20 May 2019: Boeing has obtained a one-year contract to continue modernising the US Navy's F/A-18 fleet under the Service Life Modification (SLM) programme. The contract which is worth $164 million for FY19 funds the standup of a second SLM line in San Antonio, Texas which will be complementary to the line established last year in St. Louis.
"The Service Life Modification programme is making great strides as we've already inducted seven Super Hornets into the program, and will deliver the first jet back to the Navy later this year," said Dave Sallenbach, programme director. "This programme is crucial in helping the Navy with its readiness challenges, and will continue to grow each year with the number of jets we induct."
The San Antonio SLM line is slated to get its first Super Hornet in June, and a total of 23 Super Hornets over the course of this contract. The US Navy fleet has over 550 Super Hornets.
The SLM programme increases the life of the present Super Hornets from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours.