hornetfinn wrote:So this version of Super Hornet would have quite similar fuel load to F-35A, although it'd definitely be heavier and draggier. With CFTs it'd still have about 10 percent less fuel than F-35C and with one weapon pod it'd weigh pretty much the same. With CFTs and one EWP and uprated engines, it'd have better T/W ratio, but would still likely be draggier.
One would think that a F/A-18E would be less draggy than the -F, but the reverse is true. And one would think that the CFTs would increase drag when installed on either, but the tests this month showed that they actually decreased drag on the already less draggy -F.
From the Boeing press release:
"Improvements to the aircraft's radar signature, including the enclosed pod, resulted in a 50 percent reduction compared with the U.S. Navy's stealth requirement for the current Super Hornet variant. The tests also showed that the CFTs increase the jet's combat radius by up to 130 nautical miles, for a total combat radius of more than 700 nautical miles."
http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-201 ... 07639.html
Keep in mind that this is a company document, and probably just as generous with the facts as one from say, Lockheed Martin.