1⁄35One Super Hornet
History of the F-18 Hornet
In 1976, McDonnell Douglas was awarded the contract to build F/A-18A Hornets for
both the Marine Corps and Navy. The Marine Corps ordered the Hornet as a fighter
aircraft (F) and the Navy needed it as an attack (A) aircraft, thus producing
the dual designator F/A. In actuality, the Hornet can convert between fighter
and attack roles very easily and has since added roles such as reconnaissance
and electronic countermeasures.
The F/A-18 took to the air for the first time in November 1978 at the Naval Air
Test Center. It has been in service, starting with VFA-125 since November 1980.
Hornets entered active duty in January 1983. In 1986, Hornets on the USS Coral
Sea flew their first combat missions. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, while
performing an air-to-ground mission, Hornets destroyed two Iraqi MiG-21s in
air-to-air combat.
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First flight: Nov. 18, 1978
Wingspan: 37 feet 5 inches
Length: 56 feet
Height: 15 feet 3.5 inches
Takeoff weight: Fighter-36, 710 pounds; attack-49, 224 pounds
Speed: 1,360 mph plus
Ceiling: 50,000 feet
Power Plant: Two 16,000 pound thrust GE F404-GE-400 low-bypass turbofan
engines
Accommodation: One Crew (F/A-18A/C); two crew (F/A-18B/D)
Armament: One 20mm M61A1 Vulcan six-barrel cannon with 570 rounds, plus
up to 17,000 pounds ordnance, including bombs, rockets, missiles and drop tanks
on nine external points.
Copyright ©2002 text and photos Bryan Dewberry. All rights reserved.