super hornets
A few points to consider re the supers. they were not designed as tankers - they were designed as multi role fighters. tanking is a collateral capability. Bottom line - the super can do everything well, but it can't do anything as well as an aircraft custom designed for that purpose. We just can't afford the cost of single role aircraft. Thirty years ago, Naval Aviation was running A-4, A-6, A-7, F-4, and F-14 aircraft. Today the only tactical aircraft on deck for many carriers is the F-18. Soon as the S-3 / F-14 shutdown is complete, it will be the only tacair around. Bottom line, the Nav needs to save $ by going to fewer airframes. Cuts down on training costs, maintenance, etc. I think it is clear that in the future, there will be fewer NFO's in the fleet - Prowlers going from 3 to 1 per AC as they replace with F-18G.
A few points to consider re the supers. they were not designed as tankers - they were designed as multi role fighters. tanking is a collateral capability. Bottom line - the super can do everything well, but it can't do anything as well as an aircraft custom designed for that purpose. We just can't afford the cost of single role aircraft. Thirty years ago, Naval Aviation was running A-4, A-6, A-7, F-4, and F-14 aircraft. Today the only tactical aircraft on deck for many carriers is the F-18. Soon as the S-3 / F-14 shutdown is complete, it will be the only tacair around. Bottom line, the Nav needs to save $ by going to fewer airframes. Cuts down on training costs, maintenance, etc. I think it is clear that in the future, there will be fewer NFO's in the fleet - Prowlers going from 3 to 1 per AC as they replace with F-18G.