F/A-18 Hornet

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The F/A-18 Hornet is a modern all-weather carrier strike fighter, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets. Designed in the 1970s, it is in service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, as well as the air forces of several other nations. Its primary missions are fighter escort, fleet air defense, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), interdiction, close and air support, and reconnaissance. Its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset, though it has been criticized for its lack of range and payload compared to its contemporaries.

The growth version follow-on to the F/A-18 is the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Contents

History

F/A-18 attached to catapult on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln

The F/A-18 design began as the Northrop YF-17 Cobra, one of two competing designs for the USAF's Lightweight Fighter Program, on which the USN was a minor partner. The YF-17 prototype first flew in 1974. Because of its twin-engine design the YF-17 was more appealing to the Navy. Northrop teamed with McDonnell Douglas to capitalize on the latter's extensive experience in building carrier aircraft, including the highly successful F-4. When the two services ended up selecting different aircraft, McDonnell Douglas became the primary contractor for the Navy design (McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997).

The Navy's design concept originated from Vice Admiral Kent Lee. He drew on his experience as a naval aviator in WWII, where F4U Corsair fighters hastily converted for bombing with jury-rigged bomb racks proved to be versatile assets, capable of defending themselves once they had dropped their bombs. He and his supporters pushed for the VFAX concept, a cheap and lightweight strike fighter, to complement the F-14 Tomcat which had become operational and was just being introduced to the carrier air wings in 1973.

F/A-18 Hornets (A and B variants) were first test-flown in 1978, and entered service in 1983, replacing the F-4 Phantom II and the A-7 Corsair II. The F/A-18 first saw combat action in 1986, when Hornets from the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) flew SEAD missions against Libyan air defenses during the attack on Benghazi.

After a production run of 371 F/A-18As, manufacture shifted to the F/A-18C in September 1987. As the A-6 Intruder was retired in the 1990s, its role was filled by the F/A-18. The F/A-18 demonstrated its versatility and reliability during Operation Desert Storm, shooting down enemy fighters and subsequently bombing enemy targets with the same aircraft on the same mission, and breaking all records for tactical aircraft in availability, reliability, and maintainability. The aircraft's survivability was proven by Hornets taking direct hits from surface-to-air missiles, recovering successfully, being repaired quickly, and flying again the next day. Two F/A-18's were lost in the Gulf War, one for reasons unknown and the second alleged to have been shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25PD. US Navy pilots Lt. Robert Dwayer (Air Wing Pilot VFA-87??) and LCDR M. Scott Speicher (VFA-81) were killed. [link] in the first hours of the air campaign. F/A-18's were credited with two kills, both of MiG-21's, during that conflict.

In the 1990s the US Navy faced the retirement of its aging F-14 Tomcat, A-6 Intruder, EA-6 Prowler airframes without proper replacements even in development. To answer this deficiency, the Navy developed the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Despite its designation, it is not an upgrade of the F/A-18 Hornet, but rather, a new, larger airframe utilizing the design concepts of the Hornet. Until the deployment of the F-35C, Hornets and Super Hornets will serve complementary roles in the US Navy carrier arsenal.

Design characteristics

During an air show demo, a Hornet is flown into a high-g pull-up. The high angle of attack causes powerful vortices to form around the edge of the leading edge extensions of the wings. These vortices cause the air over the wing to be turbulent, preventing stall and allowing the Hornet's wings to generate lift (several times the aircraft's weight in lift, actually) despite these unusually high angles of attack. This makes the Hornet capable of extremely tight turns over a large range of speeds. In this image, the vortices are so powerful that the drop in pressure experienced at their center (due to the centrifugal effect) results in a drop in temperature severe enough to condense the water in the air, making the vortex visible as white "vapes".

The F/A-18 is a twin engine, mid-wing, multi-mission tactical aircraft. It is superbly maneuverable, owing to its good thrust to weight ratio, digital fly-by-wire control system, and leading edge extensions (LEX). The LEX allow the Hornet to remain controllable at high angles of attack. This is because the LEX produce powerful vortices over the wings, creating turbulent airflow over the wings and thus delaying or eliminating the aerodynamic separation responsible for stall.

The Hornet was among the first aircraft to heavily utilize multi-function displays, which at the switch of a button allow the pilot to perform either fighter or attack roles or both. This "force multiplier" capability gives the operational commander more flexibility in employing tactical aircraft in a rapidly changing battle scenario. It was the first Navy aircraft to incorporate a digital multiplex avionics bus, enabling easy upgrades.

The Hornet is also notable for having been designed with maintenance in mind, and as a result has required far less downtime than its counterparts, the F-14 Tomcat and the A-6 Intruder. Its mean time between failure is three times greater than any other Navy strike aircraft, and requires half the maintenance time. For example, whereas replacing the engine on the A-4 Skyhawk required removing the aircraft's tail, the engine on the Hornet is attached at only three points and can be directly removed without excessive disassembly.

The General Electric F404-GE-400 or F404-GE-402 engines powering the Hornet were also innovative that they were designed with operability, reliability, and maintainability first. The result is an engine that, while unexceptional on paper in terms of rated performance, demonstrates exceptional robustness under a variety of conditions and is resistant to stall and flameout. By contrast, the Pratt & Whitney TF-30 engines that power the F-14A are notoriously prone to flameout under certain flight conditions.

Because it was designed as a light multirole aircraft to complement the specialized F-14 and A-6 airframes, it had a relatively low fuel fraction. That is, its internal fuel capacity is small relative to its take-off weight, at around 23%. Most aircraft of its class has a fuel fraction between .30 to .35. This situation was exacerbated by the addition of new avionics over its lifespan, further reducing the fuel fraction.

A+/C/D

A Finnish Air Force F/A-18C at RIAT 2005.

The F/A-18A and F/A-18C are single-seat aircraft. The F/A-18B and F/A-18D have two seats, space for the rear cockpit being provided by a relocation of avionic equipment and a 6% reduction in internal fuel; two-seat Hornets are otherwise fully combat-capable. The B model is used primarily for training, while the D model is configured as an all-weather strike craft. Whereas the B model has both seats configured as pilot's stations, the D model's rear seat is configured for a Weapons and Sensors Officer to assist in operating the weapons systems. The D model is primarily operated by the U.S. Marine Corps in the night attack and FAC(A) (Forward Air Controller (Airborne)) roles.

The F/A-18C and D models are the result of a block upgrade in 1987 incorporating upgraded radar, avionics, and the capacity to carry new missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile and AGM-65 Maverick and AGM-84 Harpoon air-to-surface missiles. Other upgrades include the Martin-Baker NACES (Navy Aircrew Common Ejection Seat), and a self-protection jammer. A synthetic aperture ground mapping radar enables the pilot to locate targets in poor visibility conditions. C and D models delivered since 1989 also include an improved night attack capability, consisting of the Hughes AN/AAR-50 thermal navigation pod, the Loral AN/AAS-38 Night Hawk FLIR (forward looking infrared array) targeting pod, night vision goggles, and two full-color (previously monochrome) MFDs and a color moving map.

Beginning in 1991, Hornets were upgraded to the F404-GE-402 engine, providing a 20% increase in thrust.

In 1992, the original Hughes AN/APG-65 radar was replaced with the Hughes (now Raytheon) AN/APG-73, a faster and more capable radar. The A model Hornets upgraded to the AN/APG-73 are designated F/A-18A+. Since 1993, the Nite Hawk also has a designator/ranger laser, allowing it to self-mark targets.

In addition, 48 D model Hornets are configured for reconnaissance as the F/A-18D (RC) version, substituting the gun with a sensor package.

Production of the F/A-18C ended in 1999.

E/F Super Hornet

Main article: F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

The newest models, the single seat F/A-18E and two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, carry over the name and design concept of the original F/A-18, but are extensively redesigned, with a new, 25% larger airframe. The Super Hornet has a stretched fuselage and larger wings, and leading-edge extensions; the GE F414 engines are a more powerful development of the F/A-18's F404; the avionics suite is upgraded but broadly similar. The E/F began when McDonnell Douglas proposed an enlarged Hornet to replace the cancelled A-12 project. (The ambitious and very expensive A-12 design was to have been a stealthy replacement for the US Navy A-6 and US Air Force attack aircraft.) Congress was unwilling to fund a "new" aircraft, however the proposed F/A-18E could be represented as a mere upgrade, and a $3.8 billion development contract was signed in December 1992. The first of the new aircraft was rolled out of McDonnell Douglas September 17, 1995, and the Super Hornet's first cruise was with VFA-115 flying the F/A-18E in July of 2002. VFA-115 flew 214 combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch. The aircraft is currently in production and will eventually equip 22 squadrons.

EA-18G Growler

This is an electronic warfare version of the F/A-18 F Super Hornet, slated to begin production in 2008, with first prototypes already under way. The US Navy has ordered a total of 57 airframes to replace the existing EA-6B Prowlers in service with the USN, all of which will be based at NAS Whidbey Island save for Reserve Squadron VAQ-209 based at NAF Washington, MD.

AF-18 Hornet

F/A-18A+ : Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Royal Australian Air Force. The AF-18A was the original company designation. Australian Hornets are in the process of a major upgrade program. This program called HUG (Hornet Upgrade) has had a few evolutions over the years. The first was to give Australian Hornets F/A-18C model avionics. The second and current upgrade program (HUG 2.2) is another avionics upgrade program in which the fleet will up upgraded to beyond E model Hornet capability.
F/A-18B+ : Two-seat training version for the Royal Australian Air Force. The ATF-18A was the original company designation.

Canadian CF-18A Hornet

CF-18A : Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Canadian Armed Forces. Canadian Armed Forces designation CF-188A Hornet.
CF-18B : Two-seat training version for the Canadian Armed Forces. Canadian Armed Forces designation CF-188B Hornet.

EF-18 Hornet

EF-18A : Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Spanish Air Force. Spanish Air Force designation C.15.
EF-18B : Two-seat training version for the Spanish Air Force. Spanish Air Force designation CE.15.

KAF-18 Hornet

KAF-18C : Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Kuwait Air Force.
KAF-18D : Two-seat training version for the Kuwait Air Force.

RF-18

This designation was given to a reconnaissance version of the F/A-18A. The first of two prototypes flew in February 1984, however the variant was not produced.

TF-18A

Two-seat training version of the F/A-18A fighter, later redesignated F/A-18B.

F-18D(CR)

Proposed two-seat reconnaissance version for the US Marine Corps. The F-18D(CR) was originally intended to replace the RF-4B Phantom tactical reconnaissance aircraft. None were ever built.

F-18 HARV

Single-seat high-alpha research vehicle for NASA.

F-18L

The F-18L was a lighter land-based version of the F/A-18 Hornet. It was designed to be a single-seat air-superiority fighter and ground-attack aircraft. It was originally intended to be built by Northrop as the export version of the F/A-18 Hornet. Despite the advantages gained from the deletion of navalised equipment, customers preferred the "ordinary" Hornet, and it never went into production.

Specifications (F/A-18C Hornet)

Operators

In addition to normal fleet operations, the F/A-18 Hornet is used by the US Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels.

Apart from the US Navy, US Marine Corps and NASA (a total of 1048 aircraft), the F/A-18 is used by the armed forces of:

Australia (Royal Australian Air Force)
Canada (Canadian Air Force, designation CF-188A and CF-188B, a/k/a CF-18 Hornet) 138 aircraft
Finland (Suomen Ilmavoimat, F-18C/D interceptor variant) 63 Aircraft (one was destroyed in mid-air collision in 2001)
Kuwait (Al Quwwat Aj Jawwaiya Al Kuwaitiya) 40 Aircraft (the 40 aircraft were pre-ordered before the Iraqi invasion of August 1990)
Malaysia (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia) 8 F-18D
Spain (Ejército del Aire, designation C.15/EF-18) 72 EF-18 and an additional 24 F/A-18 from the US inventory
Switzerland (Luftwaffe) 33 Aircraft

The F/A-18E/F was a candidate aircraft for the Royal Navy Future Carriers (CVF), assuming that Catapult assisted take off design ships were built. The UK did select a conventional design ship, but configured for STOVL operations with the F-35B. In an interesting twist, the 1976 British HS.1207 (P.158) design carries a striking resemblance to the F/A-18A.

The Philippine Air Force also expressed its interest in the F/A-18 Hornet but its plan to purchase modern multi-role fighter aircraft to replace its retired F-5A/B Freedom Fighters has been shelved due to economic reasons and having counter-insurgency operations as its main priority.

Fiction

Hornets and F/A-18F Super Hornet make frequent appearances in action movies and military novels.

The F/A-18 series are playable aircraft in many flight simulator video games. It is featured in the Apple Macintosh game F/A-18 Hornet, Interactive Magic's iF/A-18 Carrier Strike Fighter (1997), F/A-18E Super Hornet by Digital Integration (1999) and F-18 Precision Strike Fighter by Xicat (2002). The F-18 is included in Jane's survey sims US Navy Fighters (1994) and it subsequent release, Fighters Anthology (1997). In 1999 Jane's released a dedicated F-18 simulation simply titled F/A-18 Simulator.

The Hornet was also featured in the Hollywood film 'Independence Day'. Inaccurately, the planes in the film had United States Air Force markings on them.

Milestones

May 2, 1975 - The U.S. Navy selects McDonnell Douglas Corporation as the prime contractor for development of the F-18 strike fighter.
Sep 13, 1978 - The U.S. Navy's F-18 Hornet makes its public debut during rollout ceremonies in St. Louis, Mo.
Nov 18, 1978 - The F-18A Hornet makes its first flight, taking off from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport with McDonnell Aircraft chief test pilot Jack Krings at the controls.
Jan 16, 1979 - The first F-18 is flown to the Naval Air Test Center in Patuxent River, Md., for continued flight testing.
Nov 3, 1979 - the F-18 completes its first sea trials after the third Hornet makes 32 successful launches and landings aboard the aircraft carrier USS America.
December 1979 - The first F-18B makes its maiden flight.
April 1980 - The first production F-18, Hornet number 12, is delivered to the U.S. Navy.
Oct 25, 1982 - Canada becomes the first international customer when the first CF-18 Hornet is delivered to the Canadian Forces Air Command.
December 1982 - The U.S. Navy officially redesignates the Hornet the F/A-18 to emphasize its dual role capabilities as both an air-to-air and air-to-ground tactical aircraft.
Jan 7, 1983 - The F/A-18 Hornet officially enters U.S. operational service with U.S. Marine Corps squadron VMFA-314 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Ca.
October 1983 - The first Hornet is delivered to a U.S. Navy operational squadron.
Oct 29, 1984 - The first F/A-18 Hornet is delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force.
Nov 22, 1985 - The first EF-18 for the Spanish Air Force is delivered.
March 10, 1986 - The U.S. Navy selects the F/A-18 Hornet as the official aircraft of the Blue Angels flight demonstration team.
November 1986 - The first F/A-18 Hornet squadron arrives in Japan to prepare for deployment aboard USS Midway.
February 1987 - The 100th Canadian CF-18 is delivered.
April 1987 - The 500th Hornet is delivered.
September 1987 - First delivery of an F/A-18C/D.
Sept 3, 1987 - The F/A-18C makes its first flight.
Jan 22, 1988 - The 380th and final F/A-18A for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps is delivered, accepted by VMFA-312.
May 6, 1988 - The F/A-18D makes its first flight.
]]Oct 3]], 1988 - Switzerland's Federal Military Department announces plans to purchase 34 Hornets, armament, spares and support, a contract worth an estimated $1.9 billion.
Nov 14, 1989 - The first production night attack F/A-18 Hornet is delivered to Patuxent River, Md.
April 10, 1990 - The F/A-18 Hornet fleet surpasses one million flight hours.
May 11, 1990 - The U.S. Marine Corps rolls out the night attack F/A-18D at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Ca.
Jan 17, 1991 - During Operation Desert Storm, U.S. Navy pilots Lt. Nick Mongilio and Lt. Cmdr. Mark Fox become the first pilots to register air-to-air kills while still completing their original air-to-ground mission. While going out from USS Saratoga in the Red Sea to bomb an airfield in southwestern Iraq, an E-2 warns them of approaching MiG-21 aircraft. The Hornets shoot down two MiGs and resume their bombing run before returning to Saratoga.
April 18, 1991 - The 1,000th F/A-18 Hornet is delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps.
Oct 8, 1991 - The first Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 Hornet is delivered.
May 6, 1992 - Finland's Ministry of Defense approves the purchase of 64 Hornets, a program worth approximately $3 billion.
Feb 10, 1993 - An F/A-18 Hornet becomes the 10,000th jet aircraft built by McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis when it is delivered to the U.S. Navy.
June 7, 1995 - The first F-18 Hornet for the Finnish Air Force is delivered.
Jan 25, 1996 - The first F/A-18 Hornet for the Swiss Air Force is delivered.
August 2000 - The final delivery of an F/A-18, an F/A-18D Hornet, is delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps.
December 12, 2002 - The F/A-18 Hornet fleet surpasses five million flight hours.
May 25, 2005 - The F/A-18 Hornet lands on the French carrier Charles de Gaulle for the first time, during joint exercises which were part of Multi-National Maritime Exercise (MNME) 05-1.

F/A-18 Hornet

History