Hornet milestone
First two upgraded aircraft delivered

Rear Admiral Raydon Gates tests out the joint helmetmounted cueing system, one of the new features.

Project officer SGT Nck Rawlins and AIRCDRE Roger Harrison, Air Attache in Washington DC, check out the aircraft.

*

* SRG’s new commander is AIRCDRE Tim Owen. AIRCDRE Owen has set three challenges: visit everyone in the Group, develop SRG’s concept of operations and deliver capabilities.

BOEING has delivered the first two of 71 F/A-18s to undergo a major avionics upgrade under Phase 2.2 of the Hornet Upgrade (HUG) program.

Completion of the trial modification and first-of-type safety of flight testing was marked by a delivery ceremony at the Boeing Aerospace Support Centre in Florida, USA, in late January.

The ceremony, attended by representatives from Defence, the US Navy and Boeing, also signalled the start of an extensive ground and flight test program which will be conducted at China Lake, California, and Patuxent River, Maryland, to establish the successful installation of the modification and provide qualification data leading to the certification of the upgrade.

Five Air Force members of the Defence Material Organisation St Louis-based project office have relocated to NAVAIR Weapons Division at China Lake to manage the flight test program.

The team includes test and evaluation engineers, maintenance staff and a test pilot. HUG Phase 2.2 project manager Keith Moody said the first flight and start of the test program was the culmination of many years of planning and thanked the people who had worked hard to make happen.

The HUG Phase 2.2 modification provides a significant increase in capability providing improved counter measures equipment, digital tactical data transfer systems and targeting systems.

The upgrade includes advanced systems such as the joint helmet-mounted cueing system projecting target information on the pilot’s visor, a multi-functional information distribution system, Link-16 secure, jam-resistant data transfer system, full colour glass displays, an advanced memory unit, and tactical aircraft moving map capability – all integrated with the latest release of F/A-18 aircraft software.

Once testing is complete in November 2005, the Williamtown-based Hornet Industry Coalition will begin low rate initial production.

Completion of the fleetwide incorporation of the modification is planned for December 2007.

 

.