Key Points and Summary – The U.S. Navy’s latest F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet, the jet featured in the new Top Gun film, has a top speed of Mach 1.6.
-This is powered by new General Electric F414 engines that provide 35% more thrust than the original Hornet’s.
(Jan 31, 2009) An F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the “Tomcatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 31 launches from the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 are operating in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility and are focused on reassuring regional partners of the United States’ commitment to security, which promotes stability and global prosperity (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder/Released)
-But speed is just part of the story. The Block III represents a major leap in capability, featuring a longer 10,000-hour service life, greater range, more weapons hardpoints, and 17 times the computing power of previous models.
-It’s a “4.5 generation” fighter with enhanced stealth, serving as a critical bridge to the Navy’s future 6th-generation aircraft.
How Fast Is Boeing’s F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet?
“Speed is life,” quoth the fighter pilot’s motto. Or as the fictitious then-LT (USN) Pete “Maverick” Mitchell said in the original Top Gun film back in 1986, “I feel the need for speed.” Granted, Maverick’s US Navy F-14 Tomcat, at Mach 2.34, wasn’t as fast as the US Air Force’s F-15 Eagle (Mach 2.5) or the Soviet Air Force’s MiG-25 “Foxbat” (Mach 3.2), but eh, why nitpick?
Fast-forward to the post-Cold War era, and now-CAPT Maverick (although he should be a Rear Admiral by now, as his commanding officer notes) and his ilk are flying the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. This airframe still isn’t the fastest fighter jet in the world, but it’s still pretty goshdarn fast, apparently more than fast enough to meet Maverick’s need for speed? Just how fast? The latest and greatest iteration, the Block III Super Hornet—which was first delivered to the Navy on or about September 27, 2021—has a maximum airspeed of Mach 1.60 (1,227 mph, 1,975 km/h, 1,066 knots).
How Does the Block III Super Hornet Achieve That Speed?
This is made possible by the twin General Electric (G.E.) F414-GE-400 turbofan engines, each of which produces 13,000 pounds-force (58 kilonewtons) of dry thrust and 22,000 pounds-force (98 kilonewtons) of thrust with afterburners active.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18F and F-35, both assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9, fly over the Point Mugu Sea Range in Southern California with a U.S. Air Force F-15 during Gray Flag 2024 on Sept. 24, 2024. Gray Flag is an annual large-force test event that brings the joint force together to test and evaluate multi-domain systems in a maritime environment, ensuring our nation’s warfighters are equipped with effective, interoperable systems that will help them deter aggression, protect our nation’s prosperity and security, and return home safely to their families. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Kory Hughs)
(Dec. 7, 2024) LT Steven Holcomb, attached to the Gunslingers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, operates a F/A-18E Super Hornet on the flight deck during flight operations, Dec. 7, 2024. USS George H.W. Bush is in the basic phase of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan conducting flight deck certification.(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jayden Brown)
(Jan 31, 2009) An F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the “Tomcatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 31 launches from the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 are operating in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility and are focused on reassuring regional partners of the United States’ commitment to security, which promotes stability and global prosperity (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder/Released)
That equates to a 35 percent increase in thrust over the original warbird. As the manufacturer proudly boasts on its official product info page, “Sharing its basic design with the venerable F404 engine, the F414 stands on a foundation of over 5,600 F404/F414 engines built, and a combined 18 million engine flight hours…The F414 provides unrestricted engine performance on demand, featuring rapid engine throttle response and zero throttle restrictions. Excellent afterburner light and stability [sic] ensure extra thrust is ready on demand when needed.”
The design has logged an aggregate total of over 5 million engine flight hours. It also enables the Block III Super Hornet to attain a rate of climb of 44,882 feet per minute (228 meters per second) and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.93.
What Else Makes the Block III Super Hornet Special
Other features that distinguish the Block III from earlier versions include:
-A 33 percent greater internal fuel capacity, increasing the fighter’s range by 41% and its endurance by 50 percent. Breaking that down further, the ferry range comes out to 1,275 nautical miles (1,458 statute miles, 2,346 kilometers) and a combat range of 489 nautical miles (563 statute miles, 906 kilometers) on interdiction missions when three 480-gallon (1,800-liter) drop tanks are utilized.
-That extra fuel capacity does translate to significantly heavier weight, with the Basic Empty Weight (BEW) and Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) being 7,000 lbs. (3,175 kg) and 15,000 lbs. (6,803 kg) higher than the legacy model, respectively. Those in turn add up to 32,081 lb (14,552 kg) BEW and 66,000 lb (29,937 kg) MTOW, respectively.
-10,000 flight hours of service life compared to 6,000 hours for earlier jets.
-Redesigned leading-edge devices fitted to the wings to improve the handling characteristics.
-Larger wings (wingspan of 44 ft 8.5 in [13.62 m]) to allow two additional hardpoints, increasing the total mounting points for weapons and other pods to 11, with a maximum payload of 17,750 lb (8,050 kg)
-New open-design processor which has a whopping 17 times the computing power of the previous mission computer.
-Though still a 4.5 Generation fighter as opposed to a true 5th Generation stealth fighter, the Block III made stealthier and more survivable with additional treatments that reduce their radar cross section.
A Boeing Exec’s Perspectives on F/A-18
Regarding that increased stealth and survivability, Jen Tebo, Boeing’s vice president of F/A-18 and EA-18G projects, had this to say: “If you think about where the capabilities are going in the future, it’s certainly around the airframe, certainly around the survivability piece, stealth technology piece. But the meat and potatoes in the future are going to be around the networking and the mission systems, and this sets up the Super Hornet to be the risk-reducer and the bridge to get to Next Gen Air Dominance.”
By Next Gen Air Dominance, Ms. Tebo didn’t specify whether she meant the USAF B-47 NGAD jet—for which Boeing was indeed recently awarded the contract—or the USN’s concurrent aspirant for the NGAD program, the troubled F/A-XX program.
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).
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Steve Gardner
July 30, 2025 at 6:50 pm
I flew the F-111 for years. Top speed for me was 2.34 IMN. Makes the F-18 a bit turtleish. 😜