Page 54 - Australian Defence Magazine March-April 2022

54 AIRPOWER
MARCH-APRIL 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
AN/ALR-67 Radar Warning Receiver, and the Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ-28 Litening AT pod to replace the first generation AN/AAS-38 Nite Hawk targeting pods.
Weapons upgrades included integration with the MBDA Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM) to re- place the AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles; Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile; and a range of laser- and GPS-guided smart munitions. Ultimately the Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Strike Mis- sile (JASSM) was added to replace the maritime strike capa- bility of the F-111C which was prematurely retired in 2010.
The various phases of the HUG program resulted in a Hornet that was arguably the most capable of the ‘Classic’ (F/A-18A-D) aircraft in the world and, along with the pur- chase of 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets as a ‘bridging capability’ in 2009, helped to fill the gap until the Hornet’s chosen successor – the F-35A – finally entered service in Australia in December 2018.
Perhaps more importantly the upgraded Hornet greatly assisted the RAAF to transition to the Active Electroni- cally Scanned Array (AESA) radar-equipped Super Hornet, which in turn provided an important stepping stone to the data-fusion offered by the F-35A and its advanced sensors.
HORNET SWANSONG
The Hornet deployed overseas operationally three times in its long career: the first to Diego Garcia between Septem- ber 2001 and May 2002 (Operation Slipper); the second to the Middle East in February 2003 (Operation Falconer), and the third – again to the Middle East – between 2015 and 2018 (Operation Okra).
During Operation Okra, the fleet performed 1,937 mis- sions over Iraq and Syria, flying 14,780 flying hours and delivering around 1,600 munitions.
But more than 36 years of RAAF ‘classic’ Hornet flying finally came to an end in late 2021 with the ferry flights of the few remaining operational aircraft from RAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory to Williamtown for withdrawal.
In an official ceremony held at Williamtown at the end
ABOVE: The Hornet Upgrade (HUG) program produced a very capable fighter
BELOW: The sun finally set on the RAAF’s ‘Classic’ Hornet in December 2021
of November, Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld formally farewelled the Hornet from Service and the final squadron to relinquish the aircraft, 75 Squadron at Tindal, began conversion to the F-35A Lightning II in January.
“It is quite fitting that in the Air Force’s centenary year we say goodbye to the ‘Classic’ Hornet, a fighter jet that has been an integral part of Australia’s defence capability for more than three decades,” AIRMSHL Hupfeld said.
The Hornet has been supported in Australia by Boeing for almost all its operational life, including the HUG program and follow-on work performed in Australia by the company included deep maintenance services for the fleet from 2013, followed by the Classic Hornet Sustainment Services (CHSS) contract in July 2017. Under the latter contract Boeing be- came the Hornet’s Weapon Systems Integrator and most re- cently the company prepared retired aircraft for disposal.
“The retirement of the ‘classic’ Hornets will be a sad day for many at Boeing, but it will also be filled with immense pride at our role in its success over the past four decades,” Boeing Defence Australia Vice President and Managing Director Scott Carpen-
dale said at the time.
Australia has sold ‘up to 25’ of its retired
Hornets to Canada, for continued service with the Royal Canadian Air Force and Boeing has delivered 20 of these to date. A further number will go to museums and heritage organisations around the coun- try, including one already delivered to the Australian War Memorial. In addition, ‘up to 46’ aircraft were to be sold to US-based ‘red air’ training company Air USA, but the current status of the deal is unknown.
In the meantime, those who flew, maintained and supported the Hornet can look back on decades of memories. ■
DEFENCE
NIGEL PITTAWAY