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Boeing F/A-18C Hornet

Type (Muster)
Multi-role fighter for carrier and land-based operations

Country (Land)
USA

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
Boeing (McDonnell Aircraft and Missile Systems)
PO Box 516
St. Louis, Missouri 63166
USA

Phone: 001-314/232 0232
Fax: 001-314/234 3826

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 1 (2 in D-model)

Weapons: Internal M61A1 six-barrel 20-mm-canon with 578 rounds in the nose plus nine stores stations (wingtips, wing, intake sides, fuselage centreline) for external loads including:

AIM-9 Sidewinder (standard fit on wingtips)
British Aerospace ASRAAM (selected by Australia in 1998)
AIM-7 Sparrow (standard fit on intake sides)
AIM-120 AMRAAM (alternative to Sparrow, cleared for use since mid-1993)
AGM-84 Harpoon
AGM-65 Maverick
SLAM and SLAM ER
GBU-10, GBU-12 laser-guided bombs
Mk 82 and Mk 84 bombs
CBU-59 cluster bombs
ADM-141 TALD decoy
fuel tanks (up to three 1250 litre or 1820 litre in Canadian service)

Power plant (Antrieb)
2 x General Electric F404-GE-402 EPE (Enhanced Performance Engine)
Thrust (Schub): 2 x 78,3 kN (17600 lbs) with afterburner (mit Nachbrenner), 2 x 52 kN military rating (ohne Nachbrenner)

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Length (Länge): 17,07 m
Height (Höhe): 4,66 m
Span (Spannweite): 12,31 m over missiles (mit Lenkwaffen)
Span (Breite) with wings folded (mit beigeklappten Flügeln): 8,38 m
Wing area (Flügelfläche): 37,1 sq m

Weights (Massen)
Basic operating weight (Einsatz-Leermasse): 10810 kg
Max. payload (max. Nutzlast):
Max. fuel (Max. Kraftstoff): 6060 litres internal, up to 3750 litres external (in drei Zusatztanks)
Max. load on stores (Max. Außenlast): 7030 kg
Take-off, fighter escort mission (Startmasse, Begleitschutz-Einsatz): approx. 16650 kg
Take-off, attack mission (Startmasse, Angriffseinsatz): approx. 235430 kg
Max. take-off weigth (Max. Startmasse): approx. 25 400 kg

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Max. speed (max. Fluggeschwindigkeit): (über) more than Mach 1.8
Max. speed at intermediate power (Geschwindigkeit mit mittlerer Schubleistung): Mach 1+
Approach speed (Anfluggeschwindigkeit): 248 km/h
Max. operating altitude (Dienstgipfelhöhe): approx. 15200 m
Take-off run (Startstrecke): approx. 430 m
Landing run (Landerollstrecke): approx. 770 m
Max. Climb rate (Steiggeschwindigkeit): approx. 250 m/s
Ferry range (Überführungsreichweite): more than 3300 km
Combat radius, interdiction hi-lo-lo-hi (Einsatzradius, Interdiction): 540 km
Endurance (Einsatzdauer), combat air patrol, 150 NM from aircraft carrier (Patrouille, 280 km vom Flugzeugträger entfernt): 1 h 45 min

Customers (Kunden)
The Hornet was built in the A and B versions, which were superceded by the C and D variants from 1987. Orders total close to 1500 from the following air forces:

US Navy and Marine Corps (1040, including prototypes) - F/A-18A, F/A-18B, F/A-18C, F/A-18D. As of November 1998, the Hornet operates in 37 tactical squadrons and from ten aircraft carrier of the Navy. The US Marine Corps has ten active and four reserve squadrons using the F/A-18A and C-models and six F/A-18D squadrons.
Canada (138) - CF-18A and CF-18B (40). Deliveries started in October 1982, after the order was announced in April 1980
Australia (75) - AF-18A (57), AF-18B (18), delivered from May 1985. With the exception of the first two, all were assembled by the Government Aircraft Factories.
Spain (72) - EF-18A, EF-18B (12). Deliveries between January 1986 and July 1990. Spain has meanwhile bought an additional 24 second hand aircraft from US Navy stocks (delivered from December 1995 to December 1998)
Kuwait (40) - KAF-18C, KAF-18D (eight). Selection of the Hornet was made in 1988, but the Gulf war delayed the start of deliveries until January 1992.
Finland (64) - F-18C, F-18D (seven). Deliveries started in late 1995 with the two-seaters, which were all built at St. Louis. The first aircraft assembled at Halli flew on May 14, 1996, and deliveries will be finished in August 2000.
Switzerland (34) - F/A-18C, F/A-18D (eight). First aircraft was flown at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis on 20 January 1996, and the first Swiss-assembled aircraft was in the air since Ocotber 3, 1996. Deliveries to the air force started on 23 January 1997 and will run until 1999. With the exception of the first two machines. All F-18C/Ds will be assembled at Emmen.
Malaysia (8) - F/A-18D. Ordered in June 1993. Deliveries made in May and August 1997.
Thailand (8) - F-18C, F-18D (four). Deliveries were to start in the autumn of 1999, but because of financial difficulties, the contract was cancelled in the spring of 1998. The aircraft are now to be taken over by the US Marine Corps, leaving the Thais with a loss of 74,5 million US-Dollars in progress payments. Total cost for them would have been around 400 million US-Dollars.

Competitors (Konkurrenz)
Dassault Mirage 2000-5
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon
MAPO-MiG MiG-29

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
The Hornet was developed from the Northrop YF-17 lightweight fighter contender of the early 70s. First flight was on November 18, 1978, when company test pilot Jack Krings took off in St. Louis at 11:04 am for a 50 minute sortie, reaching a height of 24000 feet and a speed of 300 kts (see photo).
Major systems improvements were introduced with the C- and D-models, which in their latest form are fully equipped for night attack duties.
The successor of current version will be the totally redesigned F/A-18E/F, which first flew in November 1995.

Last updated 25. November 1998

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