Rhino charge

The Super Hornet enters RAAF service

The March delivery of the first five Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets to the RAAF was a milestone event for the ADF, one that will end up being so much more than just the introduction of what has been billed as an interim or ‘bridging’ capability.

For the personnel of 82WG and the first unit to operate the new jets, 1SQN, the past year has not just been one of transition and learning to operate a new aircraft in the Super Hornet, but it has also been the first step to how aircraft and systems will be operated in the years and decades ahead. In that context, the Super Hornet, or ‘Rhino’ as it is colloquially known, will not just bridge a capability gap of about a decade between the F-111 and the F-35 JSF, but it will also serve to dramatically flatten out the steep learning curve in moving from 1960’s and ‘70s third generation technology to advanced low observable fifth generation platforms.