TheBoeingF/A-18E/FSuperHornetisanevolutionaryredesignoftheMcDonnellDouglasF/A-18A/BHornet.TheLegacyF/A-18Hornetfirstflewin1980andmettherequirementforamultirolefightertocomplementthelargerandmoreexpensiveGrummanF-14Tomcat,servinginfleetdefenseinterceptorandairsuperiorityroles.TheHornetprovedtobeeffective,butitwaslimitedincombatradiusduetofuelcapacity.ThiswouldbecorrectedwiththenewerandlargerF/A-18SuperHornetdesign,whichisnowtheprimaryfighter/attackaircraftusedintheUSNavycarrierfleetandhasreplacedboththelegacyHornetandtheF-14Tomcat.Additionally,theSuperHornetairframedesignwasusedforthedesignoftheEA-18GGrowler,whichtookovertheelectroniccountermeasures(ECM)roleoftheEA-6BProwler.
