The F/A-18 Super Hornet may have soared in popularity after featuring prominently in box office hit “Top Gun: Maverick,” but its production will soon become history, Boeing announced Thursday.
The airplane manufacturer unveiled plans to end the fighter jet’s production in 2025 following delivery of its last F/A-18s to the U.S. Navy, Boeing said in a statement. Demand for the fighter jet waned in recent years after a Congressional Budget Office report revealed that the Hornets have not aged as well as other Navy aircraft, the Navy Times reported. (RELATED: US Navy Reveals Plans For Next-Gen Fighter Jets Boasting Unmanned ‘Little Buddy’ Assistance)
We’ll complete new-build production of the F/A-18 between late 2025 and 2027. Through Service Life Modification, sustainment and modernization, we’ll keep the Super Hornet at the forefront of U.S. Navy and allied air power for decades to come.
Release: https://t.co/tsUj3o6LFc pic.twitter.com/lUW4cyWRab
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) February 23, 2023
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, of which the Super Hornet was a redesign, first debuted in Jan. 1983, according to Boeing’s website, and was retired from service in 2019. The Super Hornet played a prominent role in the 2022 “Top Gun” sequel, starring Tom Cruise. The iconic film raked in a stunning $550 million globally and $295.6 million in North America.
“We are planning for our future, and building fighter aircraft is in our DNA,” Boeing Air Dominance Vice President Steve Nordlund said of the airplane manufacturer’s decision. While Boeing will continue to update existing F/A-18 Super Hornets, it plans to redirect resources to future military aircraft programs and ramp up production for “critical” new systems and aircraft.