Boeing has handed over to the U.S. Navy the final Block II unit of an F/A-18 Super Hornet multimission aircraft.
The Navy said Friday its 322nd F/A-18E aircraft will be assigned under Strike Fighter Squadron 34 at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia.
The service branch has received 286 two-seater F/A-18F units and 322 one-seater F/A-18E systems under the Block II Super Hornet program. Block II variants feature open mission systems architecture and are built to perform reconnaissance, aerial refueling, air support, air defense suppression, air superiority and precision strike operations.
Boeing secured a $4B contract in 2019 to manufacture and deliver 78 Super Hornet systems with Block III configuration between fiscal years 2019 and 2021. The company is expected to deliver test jets to the Navy in the spring.
Block III variants will operate for 10K hours and house updated network infrastructure, cockpit and reduced radar cross-section.