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The F/A-18 Hornet evolved from the Northrop YF-17 "Cobra", which was rejected by the US Air Force in favour of the YF-16. The F/A-18 is a twin engine, mid wing, multi mission tactical aircraft. The F/A-18A and C are single seat aircraft. The F/A-18B and D are dual seaters. The B model is used primarily for training while the D model is the current Navy aircraft for attack, tactical air control, forward air control, and reconnaissance operations. The latest models, the E and F were rolled out at McDonnell Douglas on 17 September 1995 and are currently undergoing tests at the Patuxent Naval Air Station in Maryland. The E is a single seater while the F is a two seater.
The Hornets are the U.S. Navy's close-in air-superiority fighter that defends aircraft carrier task forces. They are also the Marine Corps' premier attack aircraft, supporting its ground forces. Whether used by the Navy or the Marine Corps, the Hornet is the same plane; the "F" and "A" designations simply describe its role as either a fighter jet or an attack jet. The F/A-18 Hornets supplement the F-14 Tomcat in fleet air defense. They are also proudly flown by the United States Navy's ....

Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron.

Full scale development (FSD) of the F/A-18 was rolled out at St Louis on 18 September 1978.The first flight took place at Lambert Field, St Louis on 18 November 1978 with test pilot Jack E. Krings at the control. The F/A-18 did not officially enter service until 1983. Since then, there have been many improvements made to the single-seater fighter bomber over the years.
The F/A-18 introduced a genuinely multi-role capability. The pilot's well-designed cockpit has three multi-function CRT type displays and true hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls, enabling him to switch easily from the air-to-ground role to air-to-air or defence suppression duties. The F/A-18's dogfighting capabilities is remarkable due to the advanced wing design with large slotted leading edge root extensions (LERXes) which give the F/A-18 excellent turn performance. Similarly, the multi- mode APG-65 radar is as effective at putting bombs with high accuracy on target as it is at detecting and engaging multiple airborne targets.
The F/A-18C is the improved variant of the single-seat F/A-18A and was first flown in September 1986. It has a very similar cockpit configuration to the F/A-18E/F single- and two-seat Super Hornet scheduled to enter U.S. Navy squadrons in 2001. The primary difference between the cockpit of the Super Hornet and earlier Hornets is the installation of the touch screen upfront control panel below the Smiths head-up display. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet offers carrier pilots a fighter/attack aircraft that has improved performance, longer range, greater weapon payload, a slower landing speed and overall better handling characteristics.
The Marine Corps became the first force to deploy an operational Hornet squadron in January of 1983. The "Black Knights" of VMFA-314 were the first front-line F/A-18A unit . By the way, VMFA-314 was also the squadron that featured in the film "Independence Day".

                    The Marines pride themselves with this motto:
                "First to fight, last to leave."

Bombs away !	Deck - launching	Catapulting off	2-ship Hornets
Lethal weapons	Bandits 10 o'clock !	Guardians of the sky	Missile launched !

Hornet  Variants
P-530	Early development design, dubbed "Cobra".
YF- 17	Lightweight Fighter (LWF) contest variant.
F/A-18A	First production single-seat aircraft.
F/A-18B	First production two-seat training aircraft.
F/A-18C	Enhanced single-seat variant.
F/A-18D	Two-seat variant, night attack aircraft for the USMC.
F/A-18E	Latest, most advanced single-seat variant.
F/A-18F	Latest, most advanced two-seat variant.

Hornet  Operators
Country	Total Aircraft	F/A-18As	F/A-18Bs	F/A-18Cs	F/A-18Ds
Australia	72	60	12	0	0
Canada	1138	98	40	0	0
Finland	64	0	0	57	7
Kuwait	40	0	0	32	8
Malaysia	8	0	0	0	8
Spain	75	57	18	0	0
Switzerland	34	0	0	26	8
Total	431	215	70	115	31

Hornet's

• Fighter Squadron 21 - Finnish Air Force Hornets, Satakunta Air Command.

• Bahman's McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet - a great site by Bahman.

Fly back to Hangar.

This page was edited on Friday, 17 January 2003.