Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-18>HA3562
F/A-18A++ Hornet 162442, VMFA-314, US Marines, June 2019
General Background
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic twin engine all-weather night fighter and attack aircraft. The F/A-18s first flew in November 1978 and the first production flight on April 12, 1980. The first 380 aircraft were F/A-18As and in September 1987 production switched to the F/A-18C. Variants A and C are single-seat aircraft while B and D are tandem-seats. The Hornet can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases with the capability of in flight refueling. A total of 1,480 A-D variants were built.
The Aircraft
On June 5, 2019 a photo shoot took place over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The aircraft involved were F/A-18++ 162442 from the VMFA-314 “Black Knights” and F-35C 169601 that would soon be transferred to VMFA-314. The F-35C was piloted by Captain Tommy Beau Locke from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 “Rough Raiders” while the F/A-18++ 162442 was piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Cedar Hinton, CAG for VMFA-314. This was a symbolic gesture of passing the torch from the old to the new.
Specifications :
| Role: | Fighter/Attack |
| Manufactured: | 1980 to 1987 |
| Numbers Produced: | A – 371 |
| B – 40 | |
| Crew: | A – 1 |
| B – 2 | |
| Dimensions | |
| Length: | 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m) |
| Wingspan: | 40 ft 8 in (12.4 m) |
| Folded: | 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) |
| Height: | 15 ft 4 in (4.66 m) |
| Weight: | |
| Empty: | 28,000 lbs (12,700 kg) |
| Gross: | 38,000 lbs (17,240 kg) |
| Maximum Take off: | 56,000 lb (25,400 kg) |
| Performance | |
| Engines: | 2 X GE F404-GE turbofans producing 10,600 lb.s.t. dry & 15,800 lb.s.t with afterburning per engine |
| Fuel: | |
| Internal: | 1,670 U.S. gal (6,322 l) |
| External: | As many as 3 X 330 U.S. gal (1,249 l) drop tanks |
| Maximum Fuel: | 2,660 U.S. gal (10,070 l) |
| Maximum Speed: | Mach 1.8 1,190 mph (1,915 km/h) @ 35,000 ft (10,670 m) |
| Landing Speed: | 150 mph (241.4 km/h) |
| Combat Ceiling: | 50,000 ft (15,240 m) |
| Maximum Range: | 2,875 miles (4,627 km) |
| Armament: | 1 X 20 mm M61A1 cannon in nose Plus |
| Hard Points: | 4 X under-wing |
| 2 X fuselage corner stations | |
| 1 X center-line | |
| 2 X wing-tip | |
| To carry AIM-9 Sidewinder Missiles Or | |
| AIM-7 Sparrow Missiles Plus | |
| Up to 3 external fuel tanks and other assorted ordnance |