Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-18E/F>HA5109
F/A-18E Super Hornet 166957, VX-9 "Vampires", 2018
General Background
The McDonnell Douglas Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet is a twin-engine multi-role carrier-based
aircraft. The “E” variant is single-seater while the “F” variant is a tandem-seat configuration. The
“E” is a much larger, more advanced and more capable variant of the F/A-18C. The Super variant
can carry a larger array of weapons as well as more of them and is capable of returning to the
carrier while still carrying unspent munitions, a big savings in dollars. The first F/A-18E flight was
in 1995 and began delivery to the USN in 1999.
The Aircraft
F/A-18E Super Hornet 166957 c/n E199 code XE-111 is assigned to VX-9 “Vampires of the Naval
Air Weapons Station (NAWS) located at China Lake California. China Lake encompasses 1.1
million miles of the upper Mojave Desert which offers plenty of space to test and evaluate
weapons and their various systems used by the USN Aviation Fleet. F/A-18E 166957 belongs to
the C/O of VX-9 and has large Vampire Bats on the black tails and white stars on the black spine.
Specifications :
| Role: | Multi-role attack and fighter |
| Crew: | F/A-18E x 1 / F/A-18F x 2 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length: | 60.3 ft (18.5 m) |
| Height: | 16 ft (4.87 m) |
| Wingspan: | 44.9 ft (13.68 m) |
| Weight: | Maximum Gross Take-off 66,000 lbs (29,932 kg) |
| Performance | |
| Power Plant: | 2 x F414-GE-400 turbofans |
| Thrust (Static): | 22,000 lbs (9,977kg) per engine |
| Ceiling : | 50,000 ft + |
| Speed: | Mach 1.8 + |
| Armament: | 1 x M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon (internal) |
| Possible External Payload: | AIM 7 Sparrow |
| AIM-120 AMRAAM | |
| Harpoon | |
| HARM | |
| Shrike | |
| SLAM | |
| SLAM-ER | |
| Walleye | |
| Maverick | |
| JSOW (Joint-Stand-Off Weapon) | |
| JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions | |
| An assortment of bombs, mines and rocket |