I've always been critical of the super hornet as a flying dump
truck. But as they became operational, I've begun to see some
merits beyond just flight performance.
Firstly, they do integrate well into a western-centric warfare
system. Arguably, more Super Hornets have seen combat than
the current generation of F-15Es. At the tip of the US
Military's spear, Super Hornets will continually be combat tested,
which allows for more refinements.
Secondly, its the next other aircraft that has surpassed what
the F-16 has set to be a multi-role benchmark. Its the only
serious multi-role aircraft I know at the moment that has a jammer
variant, and can in-flight refuel other aircraft.
The F/A-18E/F is one serious jack of all trades while packing a
serious punch and leaving a small logistics footprint. Heck,
I'm just waiting to see if the Super Hornets can take over the role
of the S-3 vikings in anti-submarine warfare, or heck even AEW.
