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McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

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The F/A-18 Hornet is a modern all-weather carrier strike fighter. It is an aircraft designed to fill the roles of fighter aircraft and attack aircraft. Designed in the 1970s, it is in service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, as well as several other nations. suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), interdiction, close and deep air support, reconnaissance, and forward air control. Its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset, and its only drawback is its relative lack of range, speed, and ability to land on aircraft carriers with significant combat loads.

April 2003: Two United States Navy F/A-18 Hornets prepare to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman. The nearest aircraft has folded its wingtips.

History

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. The Navy preferred the YF-17 over the winning F-16 Fighting Falcon, because of its twin-engine design. For the Navy version, 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. Ten F/A-18's were lost in the Gulf War, most to surface to air missiles although one was alleged to have been shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25PD.[1] 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.

For some unexplained reason it has been alleged that the fuel fraction of the F/A-18 C/D production was small for unknown reasons when in point of fact it was because the role of the F/A-18C/D versions was expanded into an air to air role which had not been designed into the growth of the aircraft.

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 percent. 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

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 A+. 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
 
F/A-18 Hornet breaking the sound barrier
File:McDonnell-Douglas CF-18A Hornet.jpg
CF-18A 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-18F, slated to begin production in 2008, with first prototypes already under way. The US Navy have 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.

Specifications

For the F/A-18 Hornet

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1(A/C) 2(B/D)
  • Unit Cost: $39.5 Million
  • Contractor:Prime: McDonnell Douglas; Major Subcontractor: Northrop (E/F models were manufactured by Boeing)
  • First flight:
    • November 1978
    • November 1995 (E/F models)
  • Operational:
    • October 1983 (A/B models)
    • September 1987 (C/D models)
    • September 2001 (E/F models)

Dimensions

  • Length: 56 ft 4 in (17.1 m)
  • Wingspan: 40 ft (12.3 m)
  • Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.7 m)
  • Wing area: 300 ft² (27.87 m²)

Weights

  • Empty: 24,700 lb (11,200 kg)
  • Fighter/loaded: 37,150 lb (16,850 kg)
  • Maximum takeoff: 51,550 lb (23,400 kg)

Powerplant

  • Engine: 2x General Electric F404-GE-402 enhance performance turbofans
  • Thrust: 17,751 lbf per engine (79 kN) thrust

Performance

  • Maximum speed: Mach 1.8
  • Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
  • Thrust/weight: >1

Armament

Nine pylons; 2 wingtip; 4 underwing; 3 fusalage carrying missiles, rockets, bombs, fuel tanks, and pods

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

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:

The F/A-18E/F was a candidate aircraft for the Royal Navy Future Carriers (CVF), assuming CATOBAR ships were built. Eventually the UK selected CATOBAR ships, but configured for STOVL operations with the F-35B.

Fiction

Hornets and F/A-18F Super Hornet can be seen in such action films as Under Siege, Godzilla (US Version), Independence Day, The Rock, Clear and Present Danger, and Behind Enemy Lines. The F/A-18 was also in the Cowboy Bebop movie.

The F/A-18 series are playable aircraft in many flight simulator video games. For example, the PlayStation 2 game Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War allows the player to use the F/A-18C, F/A-18E, and E/A-18G, and the Apple Macintosh game F/A-18 Hornet is based on flying the aircraft. It can also be seen in the background in the game Street Fighter Alpha 3. Fictional variants, the F/A-18I and F/A-18U Hornet ADV, were featured in Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere.


The F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet are featured in the Konami Airforce Delta Series video games.

PC simulators of the F-18 include Interactive Magic's iF/A-18 Carrier Strike Fighter (1997), F/A-18E Super Hornet by Digital Intergration (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.

Related content

Related development: YF-17 Cobra - F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

Comparable aircraft: MiG-29 Fulcrum

Designation series: F-15 - F-16 - YF-17 - F/A-18 - F-20 - F-21 - F-22

Variants:

See also:

References

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to F/A-18 Hornet.
  • Kelly, Orr (1990). Hornet: the inside story of the F/A-18. Novato: Presido Press. ISBN 0-89141-344-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher ___location (link)
  • "F/A-18 Hornet". F/A-18 Hornet from Air to Air Combat.com. May 11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  • "F/A-18 Hornet". F/A-18 Hornet from the Federation of American Scientists. May 11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  • "F/A-18". F/A-18 Background Info. May 11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
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