PC: Get the RAF/ future FAA to have the F-18K/M Super Hornet instead of Typhoon

WILDGEESE

Gone Fishin'
With a post '90 pod get the UK govt to purchase then build the F-18 K/M Super Hornet for the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm instead of the Eurofighter Typhoon

Regards filers
 
Have a much bigger peace dividend, a larger Russian breakup and have the European partners ditch the Eurofighter project along with everything else they ditched OTL
 
Helmut Kohl keeps his promise to cancel it, Germany almost did it OTL, maybe Ruhe gets a bit luckier or has more political capital. If Germany withdraws per unit costs go up, and the other partners are a lot more likely to cancel it, Spain is the poorest and already operates the Hornet, so they could start the bandwagon by just ordering SuperHornets, driving the cost of those down and Eurofighter up even more. Italy and the UK alone probably will not continue, and the UK, thinking about replacing the through Deck cruisers would think about something carrier capable

Also what F-18 K/M? No such variant exists or to my knowledge were proposed. The SuperHornet is the F/A-18 E/F
 

Archibald

Banned
Ramscoop nailed it well. Germany was really serious about getting Hornets instead of EFA (not Typhoon yet !). Spain already has Hornets so their choice is obvious. Great Britain I don't know, probably Hornets, too, as everything else is too expensive. Super Hornet is coming fast, so a mixed fleet might be possible.

The country that ends really screwed is Italy, with its antiquated F-104s. They probably buy F-16s from the beginning.
 
For the FAA just have the RN decide to go back to big deck traps and cats carriers sooner than OTL and have them decide to go with the Super Hornet as their main aircraft.

For the RAF, if the Typhoon is cancelled is the Super Hornet really a good fighter for them? Frankly I would rather have the latest variants of the F-15. Bigger, faster, heavier warload, longer range.
 
Ramscoop nailed it well. Germany was really serious about getting Hornets instead of EFA (not Typhoon yet !). Spain already has Hornets so their choice is obvious. Great Britain I don't know, probably Hornets, too, as everything else is too expensive. Super Hornet is coming fast, so a mixed fleet might be possible.

The country that ends really screwed is Italy, with its antiquated F-104s. They probably buy F-16s from the beginning.
From what I recall Germany wanted a single engine derivative of the Eurofighter, with elements from the Hornet, not the Hornet itself
Think you would also need a massive crisis at BAE as they would probably push the Griffin
The Gripen is a light fighter, a good aircraft for its niche, but its a lot lighter than the Eurofighter or SHornet, MTW of 14t, v. 23.5t and 30t respectively for the other two. I don't think it would fit UK needs very well
For the FAA just have the RN decide to go back to big deck traps and cats carriers sooner than OTL and have them decide to go with the Super Hornet as their main aircraft.

For the RAF, if the Typhoon is cancelled is the Super Hornet really a good fighter for them? Frankly I would rather have the latest variants of the F-15. Bigger, faster, heavier warload, longer range.
Logistics commonality, a lot easier to convince the Treasury to pay for one new fast jet type rather than two, and well the SuperHornet can operate from land bases, the Strike Eagle can't operate from carriers. Now the UK didn't decide new carriers were in the future until 1998, and Eurofighter cancellation is likely rather before then, but I believe the SuperHornet was cheaper than the Strike Eagle in the late 90's, I think by about $14 million (57 vs. 71 million I think), so a penny pinching treasury might prefer the cheaper option, and if it has future possibility of the FAA using it too all the better
 
But why?? The Typhon is much better than the F-18. Granted the FAA would have a capable aircraft earlier - providing it has carriers that can handle it. Though in USN service all they got (with the 'Super') was an aircraft cheaper to run - but not as effective as those it replaced.
Moreover, the RAF would be lobbying for a replacement aircraft to keep up with potential Russian equipped adversaries.
 

Wimble Toot

Banned
FAA - keep the SHAR FA2 and the Harrier GR.7 for as long as possible, until the F-35B appears.

RAF - MoD was offered F-15s for air defence in 1983-4, while the Tornado ADV was being developed - they bought reconditioned F-4Js instead. Cancel the Tornados or have them built as IDS versions

Have the RAF be the first customers the Northrop F-18L instead.

Canada, Australia, Spain, Finland and Switzerland might follow suit.
 
Also what F-18 K/M? No such variant exists or to my knowledge were proposed. The SuperHornet is the F/A-18 E/F

Matches the US designation for the RN and RAF F-4 (FG.1 and FGR.2 in service), and use of the "K" designation for other US supplied or planned aircraft for the UK (C-130K, F-111K etc).
 
Have the SU break up lead to more third world instability, coupled with germany pulling out of the EFA. Whitehall sees the instability and ends up doing more fire fighting then they did IOTL, leading to an earlier decision to return to cat and trap carriers.
 
For the FAA just have the RN decide to go back to big deck traps and cats carriers sooner than OTL and have them decide to go with the Super Hornet as their main aircraft.

For the RAF, if the Typhoon is cancelled is the Super Hornet really a good fighter for them? Frankly I would rather have the latest variants of the F-15. Bigger, faster, heavier warload, longer range.

Because McDonnell-Douglas was advertising the Super Hornet as a cheaper alternative to the Eurofighter in 1980s.
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