Boeing Wins $931M U.S. Navy Contract To Extend Service Life Of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Jets
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The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a $930.77 million contract to modernize and extend the service life of up to 60 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block II aircraft. The upgrade pushes these jets toward a 10,000-flight-hour lifespan, helping sustain carrier-based airpower as next-generation fighters remain years from full deployment.
On December 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of War announced a $930.77 million contract awarded to Boeing to modernize and extend the service life of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet, as reported by the Pentagon’s daily contract notice. This new contract covers up to 60 Block II Super Hornets and aims to keep them in frontline service well into the next decade, at a time when U.S. carrier air wings remain heavily engaged and future fighter programs are still in development. Rather than relying only on new-build aircraft, the U.S. Navy is choosing to invest in its existing fleet, increasing airframe life while adding modern avionics. Beyond the financial figure, this decision reflects Washington’s intention to maintain a credible carrier-based air combat capability in an increasingly contested global environment.
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The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a $931 million contract to modernize and extend the service life of its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet multirole fighter jets, reinforcing carrier airpower as future fighters remain in development (Picture Source: Boeing)
Under this cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, Boeing will carry out service life modifications (SLM) on up to 60 F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornets. The goal is to extend their certified service life from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours and, at the same time, to integrate III avionics. The work will be shared between San Diego, California (44%), San Antonio, Texas (44%), and St. Louis, Missouri (12%), relying on an industrial network that Boeing and the Navy have gradually built around the SLM program. The contract runs until November 2028 and was awarded without competition by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, Maryland. No funds were obligated at the time of award; they will be committed progressively on individual task orders. This approach gives the Navy flexibility to adapt the pace of upgrades to budget and operational priorities, while ensuring a steady workload for the three main SLM sites.
This contract confirms the path already taken with earlier upgrades. Block III enhancements bring a large-area cockpit display, more powerful onboard computing, improved networking with systems such as Tactical Targeting Network Technology, and an open mission systems architecture designed to accept future sensors and weapons. These features are intended to keep the Super Hornet relevant in a data-centric battlespace, where connectivity and rapid information sharing are as important as raw performance. Boeing has already delivered Block III conversions, demonstrating that the industrial process for these complex modifications is now mature. The new $930.77 million award builds on previous funding for new-build Block III aircraft and earlier service-life extension efforts. Taken together, these measures are progressively creating a mixed fleet where older Block II airframes are upgraded to a common Block III standard alongside newly produced aircraft, simplifying support and keeping the type operationally relevant as it reaches mid-life.
Strategically, extending the life of the Super Hornet fleet is a way to avoid a capability gap in U.S. carrier aviation. For more than twenty years, the F/A-18E/F has been the backbone of U.S. naval air power, flying intensive missions over the Middle East, Europe and the Indo-Pacific. This sustained tempo has accelerated structural wear and raised concerns about a possible shortage of available strike fighters before the future F/A-XX enters service. By pushing Block II aircraft to 10,000 flight hours and aligning them with Block III standards, the Navy can keep sufficient numbers of multirole fighters on its flight decks while the F-35C fleet grows and next-generation programs mature. The choice of a cost-plus IDIQ contract reflects the complexity of the work: each aircraft arrives with a different fatigue history, corrosion level and repair record, making it difficult to treat them as identical and to lock in a single fixed price per unit.
The geopolitical and geostrategic stakes behind this modernization are clear. Carrier strike groups remain central to U.S. power projection, especially in regions where major competitors are strengthening their anti-access/area denial capabilities, such as the Western Pacific. The Super Hornet continues to perform a wide range of missions, from maritime strike and air defense to intelligence, surveillance and close air support. Upgrading a significant portion of the Block II fleet to Block III standard increases survivability, connectivity and overall combat effectiveness in contested environments.
At the same time, the contract supports the U.S. industrial base at a moment when Boeing is reorganizing its F/A-18 SLM footprint and working more closely with Fleet Readiness Center Southwest in San Diego, turning it into a full SLM production site alongside St. Louis and San Antonio. This reinforces the public-private ecosystem around naval aviation support and sends a clear message to allied operators and potential customers that the Super Hornet will remain supported and technologically relevant well into the 2030s.
By securing funding authority for service-life extension and Block III upgrades on up to 60 Super Hornets, the U.S. Navy is choosing to stabilize its near-term combat aviation posture rather than wait for future platforms to resolve current readiness challenges. The contract illustrates a pragmatic strategy: extract maximum value from existing aircraft, keep carrier air wings credible against peer and near-peer threats, and maintain a skilled industrial workforce across key sites in California, Texas and Missouri. If the program proceeds as planned, this new SLM award will convert a substantial share of the Block II fleet into aircraft with several additional years of operational life and modernized digital capabilities, consolidating the Super Hornet’s role as the backbone of U.S. carrier aviation at a time when demand for naval air power shows no sign of decreasing.
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The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a $930.77 million contract to modernize and extend the service life of up to 60 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block II aircraft. The upgrade pushes these jets toward a 10,000-flight-hour lifespan, helping sustain carrier-based airpower as next-generation fighters remain years from full deployment.
On December 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of War announced a $930.77 million contract awarded to Boeing to modernize and extend the service life of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet, as reported by the Pentagon’s daily contract notice. This new contract covers up to 60 Block II Super Hornets and aims to keep them in frontline service well into the next decade, at a time when U.S. carrier air wings remain heavily engaged and future fighter programs are still in development. Rather than relying only on new-build aircraft, the U.S. Navy is choosing to invest in its existing fleet, increasing airframe life while adding modern avionics. Beyond the financial figure, this decision reflects Washington’s intention to maintain a credible carrier-based air combat capability in an increasingly contested global environment.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a $931 million contract to modernize and extend the service life of its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet multirole fighter jets, reinforcing carrier airpower as future fighters remain in development (Picture Source: Boeing)
Under this cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, Boeing will carry out service life modifications (SLM) on up to 60 F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornets. The goal is to extend their certified service life from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours and, at the same time, to integrate III avionics. The work will be shared between San Diego, California (44%), San Antonio, Texas (44%), and St. Louis, Missouri (12%), relying on an industrial network that Boeing and the Navy have gradually built around the SLM program. The contract runs until November 2028 and was awarded without competition by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, Maryland. No funds were obligated at the time of award; they will be committed progressively on individual task orders. This approach gives the Navy flexibility to adapt the pace of upgrades to budget and operational priorities, while ensuring a steady workload for the three main SLM sites.
This contract confirms the path already taken with earlier upgrades. Block III enhancements bring a large-area cockpit display, more powerful onboard computing, improved networking with systems such as Tactical Targeting Network Technology, and an open mission systems architecture designed to accept future sensors and weapons. These features are intended to keep the Super Hornet relevant in a data-centric battlespace, where connectivity and rapid information sharing are as important as raw performance. Boeing has already delivered Block III conversions, demonstrating that the industrial process for these complex modifications is now mature. The new $930.77 million award builds on previous funding for new-build Block III aircraft and earlier service-life extension efforts. Taken together, these measures are progressively creating a mixed fleet where older Block II airframes are upgraded to a common Block III standard alongside newly produced aircraft, simplifying support and keeping the type operationally relevant as it reaches mid-life.
Strategically, extending the life of the Super Hornet fleet is a way to avoid a capability gap in U.S. carrier aviation. For more than twenty years, the F/A-18E/F has been the backbone of U.S. naval air power, flying intensive missions over the Middle East, Europe and the Indo-Pacific. This sustained tempo has accelerated structural wear and raised concerns about a possible shortage of available strike fighters before the future F/A-XX enters service. By pushing Block II aircraft to 10,000 flight hours and aligning them with Block III standards, the Navy can keep sufficient numbers of multirole fighters on its flight decks while the F-35C fleet grows and next-generation programs mature. The choice of a cost-plus IDIQ contract reflects the complexity of the work: each aircraft arrives with a different fatigue history, corrosion level and repair record, making it difficult to treat them as identical and to lock in a single fixed price per unit.
The geopolitical and geostrategic stakes behind this modernization are clear. Carrier strike groups remain central to U.S. power projection, especially in regions where major competitors are strengthening their anti-access/area denial capabilities, such as the Western Pacific. The Super Hornet continues to perform a wide range of missions, from maritime strike and air defense to intelligence, surveillance and close air support. Upgrading a significant portion of the Block II fleet to Block III standard increases survivability, connectivity and overall combat effectiveness in contested environments.
At the same time, the contract supports the U.S. industrial base at a moment when Boeing is reorganizing its F/A-18 SLM footprint and working more closely with Fleet Readiness Center Southwest in San Diego, turning it into a full SLM production site alongside St. Louis and San Antonio. This reinforces the public-private ecosystem around naval aviation support and sends a clear message to allied operators and potential customers that the Super Hornet will remain supported and technologically relevant well into the 2030s.
By securing funding authority for service-life extension and Block III upgrades on up to 60 Super Hornets, the U.S. Navy is choosing to stabilize its near-term combat aviation posture rather than wait for future platforms to resolve current readiness challenges. The contract illustrates a pragmatic strategy: extract maximum value from existing aircraft, keep carrier air wings credible against peer and near-peer threats, and maintain a skilled industrial workforce across key sites in California, Texas and Missouri. If the program proceeds as planned, this new SLM award will convert a substantial share of the Block II fleet into aircraft with several additional years of operational life and modernized digital capabilities, consolidating the Super Hornet’s role as the backbone of U.S. carrier aviation at a time when demand for naval air power shows no sign of decreasing.
