Evans, Andy Real to Replica. Blue Series. Volume 5: The Boeing Super Hornet. F/A-18E/F Super Hormet & EA-18E Growler

Building on the success of the F/A-18C and D "Legacy Hornets", the single-seat F/A-18E and two-seat F/A-18F "Super Hornet", as well as the US Navy's unique EA-18G "Growler", offer unrivalled naval attack and electronic warfare capabilities. The newer "Super Hornet" is about twenty-five per cent larger than its predecessor, but contains forty-two per cent fewer structural parts and can fly longer ranges with higher payloads, has more powerful engines and offers greater survivability. The brand new electronic warfare variant, the EA-18G, adds tactical jamming to the aircraft's already impressive capabilities. The "Super Hornet", which entered service in 1999, has replaced the mighty F-14 "Tomcat" in the fleet defence role and also works alongside the US Marine Corps' "Legacy Hornets" in the attack role. The front fuselage has remained unchanged from its predecessors, but the rest of the "Super Hornet" has little in common with the F/A-18C and D models. In July 2002, the F/A-18E/F began its first deployment aboard the USS "Abraham Lincoln", and in November 2002 the aircraft entered combat by attacking air defence installations in southern Iraq with Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs). The aircraft was also deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. Since then it has been used in missions over Afghanistan, Libya and Syria and continues to operate around the globe. The only export customer for the Super Hornet was the Royal Australian Air Force, which had been using the F/A-18A as its main fighter aircraft since 1984. In 2007, it ordered the F/A-18F to replace its ageing General Dynamics F-111C fleet. The RAAF's Super Hornets entered service in December 2010 and the RAAF now also operates the EA-18G Growler. This fifth book in the Blue Series takes an in-depth look at the history and use of the Super Hornet, highlighting the variants and the differences in avionics, equipment and armament through photographs, tours and colour page profiles. As the title "Real to Replica" suggests, there is a section on how to build the Super Hornet as a model in the usual scales, making this book an ideal resource for enthusiasts and modellers alike.