U.S. Navy says notice of possible F/A-18 orders posted in error

The U.S. Navy erroneously posted a notice about a possible order of up to 36 more Boeing Co F/A-18 fighter jets or EA-18G electronic attack planes due to "pre-decisional and internal budget discussions," a top Navy admiral said Friday.

Vice Admiral David Dunaway, commander of Naval Air Systems Command, issued the statement after the Navy canceled the notice, which had caused confusion since the Navy's budget does not foresee additional F/A-18 purchases after fiscal 2014. The Navy is slated to transition to the radar-evading F-35 fighter built by Lockheed Martin Corp in coming years.

"The posting was the result of pre-decisional and internal budget discussions and was posted erroneously," Dunaway said in a statement emailed to Reuters. "We took immediate actions and retracted the solicitation."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Eric Walsh)