U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has warned that his service will have to pay more to buy the F/A-18 from Boeing unless the White House approve Kuwait’s request to buy 28 Super Hornets.
By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Torrey W. Lee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Boeing needs more orders so that it can keep producing the fighter at an economical rate. Congress is expected to approve the purchase of 16 aircraft for fiscal year 2017. But that number is insufficient to maintain the line at an optimum production rate without orders from Kuwait.