Super Hornet - a place of growth

[F-14blaze]

so????????????

[osuorsa]

Super Hornet’s combat capability upgrade in now under work at Boeing. The Boeing and USN are to boost the ‘Rhino’s’ combat potential in areas of precision engagement and battle management through new and enhanced network-centred systems. This upgrade brings the Rhino to a Block II+ standard. The plan covers fiscal years 2008-2014 and thus will be updated annually…

The Rhino upgrade program rages at the same time with the debate over the advantages of the fifth-generation fighters. This Block II+ is the USN’s and Boeing’s answer for the future capability expansion. The deliveries of this Block will start later this year with the Lot 30 aircraft, which will be the launch point for the Block II+. The Rhino was designed to be easily updated and to have a big grow potential for future expansion of avionics and highly advanced sensors.

The now coming Lot 30 will have the planned full-suite of advanced avionics while the former Lot 26 (Block II) was the starting point for the advanced system integration fully realised with the Lot 30 (hopefully said clear enough…) The Lot 30 (Block II+) concludes:
-JHMCS for both cockpits as well as advanced crew stations with decoupled cockpits,
-new digital solid-state recorder,
-IRST,
-wideband IP link,
-SATCOM,
-enhanced ALR-67(V3) RWR,
-ALQ-214 ASPJ integrated with the other ECM equipment,
-AAS-46 ATFLIR,
-new advanced mission computer Type 3,
-ANAV accurate navigation system,
-Distributed targeting –image explotation processor.
-APG-79 AESA with interleaved SAR/GMTI.

……more about the new features and systems later…

[osuorsa]

…..So, the backbone of the Block II+ upgrade is its fibre-optic data network and its highly advanced Advanced Mission Computer Type 3 (AMC Type 3) which is the latest AMC produced by General Dynamics Information Systems. The new AMC has two-times the throughout and memory of the Type 2 computer in Block II (Lot 26) Super Hornets. In connection with this architecture is the enhanced APG-79 AESA radar, ATFLIR pod, digital solid-state recorder (DSSR), ANAV navigation system and Link 16 MIDS (Multifunctional Information Distribution System)…So, the new fibre-optics give Super Hornet a true capability to integrate all its systems together and to interleave them in operation thus making it more accurate and effective platform. By interleaving all its advanced targeting systems (AESA, ATFLIR, RWR, MIDS etc) the Super Hornet is virtually capable of striking to any kind of targets in any kind of weather or position with high accuracy…

The USN has planned retrofit 135 APG-73 equipped Super Hornets with the better APG-79 system for an eventual number of 415 AESA equipped Rhinos. The AESA gives the Super Hornet capability to simultaneously attack air/air and air/ground targets starting with the Lot 30 (full capability AESA). The oldest Rhinos wont be retrofitted with the AESA because of their little bit smaller front fuselage which cannot accommodate the larger radar…

Another important improvement inside the plane is the decoupled cockpits which gives both pilots the ability to conduct air/air and air/ground missions. For example the front-seater can handle the flying and air/air threads while the back-seater attacks against ground threads. This is only possible with the radar’s ability to interleave the modes due the extremely fast frequency hopping and a vast number of independent xmit/transfer units in the AESA. Now, also both pilots have the JHMCS.

The Block II+ introduces the new navigation unit, the ANAV which replaces the F/A-18’s CAINS inertial navigator and MAGR GPS receiver with a highly integrated system which also provides unprecedented air/ground accuracy…The system is throughoutly more accurate than ever before.

Another improvement in precision air/ground attack systems is the new solid-state recorder which replaces the old, analogue recorder. The DSSR can grap and store sensor images and send them via Link 16 MIDS or the digital ARC-210 radio to forces on ground, air or sea…This enhances greatly the interoperability between different units on ground or air. So, the pilot of a Rhino can see its ATFLIR moving image and make a still pic of it and send it via the Link 16 MIDS to (for example) a FAC which thus can ‘talk’ a strike package to a target within a very short time OR the Rhino can itself operate as a FAC. This is one of the Rhino’s battle-management growing ideas and basis for its high-precision air/ground operations.

To be used in conjunction with the APG-79 AESA radar and the ATFLIR pod, the Super Hornet will have an IRST sensor to increase its air/air capability. The IRST development have been funded for FY2008 and is be in service in 2013. The IRST sensor is to be fitted internal or in a pod…

The AESA’s ability to interleave its SAR and GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indication) allows pilot to generate synthetic picture of the land ahead and thus making very accurate route to a target now clearly positioned on a DDI. To make the system even better it is integrated with a weapon datalink thus enabling to georegister moving targets and update their positions thus enabling pilot to release its stand-off weapon on the initial coordinates and update it in flight as the target moves. The capability makes possible for the Rhino to engage multiple moving targets in any weather which has never before been possible…The integrated systems also reduces pilots workload by automatic target cueing and initial recognition…

…more later.

[osuorsa]

….there’s much worth of writing on the Block II+ upgrade but I’ll try to put it as short as possible…

So, going back to the new systems. The one of the most significant new issues inside the Rhino is its communication links. This area have been enhanced because of the intention to use the Rhino also in ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions. So the Rhino should have capability to communicate with anyone inside OR outside of the theatre of operation…

There are two links to be added to the a/c. One is a wideband IP (internet protocol) link to provide streaming video and voice using hoc networks. The second link will be beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications or SATCOM. The development of these wideband IP links is scheduled to begin in FY2010 and FY2012 for the SATCOM. So the Rhino will be able to xmit and receive voice and data from the USA for example if operating in Iraq…

In overall the Block II+ will integrate and enhance nearly all the sensors and software more tightly together. The enhanced ALR-67(V3) integrated with the APG-79 AESA is to be accurate enough to solely locate a hostile emitter and to cue the radar towards the emitter. So, this makes a three-ship formation accurate enough to passively geolocate targets and attack them without using their radars…There’re also plans to use the APG-79 as much more than just a radar. It would have ability to act as an electronic attack system too by using concentrated and narrow, very powerful pulse to burn opponent emitter components. This would be effective against other X-band emitters and missiles.

The final area of the Lot 30 growth covers expansion of the Rhino’s weapon types. This development began in FY2008 with SLAM-ER stand-off land-attack and Harpoon III anti-ship missiles. Later the Rhino will se the ability to carry the Small-Diameter Bomb designed to attack moving targets.

This upgrade will give the USN abilities it has never had and to make the best use of its Hornet/Super Horner fleet. The USN is looking for increasement in its Super Hornet procurement beyond the planned 460 a/c to offset the delay of the F-35 which is to be in initial operative service in 2015. The plan is to play the roles with the Rhino in any case (on the F-35 program) and to keep it at the very sharpest edge of operational and system capability…

[zb10948]

One is a wideband IP (internet protocol) link to provide streaming video...

Looks like a nifty target for those Kremlin hackers that assaulted Estonian government services. We could be looking at a first aerial soft-kill

Hehe, joking, of course

[osuorsa]

Heh, that was a good one

[bf-fly]

Osuorsa, I posted this elsewhere, I'm relisting it in case you didn't see it:

I saw the F-18E do a flying display today for the first time. I was actually quite impressed, more than I expected. I've seen the C models many times, including the Blue Angels 6-7 times. I could decern a clear difference in maneuverability and high AOA limits. I can't really speak to it's apparent power limitations since it was clean, but it's high AOA (40 degree I think) was quite evident. Very impressive turn capability, if I didn't know better, it looked a few times like he had TVC, virtually square turns at times.

[bf-fly]

This is old, 2004, but I came across it recently. As I said, when I saw the Super Hornet do a display, I was very surprised. It easily surpassed the C/D model.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=2

[sicsok]

Thanks, that flying on the video was superb! I have seen one show just like this on an airshow in Frederick, Md.
I was sorry that we did not have any of the Russian planes there, we invited them (Wings of Freedom Airshow, yearly).

[bf-fly]

Actually I'll be in Frederick either tonight or tomorrow morning to pick something up. Do you live there? I've flown in many times, home of the AOPA