McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

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The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a multiple role fighter jet capable of achieving supersonic flight speeds and carrying out a mixed variety of missions. The aircraft features twin engines which give it the necessary power for carrier takeoffs, high performance maneuverability, and carrying a large munitions load. The F/A-18′s high thrust to weight ratio of nearly 1 allows the aircraft to perform near vertical ascents and high G turns, which can be crucial in combat scenarios. It can also fly at a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 allowing it to be used for a variety of roles. The standard armament for the F/A-18 is one M61 Vulcan cannon which holds 500+ 20mm rounds along with up to nine hard points which can be configured to hold a variety of weapons depending upon the specific mission. The F/A-18 design was heavily relied upon for the development of the larger, more powerful F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The Super Hornet improved upon the F/A-18′s capabilities by allowing for a greater payload and longer range, thus improving the two areas which were viewed as the F/A-18′s weaknesses. Contrary to what the name suggests the Super Hornet was not intended to replace the F/A-18 but rather to complement it. The Super Hornet was actually developed with the goal of replacing the existing A-6 and F-14 Tomcat.

Design
The F/A-18 Hornet features twin General Electric F404 turbofan engines with afterburner and a thrust of 17,750 pounds per engine. The F/A-18A model is the standard single seat version of the aircraft while the F/A-18B model is a two seat version, both with similar characteristics and capabilities. The F/A-18 features a mid-wing design and leading edge extensions which allow the fighter jet to maintain a high degree of maneuverability even at high angles of attack. The leading edge extensions provide powerful vortices which allow the wings to generate lift when flying at high angles of attack, thus preventing stalls and allowing for greater performance. The great aerodynamic characteristics of the F/A-18 allow it to make extremely tight turns at both moderate and high speeds, making it a solid performer in air to air situations.

When originally built the F/A-18 was one of the first aircraft to feature a digital fly by wire control system with quadruple redundancy. It also features a multiple function heads up display which allows the pilot to switch between fighter roles, attack roles, or a combination of both. This allows pilots and commanders the versatility that is necessary when going into a battle situation where the situation is unknown. While previous fighter jets were either one or the other, attack or fighter, the F/A-18 essentially played the role of two aircraft. It also featured an advanced digital avionics suite, the first of its kind, which allowed for easy upgrades to newer systems. This is compared to previous models which required extensive work and physically swapping out instruments when new developments came along.

The F/A-18 was also designed to increase its availability by reducing down time for maintenance and repairs. With this in mind the engine was mounted to the aircraft with only ten contact points and uses standard tools and equipment for removal or installation. In the event that a new engine is needed, a crew of 4 are able to easily remove the engine in less than 20 minutes using standard tools. This has led to impressive availability percentages for the F/A-18 and it boasts an average time between failures which is three times longer than any other Navy strike aircraft. This was deemed an issue with the F-14 Tomcat and the A-6 Intruder, so great attention was paid to ensure it wouldn’t become an issue with the F/A-18.

Development
The F/A-18 Hornet was developed as a sort of hybrid model fighter jet as a result of two different design concepts being developed by the US Navy and Air Force. The combined results of the Navy’s Naval Fighter Attack Experimental program (VFAX) and the Air Force’s Lightweight Fighter program (LWF) were used to develop what would later be known as the F/A-18. McDonnell Douglas and Northrop Grumman worked together on the project, with much of the design coming from the Northrop YF-17, which was developed for the LWF program. Since McDonnell Douglas had more previous experience in developing carrier based aircraft they took the lead on the project, which essentially altered the YF-17 to be suitable for carrier based operations. Under this agreement McDonnell retained the right to manufacture the units for the Navy and Northrop had rights to sell a land based variant to ally nations.

The first F/A-18A was complete on September 13, 1978 and was first flown on November 18, 1978. The F/A-18 entered into operational service with both the Marines and Navy in early 1983. There were a total of 380 of the F/A-18A’s produced between 1980-1987, with production shifting to the F/A-18C variant in 1987. To date there have been a total of 1,480 F/A-18′s produced, including all variants. The aircraft is utilized by military forces throughout the world, from Malaysia to Australia and Kuwait to Finland and everywhere in between. The F/A-18′s most notable role is being the aircraft which is flown by the US Navy’s flight demonstration team the Blue Angels.