The McDonnell Douglas (now produced by Boeing) F/A-18 is a twin engined, supersonic, combat jet. The F/A-18 is based on the land based McDonnell Douglas YF-17 Cobra and was built for carrier operations, although various nations use the F/A-18 solely for land based operations. The US Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, has used the Hornet since 1986.
The Hornet saw its first combat action in 1986 and subsequently participated in 1991 Operation Desert Storm and in the 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a heavily modified design based on the original F/A-18 Hornet. Operators: United States Navy - F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornet, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler United States Marine Corps - F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornet Royal Australian Air Force - F/A-18A/B Hornet, F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler Royal Canadian Air Force - CF-18A/B Hornet Royal Malaysian Air Force - F/A-18D Hornet Finnish Air Force - F/A-18C/D Hornet Kuwait Air Force - F/A-18C/D Hornet Spanish Air Force - F/A-18A/B Hornet Swiss Air Force - F/A-18C/D Hornet |
Purpose: Multi-role fighter
First Flight: 18 November 1978 Introduction: 7 January 1983 Status: In service Number Built: 1,480 Specifications:
Performance:
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