The F/A-18 E1 made its first flight in this city on November 29, 1995

The outstanding F/A-18E Super Hornet naval multi-role fighter made its maiden flight in 1995 and will therefore be 30 years old in 2025.

An excellent video explaining the F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet and its armament
The deafening takeoff of four Super Hornets fighter jets, recorded from just a few meters away

The Super Hornet, a greatly improved and enlarged variant of the famous McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (which made its first flight on November 18, 1978), was put into service in 1999 and 25 years later the most numerous combat aircraft in the United States Navy with 421 units the F/A-18E (single-seat) and F/A-18F (two-seat) versions, as well as a further 76 units ordered, as the aircraft is still in production today. In addition, there are 153 EA-18G Growlersthe version of electronic warfare.

The Hornet, Super Hornet and Growler have replaced a wide range of naval aircraft which were designed for very different missions: the F-14 Tomcat interceptor, the A-6 Intruder bomber, the A-7 Corsair II fighter aircraft, the Lockheed S-3 Viking anti-submarine aircraft, the KA-6D tanker aircraft and the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft.

The F/A-18 E1 on its maiden flight on November 29, 1995 from Saint Louis (photo: McDonnell Douglas).

The US Naval Air Force has never had an aircraft that could cover so many different missions. This explains the success of the Super Hornet, even if its exports were not as good as expected: Besides the US Navy, it is only operated by the Royal Australian Air Force and the Kuwaiti Air Force.

The Super Hornet was born in St. Louis, Missouri. This was the site of the McDonnell Douglas factory, which was later taken over by Boeing. The aircraft manufacturer still produces the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-15EX Eagle II here today. The F/A-18 E1, the first Super Hornet, was built herean aircraft with the design number 165164. There, at Lambert Field, this Super Hornet made its maiden flight on November 29, 1995.

After flight testing of this model The F/A-18 E1 was used for training tasks in St. Louis. in preparation for the sale of this model to Kuwait. I have not found much information about this aircraft, but I conclude that it must have landed in the warehouses of the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Floridaas that center has loaned it to the National Transportation Museum in St. Louis for display in December 2023.

The aircraft arrived unassembled at the St. Louis Museum and was restored by a group of Boeing employees. The work included a complete repaint of the aircraft. At the end of July, the aircraft was placed in front of the museum like a monument. An unveiling ceremony took place on August 3rd. Yesterday Boeing dedicated this video to the new home of the F/A-18 E1:

Boeing has emphasized that this is the first Super Hornet to be exhibited in a museum. The F/A-18 E1 can now be admired in the city where it was built and made its first flight.

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Photos: Boeing / US Navy / The National Museum of Transportation.