NAVAIR Cancels Pre-Solicitation for New Super Hornets

October 31, 2013 3:01 PM
An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the Argonauts of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 prepares to land on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on Oct. 26, 2013. US Navy Photo
An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the Argonauts of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 prepares to land on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on Oct. 26, 2013. US Navy Photo

The U.S. Navy removed pre-solicitation notices for 36 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and 84 General Electric F414 engines from the Federal Business Opportunities website today.

“The pre-solicitation was removed from FEDBIZOPS because, currently, there is no fiscal 2015 or subsequent requirements for additional F/A-18E/Fs or EA-18Gs,” Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) spokeswoman Marcia Hart-Wise said in a statement provided to USNI News.

The Navy had previously said that the pre-solicitation notices were designed to keep its options open in case there is a need for additional jets—either for the Navy itself or for a foreign military sales customers.

Despite the cancellation of the notice, there are many inside the Beltway who believe that the Navy is hedging its bets against the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program by trying to keep the Super Hornet production line going.

The idea would be to buy additional F/A-18s while deferring full-rate F-35C production into the future.

Dave Majumdar

Dave Majumdar

Dave Majumdar has been covering defense since 2004. He has written for Flight International, Defense News and C4ISR Journal. Majumdar studied Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary and is a student of naval history.

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