A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Wednesday urged the leaders of the Armed Services Committees to recognize the national security importance of the F/A-18 Super Hornet and authorize the 16 aircraft requested by the Navy prior to the submission of the annual defense funding bill.
“The United States Navy can only meet our country’s national security needs if we provide our servicemen and women the weapons systems required to get the job done,” U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. “For this reason, we are pleased that the House of Representatives passed an NDAA which reflects the current shortfall in naval tactical aviation and authorizes the procurement of 16 F/A-18 E/F’s. Unfortunately, the Senate-passed NDAA authorized only two F/A-18E/F while larger top line budget issues will have to be resolved between the two committees, if sufficient funding is available, we urge you to include authorization in the final bill for 16 F/A-18E/Fs aircraft to address the Navy’s top unfunded requirement and the national security needs of the United States.”
A Senate bill approved in May included provisions to provide resources for new F/A-18 Super Hornets for the Navy and to fully fund the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency in St. Louis. The Navy continues its use of the F/A-18 Super Hornet due to delays and cost overruns in the F-35 program.