Boeing upbeat on prospects for F/A-18 fighter sales

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Boeing upbeat on prospects for F/A-18 fighter sales


By Andrea Shalal-Esa
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., May 5 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) expressed optimism on Tuesday that it would be able to sell more supersonic F/A-18 fighter jets to the U.S. government and other countries seeking to modernize their arsenals.
Boeing Vice President Bob Gower, who heads Boeing's F/A-18 and EA-18 programs, told reporters the current world economic crisis could slow down or curtail some foreign orders, but several countries urgently needed to replace aging fighters.
Current plans call for the U.S. Navy to buy a combination of 89 more F/A-18E/F fighter jets and the EA-18 Growler variant with electronic attack capability over the next three years.
Ray Mabus, President Barack Obama's nominee to become Navy secretary, last week said the plans called for 31 F/A-18 fighter purchases in fiscal 2010, 34 in 2011 and 24 in 2012.
Gower said Boeing remained optimistic that the U.S. Navy would eventually buy even more F/A-18s beyond those 89 aircraft, given Navy projections that the age of the current fleet and current plans for buying the F-35 fighter built by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) will leave the U.S. military with a significant fighter shortfall in coming years.
"We're the only platform that can fill that inventory shortfall," Gower told reporters at the Navy League's annual Sea Air Space conference, noting that the Pentagon had not announced plans to accelerate production of the Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Gower said the Obama administration's fiscal 2010 budget, to be submitted to Congress on Thursday, was probably arriving too late to start work on another multiyear agreement, but said Boeing would continue to push for another a multiyear agreement from 2011 on. The current five-year deal ends in 2009.
Captain Mark Darrah, the Navy's F/A-18 and EA-18 program manager, said the Navy remained pleased with Boeing's performance on the program, noting it had delivered the latest fighter jets on cost and ahead of schedule. The jets also continued to perform well and required little maintenance.
He said there was a "clear shortfall" anticipated in the Navy's fighter fleet, but decisions about exact purchase rates in coming years would be made during the Quadrennial Defense Review that is due to wrap up by late summer.
"We have to buy a certain number of things," he said, underscoring that the F/A-18 would remain a critical part of the Navy's aircraft fleet in coming years.
The Pentagon's Program Analysis and Evaluation Office has told Congress that the Navy's fighter shortfall is overstated given a range of capabilities offered by the Air Force, the military blog DoDBuzz.com reported on Tuesday, quoting congressional and senior Pentagon sources.
Gower said current work on hand ensured F/A-18 production through 2011, and orders for the 89 more expected to be ordered by the Navy would extend work on the line through 2014.
Boeing is also bidding for orders in India, Greece, Denmark, Brazil, Canada, Japan and Kuwait for the F/A-18.
Gower said India planned flight tests in its fighter jet competition this summer, and Brazil and Greece were expected to make decisions soon.
Boeing executives said they also see good international sales prospects for the company's P-8A maritime patrol aircraft after signing deals with India and Australia.
"We anticipate an international market that rivals the size of the Navy market," Bob Feldmann, program manager at Boeing, told reporters.
Boeing said the P-8A Poseidon test aircraft completed its first flight April 25, performing a series of flight checks, reaching a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet, and landed after three hours, 31 minutes in the air. (Additional reporting by Karen Jacobs, editing by Matthew Lewis)



Link
http://uk.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUKN0549528220090505?sp=true
 
Exactly what foreign country would need (urgently too) new F/A-18s when they can buy multirole F-16s, air-superiority oriented Typhoons, cost-effective Rafaels or even Gripen NGs?
 
Hi Lunatik
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I guess it all depends on how you at it.

new F/A-18s when they can buy multirole F-16s
The mighty Viper line is closing after these last few batches are made. There is still a wait to get line time

air-superiority oriented Typhoons
Very expensive and air to air is so rare multirole is the way to go. The T3 batches still aren't out. I like this fighter but to me it's not a finished product I think having so many hands in the pot slowed down this platform.

cost-effective Rafaels or even Gripen NGs?
The Rafale F2 model should have made some sales I'm confused with this platform.
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The Gripen NG isn't a production aircraft so long wait time would be expect.

The F/A-18 E/F are being produced early in most cases and on or under budget over 200+ are made and operational. Shorter wait on the production time to get a finished fighter. Besides the F-22 the Hornet the most advance platform money can can buy: radar, weapons system, weapons, cockpit design, etc, on a proven operational platform.

It took me a little time to respect the Hornet I wish it were faster and a better in air to air, but it does very well in everything else.
 
Didn't know the Viper line was shutting down. Where did you hear that? How about the one in Turkey? I'm sure TAI would be more than happy to take on additional orders.

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Good old Peace Onyx I days... :mrgreen:
 
I guess shutting down isn't correct I should have said there are no more orders to be filled.
Poland's done 48
Israel - should be about done
Greece 30 or so Block-52+ > Greece has mostly Block-30 and for maintenance, training, weapons, etc it would be better supporting one type, so a follow up order may happen.
Morocco - 24 or 36 being filled right now not sure what stages the production is in?
Turkey - none right? Besides you can make most of the aircraft yourself now.
Keep thinking I'm leaving somebody out

After that I see nothing so in two years time or less one can assume at least parts of the production would close. I don't how or where LM produces parts but with 4,000 + models sold one would think some sort of production will be open for many years.

Who know maybe five, eight years from now Turkey will take the lead on supporting the worlds Viper fleet? Too crazy? Eight years from now LM will be producing F-35s like rabbits making babies. Would be good business for Turkey to lock down Vipers last a long time.
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It's true that LM is making a huge investment on the F-35 and is in the process of updating its lines for serial production. But the thing is, very few aircraft are made a 100% on a single production line. Globalization and competition with the rest of the world forced companies to be as efficient as they can be. So parts are produced at different places (countries) and by "production line" they now usually mean final assembly. As far as I know, TAI still has an ACTIVE F-16 assembly line and is also producing (or will produce) parts for the F-35, along with many other well known aircraft including the upcoming Airbus A400M.

Greece has 30 on order, which is still under delivery. 30 more is being cosidered as a stop-gap measure until EF T3 rolls out and Greece makes a final decision (versus Turkey's F-35s) as to how it wants to structurize HAF and Greece's whole defense strategy in the long term.

Turkey has also ordered 30 new Block 50+s, but they'll be assembled at TAI. So that doesn't affect LM's production lines.

I don't know anything about the rest of the world but mind you, even though it's getting old, the F-16 is a repeatitively battle tested and proven platform that can take on anything currently out there and win, except the F-22. It has the marketing power of LM. Even though they'll want to start pushing the F-35 as well, I really doubt any non-JSF partner country (except Israel and perhaps Singapore, both of which are security cooperative participants of the JSF program) will get any in the next 15-20 years. Being the lagendry multirole platform it is, I think one and a half decades is a lot of time for the F-16 to make more sales... :smil:
 
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Hey you guys isn't this thread about Boeing upbeat on prospects for F/A-18 fighter sales??

Let's stick to the subject Not F-16.
 
Sorry tomtom22

It might be the [FONT=&quot]most fully & multimission fighter[/FONT] on the market right now. I think in the Brazilian FX-2 bid it maybe the frontrunner.

I also think the USN will buy more maybe in the 2 squadron range but time will tell.

This may sound crazy but for US mainland defense maybe Boeing offer to sell more Super Hornets at the $50/60 mil range maybe to good a offer to past up? F-15s are getting up there in age and I assume since the Super Hornet is more modern it's maintenance needs are lower might be a good idea. I think Super Hornets can use USAF tankers but I'm not 100% sure.
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