Gents,
Sorry for asking this but I ultimately have no clue to resolve this question basing on available sources. Namely: so was F/A-18A at its IOC any better in range than F-4J it superseded? The best I have is an opinion that yes, in a slick condition for both. Has somebody of you ever seen legacy Hornet in the air without at least one (underbelly) tank?
Similar situation was here when people jumped from MiG-21 to -29. Seasoned pilots instantly noticed that old bird had better range on inner fuel