Navy to purchase $5.3 billion worth of combat aircraft

[ErnstBlofeld]

Stars and Stripes:

The U.S. Navy is purchasing 124 combat aircraft from defense contractor Boeing as part of a $5.3 billion multi-year contract, the company and the Naval Air Systems Command announced.

Boeing will deliver 66 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and 58 EA-18 Growlers from 2012 to 2015, Boeing said in a news release Tuesday.

The Navy will have 515 Super Hornets and 114 Growlers by the end of the 2013 fiscal year, according to a Navy news release.

The F/A-18 fighter is a fixture aboard the Navy’s 11 aircraft carriers and is scheduled to remain in service beyond 2035, according to the Naval Air Systems Command.

The Growler, a variant of the F/A-18, is an electronic attack aircraft that adds newly developed jamming capability upgrades to the Super Hornet. The Growler is scheduled for its first combat deployment later this year, according to Boeing.