Boeing is modifying 30 legacy F/A-18C Hornets recovered from the aircraft “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to a “C+” standard at the request of the U.S. Marine Corps. The updated strike fighters will support two new squadrons, the manufacturer said.
Thus far, Boeing has delivered two F/A-18C+ fighters to the Marines from its maintenance facility at Cecil Field, Fla. Five more fighters were undergoing the update and four were expected to arrive by September.
“They’re expecting a combat-capable aircraft on delivery,” said Bill Maxwell, Boeing senior manager of Cecil Field F/A-18 operations. “That’s our contract to them.”
Under the so-called C+ reconstitution program awarded to Boeing in 2014, the legacy Hornets are being trucked to Cecil Field from the aircraft boneyard near Tucson, Ariz. They are fitted with new avionics and a modernized AN/APG-65 radar. Modifications also extend the service life of the fighter from the current 6,000 hours to 8,000 hours.
Maxwell said F/A-18Cs arriving from Davis-Monthan AFB are generally lower-time fighters that hadn’t reached their full service lives. Boeing overhauls legacy Hornets as well as F/A-18E/F Super Hornets at Cecil Field. The manufacturer said 47 fighters were undergoing repairs in multiple hangars.
The facility also modifies retired Lockheed Martin F-16s to the unmanned QF-16 aerial target for the U.S. Air Force. Thirteen of 97 conversions have been completed, Boeing said.
