The Boeing F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet that changed the Grumman F-14 Tomcat as the first multirole fighter jet within the motion drama “High Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the 1986 basic “High Gun,” faces retirement after 40 years because the Navy’s workhorse. 

Boeing introduced Thursday plans to finish Tremendous Hornet manufacturing within the second half of 2025. Boeing plans to proceed F-15EX manufacturing however divert assets to future navy plane applications. 

“We’re planning for our future, and constructing fighter plane is in our DNA,” Steve Nordlund, Boeing Air Dominance vice chairman and St. Louis web site chief, mentioned in a assertion. ​

Boeing’s 1,500 employees have been cranking out two F/A-18 household jets monthly at its plane facility in St. Louis. It purchased the ability in a 1997 acquisition of McDonnell Douglas. Because the F/A-18 Hornet was first launched in 1983, round 2,000 of the fighter jets have been produced in numerous variants. Manufacturing of the Tremendous Hornet started in 1995. 

“As we put money into and develop the following period of functionality, we’re making use of the identical innovation and experience that made the F/A-18 a workhorse for the U.S. Navy and air forces world wide for practically 40 years,” Nordlund mentioned. 

F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet

High Gun: Maverick

To attenuate layoffs, Boeing will hold the St. Louis space amenities and redeploy its Tremendous Hornet workforce in different applications. 

The Tremendous Hornet is the second plane Boeing has both retired or introduced retirement this 12 months. The first was the 747 jumbo jet on Feb. 1. 

WSJ identified, “the seeds of Boeing’s shrinking fight jet enterprise lie in its 2001 loss to Lockheed Martin Corp. for the contract to construct what grew to become the F-35, the world’s largest protection program.” 

Contemplating High Gun: Maverick’s spectacular box-office success worldwide final 12 months, it would counsel Hollywood may produce one other sequel someday this decade. If that’s the case, scriptwriters will doubtless exchange the Tremendous Hornet with a stealth fighter. Who is aware of, the ‘Darkstar’ hypersonic aircraft may be a actuality when the following film is launched.