호주 공군, F/A-18F Super Hornet 성능에 만족...

 

호주 공군이 지난 3월 도입한 F/A-18F Super Hornet 의 성능에 대해서 만족하고 있다는 Flight International on-line 기사를

소개합니다.

 

지난 3월 호주 공군은 1차로 5대의 Super Hornet 을 인수받아 Amberley 공군기지에 배치한 바 있습니다. 당시 도입과 관련

된 상세한 내용은 아래 태그를 이용하면 파악 하실 수 있습니다.

 

기사에서 언급된 바와 같이 호주 공군은 현재까지 Super Hornet 의 성능에 대해서는 전반적으로 만족하고 있으나, AESA

레이더를 이용한 전자전 수행부분에 있어서는 다소 실망스러운 부분이 있는 것 같습니다. 호주 공군이 이러한 기능을 언급

하는 것으로 봐서는, 기존 Super Hornet 도입 물량 중에서 일부 물량에 대해서는 EA-18G Growler (혹은 Growler Lite) 로

전환, 도입하고자 하는 뜻을 간접적으로 나타내는 것이 아닌가 생각됩니다.

 

아래 소개하는 동영상은 호주 공군이 주문한 F/A-18F Super Hornet 을 제작하는 과정 입니다.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

DATE : 27/05/10

SOURCE : Flight International

Australia impressed by Super Hornet performance

By Stephen Trimble

 

The Royal Australian Air Force is on track to stand up the first Boeing F/A-18F operational squadron in December with two extra aircraft than originally planned and a new appreciation for the Super Hornet's capabilities.

 

A fleet of 24 F/A-18Fs will replace the RAAF's General Dynamics F-111 on an interim basis. Delays to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in 2004 forced the RAAF to acquire Super Hornets as a stopgap in 2006. But the F/A-18Fs are due to be retired by 2021 as the F-35 is delivered.

 

So far, Boeing has delivered the first five F/A-18Fs to 1 Sqn at RAAF Amberley, with as many as nine more jets arriving before initial operational capability is declared in December. The F-111 is scheduled for retirement on 2 December.

 

Despite the Super Hornet's short-term service plan, the multi-role fighter has already surprised the RAAF leadership with its advanced capabilities.

 

"It's a little bit embarrassing for me," says Gp Capt Steve Roberton, commander of 82 Wing. "It is fair to say the jet has proven to be more robust and exceeded what we thought."

 

Roberton pointed to what he considers the aircraft's singular ability to simultaneously track air and ground targets using an array of sensors, including the Raytheon APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

 

The RAAF intends to bolster the Super Hornet's targeting capability by integrating the joint helmet mounted cueing system (JHMCS) in both the front and back seat. The US Navy has only experimented with that configuration, and the RAAF may be first to adopt JHMCS in both seats.

 

With a much smaller force structure than the USN, the RAAF believes it can harness the Super Hornet's full capabilities much sooner, Roberton says. Due to training infrastructure limitations, the USN operates the AESA-equipped F/A-18E/F Block II similarly to the Block I Super Hornet and classic F/A-18C/Ds.

 

The RAAF, however, intends to operate the F/A-18F more like how the US Air Force flies the multi-role Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, Roberton says.

 

Although the F/A-18F has impressed, RAAF officials are disappointed the Super Hornet's AESA technology remains unable to perform electronic attack missions in the X-band of the electromagnetic spectrum, Roberton says.

 

"There are some things the radar does which are not as far along the proposed flight plan that they have as we had hoped," he says. But "it's still better than anything we got".

 

The RAAF also remains committed to buy F-35s as a permanent replacement for the F-111 and classic F/A-18A/Bs in its inventory. Roberton described the F-35's potential as "phenomenal", but also voiced a note of doubt.

 

"I don't know how the [F-35] is going to emerge," he says. "What I do know is that the environment and the challenges that emerge in 10 years time are going to be different than what they are now. So we're speculating, I guess."

 

 

  ⓒ Boeing Co.

 

  ⓒ Australian Gov. DoD