Super Hornets, which have been armed with five AIM-120s and four AIM-9Xs since April 2024, were recently referred to as “Murder Hornets” in a year-in-review factsheet published by the U.S. Navy.
In a recently published year-in-review factsheet, titled “Delivering Warfighting Advantage,” the U.S. Navy mentioned under the ‘Aviation’ column that the Super Hornet’s heavy air-to-air loadout with nine air-to-air missiles (AAM) is now referred to as the ‘Murder Hornet’ configuration. The heavy AAM load was first employed in combat in 2024 to counter drone attacks on maritime traffic in the Red Sea.
Also related to this, the document includes the mention of the first naval air-to-air engagement of a hostile Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Other major accomplishments included in the document are the first combat employment of the AGM-88E AARGM (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile) and the unveiling of the AIM-174B long-range air-to-air missile.
The Navy already confirmed last summer the first instance of AARGM use in combat, performed during a joint and coalition effort that struck 60 Houthi targets across 16 sites in Yemen. In that occasion, on Feb. 24, 2024, an EA-18G Growler assigned to the Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 “Zappers”, deployed aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, struck a Houthi Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter on the ground with an AGM-88E.
After photos of a new large missile being tested emerged in early 2024, last summer Super Hornets taking part in Rim of The Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC 2024) were photographed carrying AIM-174B missiles, the air-launched variant of the SM-6 surface-to-air missile. The Navy acknowledged that the AIM-174 is operationally deployed, likely in Initial Operating Capability (IOC).
The need for more weapons
As previously reported, we first saw the ‘Murder Hornet’ loadout in pictures from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in April 2024, when F/A-18Es assigned to the Gunslingers of VFA-105 (Strike Fighter Squadron 105) were first photographed with this heavy payload. The ‘Murder Hornet’ features four AIM-9X Sidewinder IR-guided AAMs and five AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile) radar-guided AAMs.
The loadout is significant especially in current and future conflicts, where large swarms of various cheaply manufactured drones are abundant. This means that a larger emphasis is now placed on being able to carry more ordnance, as there are simply more targets that need to be shot down from the air.
This was also highlighted during a recent mission by U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles that found themselves short on missiles while shooting down Iranian drones in defense of Israel back in Apr. 2024. In fact, just a little earlier, the ‘Murder Hornet’ loadout was born in response to urgent operational demands that the jets be equipped with more ammunition to combat the kamikaze drones launched by Houthi militants in Yemen.
Previously, there have also been nicknames for aircraft touting a unique configuration, such as the F-35’s ‘Beast Mode’, which refers to the situations when weapons are carried on underwing hardpoints. This is in contrast to the ‘Stealth Mode’ which focuses on reducing the aircraft’s RCS (Radar Cross Section) and thus improving its low observability.
The ‘Murder Hornet’ loadout
The four-Sidewinder loadout is only possible because of a new capability that the Navy introduced back in April 2024, which it cleared the AIM-9X to be carried on the F/A-18E/F’s stations two and ten, its outermost underwing stations. This brought the maximum number of AIM-9Xs carried by Super Hornets up to four (along with the original wingtip mounts), while also introducing the AIM-9X to the Growler.
The ‘Murder Hornet’ loadout features four AIM-9X high off-boresight heat-seeking missiles, of which two on the F/A-18’s wingtip stations and two on station two and ten, five AIM-120 AMRAAMS (with two pairs on two LAU-115s, each with two LAU-127,s and one on the chin station), an AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR (Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared) targeting pod and a 480-gallon fuel tank on the centerline.
Although the ATFLIR can be replaced by another AIM-120, it is usually carried as it gives the Super Hornet’s pilots various targeting and identification advantages. Furthermore, the pod is capable of collecting intelligence on aerial targets, and a basic IRST (InfraRed Search and Track) mode is also available for detection of stealthy targets.
The weapons configuration also leaves two additional underwing hardpoints empty. This is potentially to reduce drag and allow the aircraft to retain some speed and maneuverability. Furthermore, since the loadout only contains one drop tank, it limits the time that the fighter can stay on station and its range, which is likely due to the fact that the loadout is specifically suited to fleet air defense.
This is not the first example of fighters carrying a large number of air-to-air munitions; in fact, the legacy F/A-18C/Ds are capable of brandishing up to ten AIM-120s and two AIM-9s in one go. Furthermore, in 2024, pictures of a VX-9 (Airborne Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine) armed with four massive AIM-174Bs, three AIM-120s and two AIM-9Xs also circulated online and were unofficially dubbed ‘Murder Hornet’, and Boeing’s Advanced Eagle demonstration team flying the F-15QA Ababil carried out airshow demonstrations with 12 AMRAAMs.
