Beyond the success of its combat missions in Iraq, the Super Hornet strike fighter jet is also key to helping the U.S. Navy meet its vision for the future.

Tactical aircraft such as the Super Hornet networked together with Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV), satellites, command and control aircraft, and Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) as well as other air, ground and surface forces could cover the entire spectrum of the battlefield. As nodes on a network each would provide information, not raw data, to the commanders and the individual pilots and soldiers. Persistent presence over the battlefield guarantees consistent knowledge of the enemy and its movements making the total force more efficient, ultimately saving lives and equipment.

“In order to be successful, we must truly excel and raise our customers’ expectations,” said Pat Finneran, Boeing vice president for Naval Aircraft Programs. “We must develop a partnership with our customers that allows us to visualize and produce solutions that stretch far beyond their immediate requirements.”

To help its customers create a more effective and integrated modern battlefield, Boeing Naval Systems incorporates the “total environment” as a lead systems integrator. For example, traditional approaches to logistics have been replaced by a government/industry partnership support program called the F/A-18E/F Integrated Readiness Support Teaming (FIRST). An upgrade roadmap for the F/A-18E/F is already in place that includes an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar and more comprehensive connectivity. Also, Boeing has proposed a variant of the F/A-18F to replace the Navy’s EA-6B Prowler. The EA-18G combines the combat-proven F/A-18F with an advanced avionics suite to produce an airborne electronic attack aircraft that retains the full multi-mission capabilities of the Super Hornet.

To achieve the naval services vision of the future, Boeing Naval Systems is establishing a War Fighter Solutions Center to work with customers to find innovative and cost-effective solutions to technological or procedural requirements.

“When you sum it all up, Naval Systems isn’t about platforms or systems,” Finneran said. “It’s about a total design mentality where upgrades to existing platforms or systems are developed with the total solution in mind, and it’s about rapid insertion of new technologies that give the war fighter tomorrow’s capability today.”