Boeing has received a $17 million contract for convert nine F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft for Blue Angels flight demonstration team, said in the statement of the U.S. Department of Defense on 13 August.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has contracted Boeing for the retrofit documentation and kits to convert nine F/A-18E (single-seat) and two F/A-18F (tandem-seat) aircraft into a Blue Angel configuration in accordance with engineering change proposal 6480.

According to the DoD, work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in December 2021.

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The Blue Angels have operated Boeing F/A-18A, C, B, and D models for 30 years – far longer than they have flown any other aircraft type. The new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft is 25 percent larger and has 40 percent more range than the F/A-18C/D, making the aircraft substantially larger than its predecessors.

The Super Hornet comes in the single-seat F/A-18E and the tandem-seat F/A-18F.

The Super Hornet has the capability, flexibility and performance necessary to modernize the air or naval aviation forces of any country. It is able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions.

The Blue Angels are the Navy and Marine Corps’ elite flight demonstration squadron. With pilots drawn from active-duty Navy and Marine flight squadrons, the Blue Angels demonstrate the incredible skills of America’s Naval and Marine pilots. The F/A-18 Hornets they fly are combat-ready aircraft that are constantly updated to meet the latest demands on the battlefield.