The Fleet Readiness Center Southwest completed its first fully in-house Block III Super Hornet upgrade, combining the work with the ongoing Service Life Modification effort.
The Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) announced on Apr. 21, 2026, that it completed the first fully in-house modification of an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for the naval jet’s Block III program. The Block III modification is the third and most advanced phase of the Service Life Modification (SLM) effort for the U.S. Navy’s Super Hornet fleet, says the service, which would allow the fighter to serve well into the 2040s.
FRCSW highlighted how years of preparatory efforts made this possible. This included coordination with Boeing, the F/A-18E/F and E/A-18G Growler program office PMA-265, repairing unexpected damage, while complying with stringent technical specifications, and synergizing the work of various engineers and technicians from multiple streams.
With Boeing planning to end the Super Hornet’s production by 2027, the fighter and its electronic warfare derivative, the E/A-18G Growler, will remain the U.S. Navy’s premier multirole platforms, until the arrival of the F/A-XX.
SLM and Block III programs
The Block III upgrades are part of the Service Life Modification (SLM) on the Super Hornet. The SLM’s first phase is the Service Life Extension (SLE), which initially extended Super Hornet’s life from 6,000 to 7,500 flight hours and, since 2023, is further extending the service life to 10,000 flight hours.
The first two aircraft to be modified were delivered back to the U.S. Navy on June 27, 2024, after less than a year and ahead of schedule. In December 2025, Boeing received a $931 million contract to continue the SLM program on 60 aircraft, which would join the roughly 125 Super Hornets already covered by a series of contracts since 2018.
The end of the Super Hornet’s production is expected to not affect the Navy’s current fleet of approximately 550 F/A-18E/F fighters, and their modernization and maintenance will allow them to remain relevant in modern scenarios. The FRCSW, which can modify up to 40 aircraft a year, is one of the three locations conducting the Block III upgrades, two others being in St. Louis.
VX-9 F/A-18E Block III Super Hornet headed out of Fort Worth Alliance Sunday. The most obvious external sign of a Block III seems to be the small hump on the top of the spine towards the tail. Maybe we’ll see them with the CFTs some day. 169971 XE-360 pic.twitter.com/NTNQdhmSq7
— Sam Combs (@pressxtolive) July 17, 2023
Block III features
The Block III upgrade primarily features a new cockpit display, electronics, avionics and computing architecture. At one point, the program also envisaged conformal fuel tanks (CFT) adding an additional 3,500 lb fuel capacity, however that plan was later dismissed.
Super Hornets under Block III would receive an Advanced Cockpit System (ACS) with a 10×19 inch large-area touchscreen display; a modern Distributed Targeting Processor Network (DTP-N) and the Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT); open mission systems; reduced radar signature; and the AN/ASG-34 IRST (Infrared Search-and-Track).
Block III super hornet for context. There’s also nothing besides mirrors, necessary lights and the backup magnetic compass on the canopy frame, unlike the Su-57, which has some kind of selector on the canopy frame. You can see the different shapes, sizes and distinct positions of… pic.twitter.com/iQIkGbsXxm
— Heatloss (@heatloss1986) November 19, 2025
The FRCSW’s press release shed further light on the avionics upgrades, the ACS and its advantages, as a part of the Super Hornet’s Block III configuration:
- Advanced Cockpit System (ACS) installation
- A new large-area cockpit display
- Comprehensive avionics suite upgrades
- Enhanced aircraft networking capability
- Electrical system modernization to support upgraded systems
“The ACS fundamentally transforms the cockpit. Aircraft that once relied on older display technology are now equipped with modern, user-friendly large screen interfaces. This upgrade allows pilots to fully leverage the aircraft’s enhanced capabilities, bringing this fourth-generation platform significantly closer to fifth-generation performance at a fraction of the cost,” said the statement from FRCSW.
CVN-71 USS Theodore Roosevelt
ROKFLT, Busan
F/A-18E Buno.169953
VFA-25 “Fist of the Fleet” NH400
Glad to meet the brand new Block III Super Hornet! pic.twitter.com/gKULgztBab
— Hornet (@hornetysfs) June 23, 2024
The FRCSW further added that the completion of its first fully organic F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III modification marks a major milestone since this was “the first time U.S. military artisans and engineers executed the complete upgrade in-house, marking a pivotal step forward in naval aviation readiness.”
FRCSW split the work in three phases: the structural SLM, Block III upgrades for network and mission enhancements and the Block III ACS and avionics modernization. “This phased approach allowed FRCSW artisans and engineers to refine processes, sequence work efficiently, and reduce cost and turnaround time (TAT),” said the statement.
FRCSW further distinguished between the SLM and the Block III upgrades: “The modification does not extend the physical life of the aircraft, that is the purpose of the structural SLM, but it ensures the avionics and mission systems remain tactically relevant for the aircraft’s service life.” However, taken together, these form a “life-extension and capability-enhancement strategy” that ensure the Super Hornet will remain a key component of the Navy’s carrier air wing well into the 2040s.
U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) prepare for a nighttime combat mission during Operation Epic Fury, March 25. pic.twitter.com/glxEH2qlNO
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 29, 2026
Technical efforts
For the technically “complex avionics upgrades” as a part of the Block III modification, that “essentially guts the cockpit,” FRCSW engineers and technicians had to remove and replace structural components; extract and reinstall wiring and fiber optics; installation new displays and interface systems; and undertake electrical upgrades to support modern avionics.
Avionics technicians, sheet metal mechanics, ordnance specialists, and engineers and quality assurance personnel had to comply with the 350-plus pages long Technical Directive (TD), dictating “down to how wiring and fiber optics must be routed and secured.” FRCSW and Boeing worked together to ensure every step meets current safety and quality standards.
Additional unexpected “corrosion, worn wiring or legacy damage” can also be found as aircraft are disassembled, which “must be corrected before modernization can proceed,” further complicating the intricate efforts. “This adds layers of complexity to an already intricate effort,” FRCSW explained.
