Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F/A-18 Hornet

The History of the Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F/A-18 Hornet

McDonnell Douglas/Boeing The F/A-18 Hornet became one of the most successful fourth-generation fighter jets in the final years of the Cold War. It was designed from the ground up to be multi-role capable, capable of performing the Fleet Defense Interceptor role as well as the Ground Attack role in a minimal configuration. This benefits the United States Navy (USN), which relies on specialized products such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat for fleet defense roles, and the Grumman A-6 Intruder/Vought A-7 Corsair II for carrier strike arms (male Cats get their "bomb cat" - able to strike later in his service career). The F/A-18 emerges from the ashes of the terminated VFAX (Navy Fighter Attack, Experimental) program, which sought a new light, multirole fighter for the U.S.

Navy to replace the legacy fighter/strike platform stockpile, which was used at the time . Faced with soaring costs and eventual termination in August 1974, the US Navy was forced to review two competing United States Air Force (USAF) aircraft - General Dynamics' YF-16 and Northrop YF-17 "Cobra" ". These aircraft then went their own way, with the YF-16 becoming the US Air Force's F-16 Fighting Falcon and the YF-17 becoming the US Navy's F/A-18 Hornet.

Development

The YF-17 has been redesigned for USN requirements as a larger, heavier product. Despite leading the way as the prime contractor for the YF-17, Northrop had little experience delivering USN aircraft and worked with naval powerhouse McDonnell Douglas on their Cobra. McDonnell Douglas enjoyed great success during the Cold War, selling various military branches of the United States with classic aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II and the F-15 Eagle. Between General Dynamics and the McDonnell Douglas/Northrop design, the U.S.

Navy selected the YF-17 Cobra model on May 2, 1975. This sparked the idea that two different versions of the platform would emerge - the fighter-oriented "F-18" and the ground-attack-oriented "A-18" - until the move proved prohibitive , and resulted in a dual-role airframe known as the "F/A-18 Hornet".

Eleven such aircraft were subsequently used for development purposes, the first of which made its maiden flight on November 18, 1978.

The Rise of the Hornet

Compared to the YF-17 Cobra roots, the F/A-18 proved to be an entirely new aircraft when completed. Like all Navy aircraft, the design features folding wing sections for improved hangar storage on the carrier.

Fly-by-wire (FBW) control is standard, allowing the fighter type the necessary agility required in air-to-air combat. HOTAS (Hand-Up Throttle and Stick) allows the pilot to keep their hands on the most important control systems of the aircraft - the throttle and stick, while the HUD (Head-Up Display) system puts a lot of relevant mission information in front of the pilot without having to look at it Dashboard. Located in the aircraft's nose cone is a powerful Hughes AN/APG-65 series radar system designed to intercept incoming air threats above or below the aircraft. Powered by two General Electric GE404 series afterburning turbofan engines, the aircraft can reach speeds of Mach 1.8 - almost 1,200 miles per hour at 40,000 feet.

The twin-engine arrangement allows the aircraft to continue using a single engine in the event of an engine failure.

Bumblebee walking around

The aircraft features one of the most iconic forms of Cold War design its design lines and silhouettes undoubtedly give off an insect-like appearance. As usual, the cockpit is just behind the nose, and the pilot is under a simple but unobstructed canopy that provides excellent visibility around the aircraft. The engines were arranged side-by-side, drawn through circular air intakes across the fuselage, and located aft of the cockpit wall. The engine is exhausted through a traditional exhaust ring at the rear of the aircraft.

A pair of vertical fins are clearly positioned in front of the exhaust rings and slanted outwards noticeably, giving the F/A-18 some unique looks. The horizontal plane of the stern is usually installed along each engine nacelle. The main wing of the aircraft is only swept along its leading edge and is mounted midway on the sides of the aircraft.

Not only does each feature fold, but it comes standard with a wingtip launch track for the AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile. There are under-wing hardpoints for carrying ordnance, as well as under-fuselage hardpoint locations.

Wings originate from wing root extensions that extend from the sides of the cockpit to the leading edge of the main wing aircraft - another unique physical feature of the aircraft. The landing gear is fully retractable and includes a two-wheeled front leg and a single-wheeled main leg. A grappling hook is installed under the tail unit for carrier landing.

A foldable aerial refueling probe is concealed under panels on the port and starboard sides of the nose.

Hornets in action

The Hornet was launched on January 7, 1983, and didn't wait long for a "baptism of fire", as in April 1986, when US planes bombed Libya during Operation El Dorado Canyon in response to early The terrorists were already in the war zone when they bombed West Berlin, killing 3 and wounding 230. The Hornets started their careers as interceptors for the F-14 Tomcat fleet until surpassing them in that role some 20 years later - the classic, albeit expensive, Tomcat officially retired in 2006.

The aircraft then took part in the world's first "digital warfare" against Iraqi forces as part of the coalition's Operation Desert Storm in 1991. When the Hornet was able to counter enemy air threats and continue its ground attack mission without modification, the The Hornets proved their worth as fighter jets and attack platforms, returning angrily to the Persian Gulf again after the plane was accused of attacking Iraqi fortifications during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

In practice, the base design of the F/A-18 proved to be a versatile base. It is an agile, aggressive fighter airframe with a natural dual-role capability, allowing war planners to use a single airframe for multiple roles and allowing politicians to force the withdrawal of other competing, aging designs that have It's been in play since the Vietnam War. Compared to these outgoing models, the F/A-18 suffers from some significant limitations - its range has always been an issue, often resulting in standard external fuel tanks. Additionally, it lacks the payload capabilities of the attack aircraft it replaces.

Overall, the aircraft remains a thoroughbred capable of handling the various missions assigned to it - fleet defense, reconnaissance, ground attack - without the need for multiple specialized airframes - in the cockpit A simple function of the Hornet pilot allows the Hornet pilot to switch to rolling from air-to-air to air-to-ground in a split second.

Bumblebee variant

When the Hornet entered service in 1983, it first appeared as an early F/A-18A single-seat model, followed by the F/A-18B in a two-seat configuration. While retaining the combat capabilities of the Type A, the Type B series had a second cockpit mounted aft of the first and lost some internal fuel storage space, which limited range somewhat. The Type B is mainly used for training purposes due to its dual cockpit layout. Both the U.S.

Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps have evaluated this type. Beginning in 1994, the original APG-65 radar was abandoned in favor of the faster processing APG-73 series, designated the F/A-18+ ("Plus") Hornet.

Then came the F/A-18C, an improved single-seat model that first flew in 1986. The product line introduces a more refined avionics suite with improved radar systems and digital processing capabilities, and also supports AIM-120 AMRAAM ("Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile"), AGM-65 "Maverick" air-to-air missiles Air-to-air missiles - surface missiles and AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles (adds much-needed maritime patrol and engagement capability).

The brand's two-seater version subsequently became the F/A-18D, and both serve as an all-weather fighter, attack aircraft, and Forward Air Controller (FAC) platform for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) branches. Airborne ground-mapping radar contributes to all-weather capability, allowing flight and combat in adverse weather/low light conditions.

Night vision equipment (FLIR, NVG) and related support systems were introduced into these models starting in 1992, along with the upgraded GE F404 turbofan engine. The last USMC D model came out in 2000.

Models C and D are equipped with GE F404-GE-402 turbofan engines with 11,000 lbf dry thrust and 17,750 lbf with afterburner on. Top speed is 1,190 mph and range is up to 1,250 miles. The combat radius is 460 miles.

It has a service ceiling of 50,000 feet and a climb rate of nearly 50,000 feet per minute. These qualities make it an efficient fleet defense fighter and interceptor.

Armed

The Hornet's armament consists of a standard six-barreled 20mm M61A1 Vulcan Gatling gun close to the nose for close work, carrying a 578x20mm projectile on board. There are nine hardpoints in total, two under each wing, two launch tracks on the wingtips and three areas under the fuselage.

The centerline position is usually occupied by the disposable external fuel tank, while the wingtip launchers are reserved for the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. Before the deployment of AMRAAM missiles, the aircraft carried the medium-range AIM-7 Sparrow series. Due to its ground-attack role, the aircraft is certified to carry and fire a variety of air-to-ground munitions, including missiles, guided/precision artillery, rocket pods and nuclear bombs.

These include 70mm and 127mm Zuni missiles (via pod launchers), SLAM-ER missiles, AGM-88 anti-radar missiles, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) and Taurus cruise missiles.

Operators

In addition to USN and USMC use, the F/A-18 line is sold to Australia (A and B models), Canada (referred to as "CF-18 Hornet"), Finland (C and D models), Kuwait (C and D models) and D models), Malaysia (D models with limited stock), Spain (Hornet A+ and B+ models) and Switzerland (C and D models) to date (2014). Despite the introduction of the "Super Hornet" (see below), the U.S. military still uses the A, B, C, and D versions of the Hornet, which also form a large part of the USN/USMC fleet defense weapons.

Ground attack range. The aircraft is also the latest model of the U.S. Navy's renowned aerobatic team, the Blue Angels.

To date, McDonnell Douglas/Boeing has produced 1,480 F/A-18 Hornets. Boeing has served as the prime contractor since its merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. The McDonnell Douglas name exists as a subsidiary of Boeing.

The F/A-18 Hornet competed on the global stage with the French Dassault Rafale, the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen, the American General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Chinese JF-17 Thunder, the Russian Mikoyan MiG-29 "Pivot" and Russian Sukhoi Su-33 "Flanker".

Super Hornet, Growler and Advanced Super Hornet

The F/A-18 was later developed into an efficient two-seater via the F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet" model line (detailed elsewhere on this page). Equipped with a second crew seated side-by-side, the aircraft has increased operational range and ammunition carrying capacity while using more powerful GE turbofan engines. There are beneficial structural changes, and the hardpoints have been increased from the standard 9 positions to 11 - essentially creating the "ultimate hornet" job.

Currently (2014) Boeing is also developing E/F Super Hornet models to "Advanced Super Hornet" for Lockheed F-35 Lightning II customers still awaiting delivery of its 5th generation fighter. The official introduction of the F-35 continues to be delayed for a variety of reasons, and Boeing is trying to fill the void with this temporary solution.

The Boeing EA-18G Growler is a special mission variant of the Super Hornet that takes over the role of the Grumman EA-6B Prowler family in Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA).

Specification

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Performance