The F-18 Super Hornet will be the most advanced fighter taking to the skies for the U.S. military once its delivered. Here’s how much it’ll cost.
In March 2024, the Navy secured a deal that would acquire 17 Block III F/A-18 Super Hornets from Boeing for a grand total $1.1 billion. This purchase will give the Navy 12 F/A-18F and five F/A-18E on top of a technical data package for both Hornet variations and the EA-18G Growler. Rear Adm. John Lemmon, the program executive officer for tactical aircraft at NAVAIR told USNI News, “The technical data package was a crucial part of this negotiation; it is necessary for naval aviation’s operational readiness and post-production sustainment.” This comes after negotiations stalled in 2023 due to the cost of each individual Super Hornet.
Articles from 1977 released by the US Government Accountability Office state that each individual original F/A-18 Hornet came in at $13 million. If you adjust for inflation, that puts the cost of the current Super Hornet at $72 million, but that’s without considering all of the updated technology as well as different materials used for the fuselage. There are a lot of variables that dictate the cost of a product. Estimates from 2023, however, list the naval strike fighter at $55.7 million. It’s likely that the real price is higher than that as the original package included 20 Super Hornets, not 17. The Super Hornet’s price tag has been growing
The US Navy and Boeing originally negotiated a similar contract in prior years, but they tabled those talks in 2023 because numbers weren’t lining up.
