-79 AESA, which will be phased in beginning with Lot 27. All Block 2 Super Hornets - those with the ECP 6038 forward fuselage - will be fitted or retrofitted with the AESA.
The new forward fuselage has 40% fewer parts and 51% fewer fasteners, which combine with improved accessibility and a new production flow to reduce assembly hours by 26%. The redesign cuts the cost of the forward fuselage by almost $0.5 million, to just under $2 million, and supports the goal of a $40 million aircraft.
Source: Flight International
