Key Points and Summary – The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has been the backbone of U.S. carrier air power for two decades, from Iraq and Syria to the fictional skies of “Top Gun: Maverick.”
-But production is ending and retirement looms in the 2040s, even as China fields J-20s and J-35s and Russia pushes the Su-57.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet attached to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9, the “Vampires,” takes off from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California, September 11, 2025. Gray Flag 2025 is the naval aviation test community’s premier large force test event, providing unique venues for large scale integration of new capabilities across services and platform. Working with the Joint Force, industry, and our nation’s allies to ensure seamless integration and interoperability is key to ensuring warfighters have a decisive advantage in the field. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John T. Jarrett)
A joint test team including the Flight Test Division of the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA/EV), the French Naval Aeronautics Experimentation Center (CEPA/10S), and the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 are leading flight tests that will enable the French fighter jet Dassault Rafale to aerial refuel with naval aviation’s F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. The tanker qualification partnership paves the way for an extended reach and enhanced interoperability for allied airpower. (U.S. Navy photo by Erik Hildebrandt) Erik_Hildebrandt
-Expert Christian D. Orr explains why a 4.5-generation jet with Block III upgrades still can’t survive forever in a stealth-dominated fight.
-As Super Hornets age, the Navy will lean harder on the troubled F-35C and accelerate its 6th-generation F/A-XX program, betting that a smooth handoff actually materializes.
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Is Going Away; How Will That Impact the US Navy?
The Boeing F/A-18-E/F Super Hornet is indeed a super warbird. In addition to enthralling moviegoers in the fictitious 2022 cinematic blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick,” it is a highly battle-proven platform in real life, providing excellent service to the United States Navy in the air-to-air and air-to-ground roles alike since it first attained initial operational capability (IOC) back in 2001.
Indeed, the only air-to-air kill of a manned enemy aircraft by an American fighter pilot in the 21st century was scored by an F/A-18E/F pilot (that being USN Lt. Cmdr. Michael “M.O.B.” Tremel back on June 17, 2018).
However, as the saying goes. “All good things must come to an end,” and with the Super Hornet getting ready to hit the quarter-century mark of its service life (not to mention the 30th anniversary of its maiden flight coming at the end of this month), the venerable warbird will be retiring sooner or later.
How will this impact the US Navy?
The When, the Why, and the Wherefore of the Super Hornet’s Soon-to-be Swan Song
The F/A-18E/F ceases production next month (just in time for Christmas shopping season) and is expected to be retired sometime in the 2040s.
One might reasonably ask why the F/A-18E/F is being slated for retirement already, considering that there are multiple other actively-serving warplanes in the U.S. Armed Forces that are been around significantly longer, such as the B-52 Stratofortress Stratofortress AKA the “BUFF” (in service since 1955), the B-1B Lancer AKA the “Bone” (in service since 1986), the C-130 Hercules (in service since 1954), and the KC-135 Stratotanker (in service since 1957).
However, none of those time-honored planes are fighters; the “BUFF” and the “BONE” are heavy strategic bombers, the Hercules is primarily a transport plane (though it’s a jack-of-all trades that has spawned a variety of variants, most notably that of gunship), and the KC-135 is an aerial refueler.
Except for the B-1B, none of them were built for speed, and more significantly, in this day and age, none of them were built for stealth 5th-generation stealth fighters—not to mention up-and-coming 6th-generation warbirds like the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) and the F/A-XX—are all the rage now, and understandably so; the more easily the enemy can detect you, the more easily they can kill you.
The Super Hornet, being a mere 4.5-generation fighter jet, doesn’t have true stealth capability. In fairness, the latest & greatest iteration of the F/A-18E/F, the Block III, *has* been made somewhat stealthier and more survivable with additional treatments that reduce its radar cross section (RCS).
Nonetheless, even the Block III bird would be at a distinct disadvantage against an adversary’s Gen 5 fighter such as China’s Chengdu J-20 Weilong (“Mighty Dragon;” NATO reporting name “Fagin”) and Shenyang J-35, or Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 “Felon”).
5th-Generation Impact on the USN #1: More Work for the F-35
To quote Joe Hindy in a November 13, 2025, article for SlashGear, “The reason is fairly simple. The F-35B does what the Harrier II and Hornet do, but better.”
Now, a complete phaseout of the Super Hornet for the Lightning II isn’t going to happen overnight. According to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA), the Navy currently has 421 airframes of the former and 30 of the latter.
As noted by Wiley Stickney of Bolt Flight back in February, “Originally, the aircraft was slated to be retired by 2046, but the F-35C’s delivery delays and ongoing technical challenges in achieving full operational capability for the next-generation fighter have prompted a reevaluation of timelines.”
To date, 1,245+ Lightning II airframes have been delivered, but that includes the Air Force and Marine Corps variants (the F-35A and F-35C, respectively).
6th-Generation Impact on the USN: Renewed Emphasis on the F/A-XX
Going back to the subject of NGAD, ironically enough, Jen Tebo, Boeing’s vice president of F/A-18 and EA-18G projects, recently referred to the Super Hornet as “the risk-reducer and the bridge to get to Next Gen Air Dominance.” I call that quote ironic because the F-47 NGAD is an Air Force asset, not a Navy one.
F/A-XX Handout Photo from Northrop Grumman.
F/A-XX Fighter from Boeing. Image Credit: Boeing.
However, the Navy is not content to sit idly by and be left behind in the Gen 6 race. Although it’s getting nowhere near the budget allocation that NGAD is receiving, the F/A-XX is certainly not dead yet; the USN’s firm budget for fiscal 2026 requested $74 million to sustain activities already underway on the F/A-XX development.
The Navy reportedly eliminated Lockheed Martin from the F/A-XX competition, leaving Boeing and Northrop Grumman as the only remaining contenders to build the fighter.
Presumably, Boeing would have a slight edge over Northrop Grumman by virtue of being the company that builds the Super Hornet and already having a well-established relationship with the Navy for servicing its fighter jet needs.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
More Military
The U.S. Navy’s Constellation-Class Frigate Crisis Keeps Getting Worse
China’s New H-20 Stealth Bomber Might Have a 10,000 km Range
Even Mach 3 Speeds Could Not Save the Titanium SR-71 Blackbird
The U.S. Navy’s New DDG(X) Destroyer Is Sailing Into Stormy Waters
