Yemen’s Houthis Are Learning to Fear the U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet
The Super Hornet remains the Navy’s most advanced frontline carrier-based strike fighter.
The resurgence in violence between American troops and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen is ongoing, as the U.S. campaign aims to dismantle the designated terrorist group. Following the cessation of the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas earlier this year, the Houthis again ramped up attacks targeting ships at sea. In response, U.S. president Donald Trump pledged to use “overwhelming lethal force” to prevent the group from continuing to threaten international shipping in the Red Sea. Beginning last month, F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets have frequently carried out large-scale strikes in Yemen, targeting Houthi assets like military headquarters, weapons manufacturing and storage facilities, and drone operations infrastructure.
While the Super Hornet has served the Navy for nearly a quarter-century, this formidable fourth-generation platform remains the service’s most advanced frontline carrier-based strike fighter. Even considering the newer fifth-generation F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs, the Super Hornet arguably provides unmatched versatility which ensures its relevance in the modern threat climate. From engagements in Iraq and Syria to the Red Sea, the platform’s combat history alone is representative of its top-notch reputation among industry experts and aviation buffs alike.
Introducing the Super Hornet
As a derivation of the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet, the Super Hornet is a massively updated variant. Interestingly, the Navy had rejected the jet’s original prototype when it first emerged from the Lightweight Fighter program in the early 1970s. The competing YF-16 prototype was awarded the winner of this evaluation, and the Navy ultimately decided that the F-17 variant would become its new lightweight fighter. In order for the platform to be an effective carrier-based aircraft, its tailhook, folding wings, landing gear, and catapult attachments were incorporated to stand the test of being able to land/take off more seamlessly from the boat. The Hornet was considered to be so successful, that a successor Super Hornet model was developed.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet embarked on its maiden flight in 1995 and was produced at a full rate two years later. Featuring a 20 percent larger airframe, a vastly heavier empty weight, and an enhanced ordnance lugging capacity, this platform is deserving of its reputation. The newest Super Hornet iteration is the Block III, and it does not disappoint. Able to run longer without risking system failure, the Block IIIs have a much greater lifespan than their predecessors. While these jets are not considered stealthy since they are fourth-generation, they don’t match up to their fifth-generation counterparts in terms of invincibility. However, these jets are much harder to gain a precision radar lock on than earlier variants, though the technology that makes this possible remains highly classified. The sensors onboard the Block IIIs are also cutting-edge, including the Distributed Targeting Processor-Networked mission computer and Tactical Targeting Network Technology link system.
Perhaps most significant is the Block III’s armament power. Equipped with eleven hardpoints distributed at the wingtips, under the fuselage, and under the wing, the fighter can carry a range of short-range Sidewinder missiles, Joint Standoff Weapons, AMRAAMs, Small Diameter Bombs, the Harpoon, the Maverick, and other missiles.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: Shutterstock.