Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/VIRGINIA: American Multinational Corporation Boeing Co said it plans to stop production of the F/A-18 Super Hornet in late 2025 after delivering the previous fighter jets as the aerospace giant shifts focus to winning the race for the sixth generation of combat aircraft jets.
The company expects to hire more workers and build three new facilities in St Louis, where some of Boeing’s defense unit’s operations are already based, to support future programs. More than 900 people were hired in the region last year.
F/A-18 jets
Boeing said that stopping production of the F/A-18 jets featured in Tom Cruise-starrer “Top Gun: Maverick” would allow the company to focus on ramping up output of training jet T-7A Red Hawk and autonomous refueling aircraft MQ-25 Stingray, both of which are produced in St Louis.
The closure of the F/A-18 line is a pivotal moment for its St Louis-based facilities. It would leave the F-15EX as Boeing’s sole fighter jet in production unless the company can win the United States (US) Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter programme.
Little is known about the fighter plane, the next generation air dominance, including jet specifications and when the air force would select an aircraft manufacturer. Trade publication Defense News in 2020 reported that the air force built and flown at least one prototype. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are competing for the contract.
Boeing was beset with cost overruns the previous year in its defence, space, and security unit after aggressively bidding for fixed-price contracts, delaying its recovery from overlapping safety and pandemic-induced crises on its commercial side.
It said production of the F/A-18 jet, which debuted in 1983, could be extended until 2027 if the Indian navy selects the Super Hornet for its future fighter.
