Super Hornet weapons computer can no longer be supported

The U.S. Navy plans to have Boeing redesign parts of the computer that controls weapons and external stores on its F/A-18 and EA-18G fleet, after concluding that the current unit can no longer be supported because key components are no longer available.

Naval Air Systems Command’s PMA-265, the program office for the F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, said in a notice posted Oct. 9 that it intends to award Boeing an order under an existing basic ordering agreement to design and qualify replacement parts for the AN/AYK-22 Stores Management Processor. The Navy did not disclose the order’s value, how many processors are involved or when the work would be finished.

The stores management processor sits between the jet’s mission computer and everything carried on its pylons, including missiles, bombs, fuel tanks and pods. It is the hardware that tells the aircraft what is loaded, manages weapon selection and passes the commands needed to release a store. The Navy said in the notice that the AN/AYK-22 is no longer supportable because some of its key parts have become obsolete, a problem the military calls diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages, which occurs when suppliers stop making components that older systems depend on.

Although the Navy intends to go to Boeing without a competition, the notice is a sources-sought request, a step agencies use to check whether other companies could do the job. Interested firms have until Oct. 28 to send a one-page capability statement showing experience in finding and qualifying obsolete electronic parts for military aircraft, access to the required technical data and their quality certifications. The Navy also asked for published price lists, lead times and current stock levels for items that could meet the need.

The work is part of keeping the Super Hornet and Growler in service for decades after production ends. Boeing’s St. Louis line is due to deliver its last new Super Hornets in 2027 after the Navy’s final order for 17 jets in 2024, and Boeing no longer builds the Growler. Last month, the Navy paid Boeing $16.7 million to plan the shutdown of both production lines, including an inventory of government-owned tooling, on the same day it picked Boeing to develop the F/A-XX, the future carrier fighter meant to eventually replace both jets.

Existing Super Hornets are going through Boeing’s Service Life Modification program, which upgrades older jets to the Block III standard and extends their airframe life to 10,000 flight hours, with that work expected to continue into the mid-2030s.