Jane Edwards
Boeing has named Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, Germany, India, Japan, Poland and Switzerland as potential clients for the latest configuration of its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft, National Defense reported Wednesday.
Dan Gillian, vice president of F/A-18 programs at Boeing, said Wednesday at a media day in Virginia potential orders from those international customers could be a combination of emerging and ongoing programs for Block III Super Hornets.
The report said the U.S. Navy placed an order for 110 Block III aircraft and Boeing is set to kick off production in 2020.
Gillian said Boeing could build two fighter jets per month through 2025 with a plan to increase the production number to four aircraft per month at its St. Louis-based manufacturing facility.
He noted that the company will also extend the service life of the Navy’s fleet of Block II Super Hornets to meet the service branch’s requirements.
The Navy also awarded Boeing a potential $1.17 billion contract to develop a baseline configuration needed to build and deliver 22 F/A-18E and six F/A-18F aircraft for Kuwait.
