The F-18E Super Hornet is a new and larger airframe that utilized the design concepts of the Hornet. It answered the need
of the US Navy to replace its aging A-6 Intruders, EA-6 Prowlers, A-7 Corsairs IIs and F-14 Tomcats. The Super Hornet has a more powerful GE F414 engines based on F/A-18''s F404, and upgraded avionics suite. It also has an updated cockpit complete with glass displays, APG-73 radar, simplified landing gear, and trapezoidal inlets that provide increased airflow to the engines while lowering radar cross-section.
Like the F-18F, it has been extensively redesigned with a lengthened fuselage, larger wing with room for two additional pylons, bigger tail surfaces, and enlarged leading-edge root extensions (LERXs) for better high angle-of-attack performance. Despite certain technical problems, it has been proved quite successful and is rapidly being deployed by the US Navy.
Weaponry: 1x 20 mm M61 Vulcan internal gatling gun with 578 rounds
9: 2 wingtip, 4 underwing, and 3 fuselage
carrying up to 13,700 lb (6,215 kg) of missiles, rockets, bombs, fuel tanks, and pods
CBU-87 cluster, CBU-89 gator mine, CBU-97 CEM, Paveway, JDAM, Mk 80 series, nuclear bombs, Mk 20 Rockeye II cluster, mines