Super arrival

Last Super Hornets arrive, Growlers coming?

The final four aircraft of an order of 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets for the RAAF arrived at their Amberley home base west of Brisbane on Friday October 22.

The four jets completed the final leg of their trans-Pacific delivery flight, which originated at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, on October 13. Supported by a USAF KC-10 tanker for the journey, the aircraft stopped en route at Hickam AFB in Hawaii, Andersen AFB in Guam, and RAAF Base Townsville. For the final leg from Townsville to Amberley, Super Hornet A41-222 was piloted by Chief of Air Force AIRMSHL Geoff Brown, while A41-224 was piloted all the way from the US by the outgoing Officer Commanding 82 Wing, GPCAPT Steve Roberton, who was previously head of the Air Combat Transition office (ACTO), which managed the Super Hornet project from inception.