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F/A-18 “Murder Hornet”
“Murder Hornet” is the official nickname coined by the US Navy for the F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighters armed with an impressive loadout of five AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and four AIM-9X Sidewinders.
First reported by The War Zone, this powerful configuration enhances operational effectiveness and was one of the key developments highlighted in the Navy’s 2024 year-in-review factsheet.
The introduction of the AIM-174B air-launched Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), the first combat use of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM), and the Navy’s inaugural air-to-air engagement with a hostile drone are the other milestones celebrated by the factsheet.
Since the Super Hornets could carry the AIM-9X Sidewinders only on the wingtips, the US Navy had to clear the F/A-18E/Fs to carry AIM-9X Sidewinders on their outboard underwing stations.
As noted by The Eurasian Times, this loadout was necessary given the growing threat of kamikaze drones deployed by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
Because of this urgent operational demand, the Murder Hornet saw action for the first time during operations in the Red Sea region in April 2024 where the Super Hornets deployed aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier carried AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) targeting pods and centerline 480-gallon fuel tanks along with this advanced loadout.
Super Hornets operating from other carriers in the Middle East have been since deployed this configuration.
The AIM-174B
The nickname Murder Hornet has also been informally used also for an even more powerful configuration seen on an F/A-18F assigned to the Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (VX-9): as already reported during Exercise Gray Flag 2024, one of the Super Hornets belonging to the unit featured a loadout of four AIM-174Bs, three AIM-120s, and two AIM-9Xs.
The AIM-174B is a long-range air-to-air missile AAM developed by US defense contractor Raytheon and used by the US Navy The AIM-174B is a derivative of the RIM-174B Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM, Standard Missile-6, or SM-6) surface-to-air missile, a member of the extended Standard Missile family, with the USN describing the AIM-174B as the “Air-Launched Configuration” of the SM-6. The AIM-174B’s existence was first confirmed to the public in July 2024 at RIMPAC 2024.
Noteworthy, the US Navy has only confirmed a range of 130 nmi (150 mi; 240 km) but the AIM-174B’s range could extend to more than 200 nmi (230 mi; 370 km) since according to the Standard Missile fact sheet certain surface-launched SM-6 variants are capable of such range. However, at minimum, the AIM-174 represents a roughly 30% increase in range over the 99 nmi (114 mi; 184 km) of its retired predecessor, the AIM-54C Phoenix, and a roughly 50% increase over the 87 nmi (100 mi; 161 km) of the in-service AIM-120D AMRAAM.
The AIM-174B could be used to attack Chinese high-value airborne assets (HVAA) such as tankers, airborne early warning aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft and even H-6 bombers.
Super Hornet Block III
The F/A-18E and F/A-18F are designed to meet current Navy fighter escort and interdiction mission requirements, to maintain F/A-18 fleet air defense and close air support roles, as well as an increasing range of missions, including Forward Air Controller (Airborne) and Aerial Tanking, as they have proven capability to replace the S-3 as an aerial tanker. F/A-18E/F enhancements include increased range and improved carrier suitability required for the F/A-18 to continue its key strike fighter role against the advanced threats of the 21st century.
F/A-18 E/F Block II Super Hornet, in service since 2001, incorporated a number of capabilities-enhancing technologies over the course of the last 20 years, the Block II iteration has earned a reputation as the backbone of the Navy’s carrier air wing and a workhorse within the fleet. The final F/A-18E/F Block II production aircraft was delivered to the Service in April 2020.
The latest Block III upgrade extends the platform’s service life and range, and incorporates an advanced cockpit system, reduced radar cross section and an advanced networking infrastructure. The Boeing Company delivered two F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet test jets to the US Navy in June 2020, with production to follow successful testing and a contract in place to provide 78 new-build F/A-18 Block III jets to the Service through 2024.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force
