Get FinancingBlue Angels Receive First Super Hornet Test Demonstration Jet From Boeing
In addition to its Boeing Business Jets and 737 MAX and other commercial aircraft offerings, Boeing of course develops and manufactures numerous defense-related aircraft and products. That includes F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. In early June, Boeing delivered the first Super Hornet test aircraft to the Navy’s Blue Angel flight demonstration squadron. Based at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, the unpainted Super Hornet now enters the flight testing and evaluation phase.
A Long History
Describing the Super Hornet as an “iconic representation of excellence in naval aviation,” retired Admiral Pat Walsh—Boeing vice president of U.S. Navy & Marine Corps Services and a former left wingman and slot pilot for the Blue Angels in the mid-1980s—says Boeing is “excited to see this platform enter a critical phase of its journey to joining the team.”
Boeing’s relationship with the Blue Angels dates to 1969, when the team flew F-4J Phantom IIs. The Super Hornet is the fourth Boeing platform for the team, and Boeing expects to deliver 11 of them this year to the squadron, which currently operates F/A-18A-D Hornets. Boeing converts Super Hornets and F/A-18 Hornets to Blue Angel aircraft at its Cecil Field facility in Florida, with major modifications including adding an oil tank for the smoke-generation system and fuel systems to support inverted flight for extended periods.
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Source: Boeing