Yes the original comment was 'Very Capable'. But in the grand scheme of things there is nothing the SuperHornet does that the Legacy Hornet doesn't do except give gas and a bit in the EW realm. I fly both of them routinely...The SH isn't so much about expanded capability as it was a step up in increased capacity, there's a stark difference. The other issue you're not even touching on is the gap in Strike Fighters that the SH virtually eliminates provided the buy of aircraft is sufficient. We have out and overflown our Legacy Hornets which drove the requirements for the cheaper SH that bridges the gap to JSF.

Ask the Marines what they are doing and have done to bridge that gap.