LOW-RATE INITIAL production (LRIP) of the McDonnell Douglas F-18E/F was approved on 26 March after William Cohen, the new US defence chief, dropped objections to proceeding with production before completion of the Quadrennial Defence Review.
Pentagon acquisition chief Paul Kaminski authorised the US Navy to begin LRIP of 62 aircraft and to investigate whether savings could be made through multi-year procurement.
In his acquisition-decision memorandum, Kaminski says that "-multi-year procurement for early-production lots of the F/A-18E/F could yield significant savings". He tells the USN "-to evaluate and quantify the potential multi-year procurement savings in full-rate production".
He also gives the USN acquisition chief the authority to approve full-rate production of as many as 1,000 Super Hornets.
Source: Flight International