New in 2021: Blue Angels to start flying F/A-18 Super Hornets

The Blue Angels will start flying F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighter jets in 2021, replacing the legacy F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets that the flight demonstration team has flown for 34 years.

“We are incredibly honored to have the opportunity to salute those teams who have flown, maintained and supported this platform for over three decades of service,” said Cmdr. Brian Kesselring, the Blue Angels’ commanding officer and flight leader, in November.

“We deeply appreciate the expertise and operational knowledge Blue Angels past and present have brought to the team and we look forward to enhancing our operations as we fully transition to flying the Super Hornet,” Kesselring said.

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Blue Angels begin the shift to Super Hornets

The move to the Super Hornet will mark the first time the elite Navy and Marine fighter jet demonstration team has changed aircraft since it moved from the A-4F Skyhawk II to the F/A-18 Hornet back in 1986.

By Melissa Nelson Gabriel, Pensacola News Journal

The Blue Angels’ final flight in the legacy F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet was completed in November and the team has since started their winter training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. They will head to their winter training facilities in El Centro, California, in January to conduct training prior to the 2021 season.

The Blue Angels plan to kick off their first air show in 2021 in April at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, as part of the NAS Jax Air Show, and are scheduled to finish out the season at the NAS Pensacola Homecoming Air Show in November. Altogether, the Blue Angels are slated to appear at a total of 30 locations in 2021 for their 75th season.

The Blue Angels have also already released their 2022 air show schedule, and are on deck to appear at a total of 32 locations. The 76th season will start in March at Naval Air Facility El Centro in California for the NAF El Centro Annual Air Show and will wrap up in November at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida for the NAS Pensacola Homecoming Air Show.

View the Blue Angels’ full 2021 and 2022 schedule here.

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