The Navy issued an $8.9 billion contract to Boeing on 15 June for the production of 222 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters. The work will be done in St Louis and Los Angeles. The Navy expects the Super Hornet to have 40 percent more range than the original Hornet, while flying twice as many missions each day and suffering 70% fewer combat losses. The first unit to receive Super Hornets is scheduled to be the 115th Strike Fighter Squadron based at Lemoore NAS, California; it will take its new planes on board the Abraham Lincoln in June 2002.--Stephen V Cole