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F/A-18 Beats the F-35 In 1 Key Area: The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet marked its 29th anniversary on November 29, 2023, remaining a cornerstone of U.S. Navy airpower.

-More than 600 have been produced, with the majority in U.S. Navy service and additional operators including Australia and Kuwait.

-The Super Hornet is the only U.S. tactical fighter to achieve the Pentagon’s 80% mission-capable rate, surpassing the F-35, which has struggled with a mission-capable rate of 55.7%.

-The Navy attributes its success to strategic problem-solving rather than increased funding, aligning with its goal to be “surge ready” by 2027 to address potential threats from China, including over Taiwan.

F/A-18 Super Hornet Outshines F-35 in Mission Readiness Rates

Last week, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet marked the 29th anniversary of its maiden flight – which took place on November 29, 1995. In the nearly three decades since, more than 600 have been produced with the majority in service with the United States Navy, while the Royal Australian Air Force and Kuwait Air Force each operate around two dozen of the twin-engine, multirole fighter aircraft.

The Super Hornet was also the second major model upgrade for the F/A-18, and more importantly, it remains the U.S. military’s only fighter to meet the Pentagon’s readiness level.

F/A-18 Fighter Better Than the F-35 When It Comes to Readiness

In October 2018, then Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis ordered the United States Air Force and United States Navy to reach 80% mission-capable rates for the services’ respective tactical aircraft within a year. It was seen as quite a daunting challenge that only the Super Hornet has ever achieved.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet has a significantly higher readiness rate than any other tactical aircraft, including the fifth-generation fighters.

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 63rd Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., climbs to a higher altitude Aug. 26, 2019, at the Barry M. Goldwater Range near Gila Bend, Ariz. Pilots use the airspace in Gila Bend to train dropping ordnance and conducting strafing passes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aspen Reid)

According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II – the Air Force’s conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variants – maintains a mission capable rate (MC rate) of just 51.9%, which means that at any given time only slightly over half of the air services fleet is ready to conduct a mission.

Another government watchdog, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), described the F-35 as a “ Part-Time Fighter Jet” and warned it has a full mission capable rate of just 48%. The criticisms haven’t gone unnoticed or ignored.

The F-35 Joint Program Office even launched an effort last year – dubbed the “War on Readiness” – to increase its MC Rate by 10%, yet, officials acknowledged in October, but across the services it only increased 2.6% to 55.7%. 

Unpacking the Challenge

Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti explained this week that the MC Rate for the F/A-18 Super Hornet could not be solved by simply throwing money at the program. Instead, she said while speaking at the Stimson Center on Tuesday that sea service achieved its 80% rate “by unpacking the challenge.”

At sea aboard USS John C. Stennis, December 18, 2001 - After an early morning round of flight operations, an F/A-18 Hornet awaits the next round of combat flight operations aboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Stennis and her embarked Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Jayme Pastoric.

At sea aboard USS John C. Stennis, December 18, 2001 – After an early morning round of flight operations, an F/A-18 Hornet awaits the next round of combat flight operations aboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Stennis and her embarked Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Jayme Pastoric.

She added that the U.S. Navy seeks to reach that rate for all of its forces by 2027, where the service would be “surge ready” to confront China if necessary, Air & Space Forces magazine reported.

Beijing has set a goal of 2027 for when it would be ready to mount an invasion of the self-ruling Taiwan, which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sees as a breakaway province that will be returned to mainland control, and by force if necessary.

The Air Force Dropped the Benchmark

Even as the U.S. Navy sought to increase the readiness levels of its fighters, the Air Force went in another direction. It abandoned the 80% mission-capable rate in 2020, arguing that the MC Rate wasn’t a good indicator of actual mission readiness.

Despite that fact, it has seen some improvement – notably with the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which reportedly achieved a rate of 69%.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.