The Super Hornet is, you know, sexy.

Hello, this is Aoba.
I have lived as a military enthusiast for over a decade, and among all things, aircraft are incredibly profound. I absolutely love the fighter jet known as the Super Hornet.
Today, I would like to talk about that very Super Hornet, the F/A-18E/F model.

First, let's talk about the visuals. That sleek design, which was already perfected in the Legacy Hornet, has been further refined, making it beautiful from every angle. Looking from the nose back, first, there's the curve from the nose to the cockpit! Man, it's sexy! It's different from the simple conical shape of the F-14 or F-15, and different from the 'kamaboko' (fish cake) shape of the F-16; that beautiful form, when viewed from the side, looks like an old Shinkansen (probably the 500 series)! It gives off a stylish impression, as if it's about to slice through the air. Well, the Super Hornet doesn't actually reach very high top speeds, though. I also like the modest M61 Vulcan gun port located behind the nose and in front of the cockpit; it's cute. The front face of the Super Hornet is sharp and cool, but there's something slightly goofy about it that I love.

By the way, I heard the vibration is terrible because the gun is right under the cockpit.
Next, about the inside of the cockpit. Being a 4.5-generation aircraft, it has a perfect balance of displays and analog instruments, which is a design I really love. The F-15 is a bit too analog, and the F-35 is a bit too digital, but the Super Hornet and F-22 in between have a bit of both, which is just great. Also, technically, it's fly-by-wire, so they could have used a side-stick, but the fact that it has a center control stick is also quite classy. Plus, as someone who grew up with 'Sentou Yousei Yukikaze' (Combat Fairy Yukikaze), I prefer a HUD over the HMDs of the F-35 and such, and that angle in movies where the pilot glares through the helmet visor at the HUD is just great, isn't it?
And the massive strakes connecting from under the cockpit to the main wings are another major feature of this aircraft. When they were creating the original Legacy Hornet, it started by enlarging the strakes that worked well on the F-5, and it's said to be highly effective for maneuverability in the low-to-mid speed range and for takeoff and landing performance. In the advanced Block III version, it seems they are attaching conformal fuel tanks here. Actually, the Super Hornet's boarding ladder is located behind these strakes!

↑ This article is easy to understand. I really love how it makes full use of these huge strakes. It looks easier to get on and off than the boarding steps of the F-15 or F-22.
And the back of the cockpit, which makes you want to stroke it, is also quite nice. I suppose it's packed with avionics and fuselage fuel tanks, but thanks to the strakes, the top and bottom of the fuselage are clearly delineated, and I feel that the beauty of the curves here is even more refined. And those little fin-like things growing out of the back are cute, too. I don't know if they are necessary for area ruling or what, but they are charming, like an 'ahoge' (cowlick).
Also, the large air brakes that were on top of the fuselage in the Legacy Hornet have been moved to the left and right strakes, giving it a much more modest look.Next, I'll talk about this! The nose landing gear! I don't know if it's called nose landing gear in the case of fighter jets, but this landing gear is rugged and cool, with parts unique to naval aircraft like the catapult connection and the exposed hydraulic actuators to withstand the shock of carrier landings. The Super Hornet has short, thick legs, so it has great stability during takeoff and landing. Also, while I'm at it, the main landing gear is quite distinctive; it's pigeon-toed, or rather, it folds inward.

Compared to the Tomcat or Phantom, it's seriously short-legged and thick. That part is also cute, like a Kiso horse.
And the highlight of this aircraft is these main wings, which are close to a straight wing. The sharp silhouette from the nose to the strakes spreads out wide here, and the sweep angle of the main wings is exquisite, connecting beautifully while maintaining its beauty. It's also rich in gimmicks; the leading-edge slats, the dogtooth for folding, the wingtip hardpoints that were trendy at the time, the large ailerons and flaps, and the rugged, impressive hardpoints—you never get tired of looking at it. Especially with the dogtooth, you can tell at a glance, 'Ah, this is where it folds the main wing.' When a dogtooth is attached like on the F-15's horizontal stabilizer, it gives a sharper impression, and because the main wings have a low sweep angle, it looks even better. Also, when viewed from above, there is a subtle gap between the leading-edge slats and the strakes, making the boundary of the main wing easy to see.
The wingtip hardpoints are mostly used for carrying Sidewinders, and the fact that the rails protrude from the silhouette of the main wing gives a sense of overall stability and reassurance.
And behind the main wings, in contrast to the main wings, the horizontal stabilizers with a solid sweep angle and the diagonally opened vertical stabilizers between them are also cool. I thought the horizontal stabilizer was a simple trapezoid, but a feature is that the back of the tip is cut away.

I think the F-14 was probably the first Western jet fighter to have two vertical stabilizers, but I think having two is more solid, stable, and cooler than having one. And the placement of these Hornet stabilizers was good for area ruling, and it's great that it was inherited by the later F-22 and others.
And at the very back, the engine area. The Super Hornet's engine is the General Electric F414, which is lighter and more powerful than the Legacy Hornet's F404 engine, and because of that, the engine noise, which was already loud, has apparently become even worse. But since it's a fighter jet, I'm happy as a military enthusiast if it makes a ridiculous roaring sound. Maybe this is because my heart was captured by the roar of the F-4 Phantom's turbojet that came to Komaki Air Base a long time ago.
And as for the engine nozzles, fighter jet nozzles are black and stand out in the gray fuselage, but when you look at them up close, they are quite metallic and ruggedly cool. And especially for a twin-engine aircraft with narrow engine spacing, they look like the two tubes of a bivalve mollusk like a clam, which is cute. The way the nozzles open when the afterburner is ignited is also a bit sexy. Also, the arresting hook between these nozzles is good because you can tell at a glance that it's a carrier-based aircraft. Well, Air Force planes have them too, though.

Next, I want to talk about the specs; this Super Hornet is a really excellent, good kid, honestly. First of all, the performance of the aircraft itself is good. It has almost perfectly met the specs required for a naval aircraft. Twin engines, high low-altitude and low-speed stability and maneuverability, abundant hardpoints, folding main wings, range, maintainability, expandability, versatility, etc. In terms of expandability, the Block III has recently come out, and while it's a 4.5-generation aircraft, it has improved stealth, so it's still very useful on the current battlefield. Since it was originally built for the F-16 competition, it had high productivity at the time of the Legacy Hornet, but once it became a Super Hornet, the aircraft became larger and the avionics became the latest, so productivity inevitably dropped. Still, it's better than stealth aircraft.
Also, although not as much as the Legacy Hornet, the Super Hornet has been exported, and the Royal Australian Air Force has officially adopted it. Honestly, if you want to meet the demand for an Air Force plane in the export market, other 4.5-generation aircraft (Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Su-30, etc.) would be better. The Growler, which was converted into an electronic warfare aircraft, was also considered for introduction in Japan at one time, but in the end, it was only adopted by Australia. But!! Since electronic warfare aircraft seem effective against recent drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, maybe the number of buyers will increase in the future?
Another thing I like about the Super Hornet is the aerial refueling method. US Air Force aircraft are mainly refueled by the flying boom method, but the Navy uses the probe-and-drogue method, so the aircraft being refueled has to work hard to adjust its position to put the probe into the drogue, but it's cool that you can see the refueling from the cockpit. I like it because it feels more manual and romantic than the flying boom method.

In conclusion, the Super Hornet is the best aircraft that is cool, cute, sexy, and charming from every angle. It is the coolest fighter jet in the modern era. It is the greatest fighter jet in the history of the US Navy. I have never seen an aircraft as capable as this one. Moreover, it has media popularity. It was the lead aircraft in Top Gun: Maverick, and I think it will probably be the protagonist's aircraft in Ace Combat 8, for which a trailer was released recently. The F-35C may take away its position as a multi-role carrier-based aircraft in the future, but I still feel like it will be used for about 20 years one way or another. The US Navy is in a bit of a precarious situation right now, but I really want them to take good care of the Super Hornet. Even though it fell off the front deck once. I hope everyone understands the greatness of this fighter jet. Well then.