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Reverted edits by Aschlaphly (Talk); changed back to last version by Konstanty
The '''F/A-18 Hornet''' is the US [[United States Navy|Navy]]'s most versatile [[aircraft carrier|carrier]]-based [[aircraft]]. The official designation (F/A-18 Hornet, although often shortened to just F-18 Hornet or Super Hornet), stands for fighter/attack. It was the nation's first all-weather strike-fighter. <ref>[http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=1200&ct=1 Fact File] US Navy</ref> Other versions have been modified for air-to-air refueling, [[electronic countermeasures]], and anti-[[submarine]] warfare. It is now the Navy's primary fighter, after the retirement of the [[F-14 Tomcat]].
[[Image:Gw-vfa81-0429.jpg|thumb|right|300px|An F/A-18 prepares for launch onboard USS ''George Washington'' (CVN-73).]]
==Design==
In the 1970s, the Navy had an increasing need for a supersonic, lighter fighter that was more maneuverable than the [[F-14]] and the old [[F-4]]s. There was also a need for an attack aircraft which could replace the aging, slow [[A-7]]. Both of these replacements had to be cheap, with [[military]] funds fairly low. In 1973, the contract was announced. By 1975, the contract had been awarded to [[McDonnell Douglas]]. The first production aircraft was rolled out in 1980.
==Service==
[[Image:F-18_takeoff.jpg|thumb|200px|right|An F/A-18 launches in afterburner.]]
The first F/A-18 Hornet went into service with the [[Marine Corps]] in 1983 and with the Navy the same year. In 1986, the [[Blue Angels]] replaced the [[A-4 Skyhawk]] with the F-18. F-18s first saw service in the [[Gulf War]], being mostly used as ground attack aircraft. On one such mission, however, two Hornet pilots from the USS ''Saratoga'' shot down two [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21]]s, scoring the first (and so far, only) air-to-air victories for the jet. After downing the Migs, the two pilots completed their attack mission, dropping their bombs on an Iraqi airfield.<ref>[http://www.mdc.com/defense-space/military/fa18/fa18_milestones.htm F/A-18 Hornet Milestones]</ref>
On the early morning of January 17,1991, another Hornet from the ''Saratoga'' became the first Allied loss of the war when it was shot down while attacking an airfield. The pilot, Lt. Commander Michael Speicher, went down with his plane, the first fatality of the Gulf War.<ref>''Desert Storm: Air War'', by Robert F. Dorr, Motorbooks International, 1991</ref> The cause was initially thought to have been anti-aircraft fire, but more recent sources suggest that the plane was downed by an Iraqi [[MiG-25]], which would make this the only air-to-air victory of the Iraqi air force during the war and the first time since the [[Vietnam War]] that America had lost an airplane in aerial combat.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E6DF1739F937A25751C1A963958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 A U.S. Team Seeks War Pilot’s Body]</ref><ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/01/14/gulf.war.pilot.01/ Missing U.S. Pilot Dead, Iraq Insists]</ref>
F-18s were also used in [[Kosovo]] in the 1990s and in [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]. Early in the Iraqi campaign, one Hornet was lost in a [[friendly fire]] incident involving a [[MIM-104 Patriot|Patriot missile]] battery.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20030422/ai_n14548094 Friendly fire toll raises concerns about Patriot]</ref> Two others, both Super Hornets, were lost in a mid-air collision over the Persian Gulf in January 2008.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/07/world/main3683082.shtml 2 Navy Fighter Jets Crash in Persian Gulf]</ref>
Currently, F/A-18 Hornets are operating in 37 tactical squadrons and from 10 aircraft carriers.
==Foreign Users==
Besides the US Navy and the USMC, the Hornet is in the service of a number of foreign air forces.<ref>''The Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft'', ed. by Paul Eden, Aerospace Publishing, 2004</ref>
===Canada===
[[Image:Flag_of_Canada.svg|24px]]
[[Canada]] was the first export customer for the Hornet. Over 100 planes were ordered, and first delivery was in 1982. Canadian F-18s flew operational missions in the Gulf War and over [[Bosnia]] during Operation Deliberate Force.
===Australia===
[[Image:Flag_of_Australia.png|24px]]
[[Australia]] selected the Hornet to replace its Mirages in 1981, and first acquired the new plane in 1985. 75 were delivered in total, including 18 two-seat models.
===Spain===
[[Image:Flag_of_Spain.png|24px]]
[[Spain]] ordered 72 Hornets, and the first was delivered in 1986. Thirty more ex-Navy machines were acquired in 1996. Spanish Hornets saw action in operations over Bosnia and Kosovo.
===Kuwait===
[[Image:Flag_of_Kuwait.png|28px]]
[[Kuwait]] ordered Hornets before the Gulf War to replace its aging [[A-4 Skyhawk|Skyhawks]] and Mirages, but delivery was delayed due to the Iraqi occupation. The first ones arrived in early 1992, and Kuwait eventually bought 40 of them, which outfit one air defense and one attack squadron.
===Finland===
[[Image:Flag_of_Finland.png|28px]]
With its air force made up of older Swedish and Russian fighters, [[Finland]] sought a replacement. After an exhaustive evaluation, Finland settled on the Hornet, and first delivery was in 1995. Finland currently has over sixty Hornets, all serving in the air defense role.
===Switzerland===
[[Image:Flag_of_Switzerland.png|24px]]
Following a national referendum, [[Switzerland]] ordered the Hornet in mid-1993. Only 34 machines were ordered, but the procurement was drawn out, and final delivery wasn’t until 1999.
===Malaysia===
[[Image:Flag_of_Malaysia.png|24px]]
In the early 90s, the [[Malaysia]]n air force consisted mainly of outdated F-5s. Malaysia adopted an interesting two-tier approach, acquiring the Hornet for the attack role and its [[Cold War]] opposite, the [[Mig-29]], for air defense. Eight Hornets were delivered in total, in 1997. Further orders were planned, but the Asian economic crisis of 1997 intervened. Malaysia is considered a potential customer for the Super Hornet.
==Variants==
[[Image:f18_schem_01.JPG|Left]]
===F/A-18A/B===
The F/A-18A is the single seat version; the F/A-18B is the two seat version. The F/A-18B is primarily used as a training aircraft.
===F/A-18C/D===
The F/A-18C is single seat and the F/A-18D is double seat. Both versions have improved radar, avionics, and the capability to carry [[AGM-65 Maverick]] missiles and [[AGM-84 Harpoon]]s. These aircraft were upgraded in 1987. Some were upgraded to become night reconnaisance aircraft.
===F/A-18E/F Super Hornet===
The single seat F/A-18E and the two seat F/A-18F are very much redesigned aircraft, based on the original airframe. Both have more powerful engines and improved avionics, and will eventually equip 22 squadrons. The F/A-18F will be modified to make the [[EA-18 Growler]], which will eventually replace the [[EA-6 Prowler]].<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-18g.htm EA-18G/F/A-18G "Growler"]</ref>
==Specifications==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| '''Function'''
| Light fighter-bomber
|-
| '''Contractor'''
| McDonnell Douglas
|-
| '''Power plant'''
|Two [[General Electric]] F404-GE-402 turbofans with 11,000 pounds of thrust each
|-
| '''Length'''
|56 feet
|-
| '''Height'''
| 15 feet, 4 inches
|-
| '''Speed'''
| 1,190 miles per hour
|-
|-
| '''Wingspan'''
| 40 feet
|-
| '''Empty weight'''
| 24,700 pounds
|-
|'''Maximum Weight'''
|65,000 pounds
|-
| '''Crew'''
|(A, C, and E models):One. (B, D, and F models: Two.
|-
|'''Range'''
|Unrefueled 2,070 miles (with drop tanks)
|-
|'''Armament'''
|One Vulcan Gatling gun with 578 rounds; 13,790 pounds of assorted stores under the wings including [[AIM-7 Sparrow]], [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]], and [[AIM-120 AMRAAM]] air-to-air missiles, [[AGM-65 Maverick]], [[AGM-84 Harpoon]], and [[AGM-45 Shrike]] air-to-ground missiles.
|}
[[Image:Blue_Angels_F-18.jpg|thumb|450 px|The [[Blue Angels]] in F/A-18 Hornets.]]
==The F/A-18 in Popular Culture==
The Hornet is frequently seen in military-themed novels, including [[Tom Clancy]]'s ''Red Storm Rising''. The F-18 had a starring role in the blockbuster movie ''[[Independence Day (film)|Independence Day]]''.
==References==
<references/>
[[category:aircraft]]
[[category: United States Navy]]