Boeing is confident about securing a third multi-year contract from the US Navy for the F/A-18E/F, with the head of the company's defence division saying that the service takes too many risks by not going ahead with the purchase.
"There is a projected shortfall of about 243 aircraft if we don't go ahead with the multi-year. To make this up, a lot hinges on upgrades to the F/A-18C/Ds that are already in service with the USN and getting the [Lockheed Martin F-35] Joint Strike Fighter on time - provided nothing goes wrong with the programme from now until the aircraft is due to be delivered," says Jim Albaugh, president of Boeing IDS.
Securing a third multi-year procurement from fiscal year 2011 is crucial to keeping Boeing's Super Hornet line open well into the next decade. The company says that the average cost of each aircraft was $54 million last year due to the previous multi-year orders, and this is expected to continue going down with additional USN orders. Without a five-year order, however, there is a risk that the cost might go up, it adds.
Boeing is seeking an international launch customer for a 20% higher thrust version of the General Electric F414 turbofan that powers the fighter. Brazil, Denmark, Greece, Kuwait and India are considering the F/A-18E/F.
The Royal Australian Air Force has already signed on as the first export customer. The RAAF has ordered 24 F/A-18E/Fs, including 12 wired for conversion into EA-18G Growlers in the future if the service decides that it wants that capability.
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Source: Flight Daily News
