The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet was the United States’ first strike-fighter. Its versatility and power has ensured it a lifespan longer than other jet fighters, making it a foundation of the U.S. Navy’s carrier fleet as well as a cornerstone of many of the world’s other air forces and navies. Military pilots love the plane for its power to evade enemy aircraft and its maneuverability, and military planners love it for the ease with which it switches between its fighter and attack modes. Additionally, design changes to its later models have ensured that this popular jet will continue to fly in the world’s conflicts.

 

In the early 1970s, both the U.S. Air Force and Navy were seeking to replace their primary fighter aircraft. It was decided that if both services could agree on the same aircraft, overall development costs could be reduced. So in 1974, the services devised the Lightweight Fighter (LWF) Program, a fly-off between the General Dynamics YF-16 and the Northrop YF-17, both of which had been designed and built based on specifications that had been released in 1972. For six months, the two aircraft executed a variety of tests. In the end, the YF-16, with its cleaner design and lower drag, performed better. In 1975, the air force awarded General Dynamics a contract to put the YF-16 into production.

 

But the navy was not so keen on the YF-16, which became the single-engine F-16 Fighting Falcon, as popular a plane as the Hornet. Preferring twin-engine aircraft, the navy favored the YF-17. Knowing the project was not dead yet, Northrop, which did not have much experience with naval aircraft, asked McDonnell Douglas, the navy’s second largest aviation contractor, to join them in refining the airplane to meet the demands of flying on and off of the deck of an aircraft carrier. The navy awarded the Northrop-McDonnell Douglas team a development contract, with McDonnell Douglas the primary contractor and Northrop the subcontractor. The plane was designated the F-18, and first flew on November 18, 1978. It reached operational capacity in 1983, when its designation was changed to F/A-18 because of its versatility in changing between fighter and attack operations.

 

This plane, designated the F/A-18 "Hornet," was designed to be an all-weather, multimission plane that could perform both the attack function for force projection (the movement of planes in front of a fleet to "project" the power of the fleet), interdiction, and close and deep air support; and fighter duties, as an escort fighter and for fleet defense. This versatility, achieved by flicking a switch that changed the radar from air-to-ground to air-to-air mode, made the new plane most valuable. Termed a "force multiplier," this gave fleet commanders extreme flexibility in missions using one airplane, increasing the potential for success.

 

In addition to its versatility in operations, the Hornet was designed to carry all types of external ordnance from missiles such as AIM-9 Sidewinders, AIM-7 Sparrows, AIM-120 AMRAAMs, Harpoons, plus bombs, rockets, and mines. Cockpit systems were created to ease the pilot’s workload, including cathode ray tube (CRT) displays for radar, weapons, situation indicators, or moving maps. And there were changes made to the original design to make it carrier-compatible. The structure of the plane was strengthened to endure the punishing carrier landings--where impacts approach the violence of a "controlled crash." And for rapid and easy maintenance, all 268 access panels for the electronics and other components were reachable without a ladder from a carrier deck. Also, the wings could be folded to conserve space on the ship.

 

No sooner had the F/A-18A (with one seat) and F/A-18B (with two seats) been delivered than adjustments were made for the C and D versions. These new versions were visually identical to the F/A-18A and F/A-18B, although the C and D models had several extra "bumps" on their twin vertical tails. But inside, the new models featured advanced electronics for enemy jamming and also for using new missiles and other ordnance. In addition, these Hornets boasted improved night-fighting abilities. The C’s and D’s began to arrive in 1987, slowly replacing the A and B models. Other variants to the original model include the TF-18A, a two-seated trainer, and the RF-18, a reconnaissance plane.

 

In addition to service with the U.S. Navy and the Marines, Hornets have been sold to other nations for their air forces: Australia, Canada, Spain, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Switzerland. Since 1986, the U.S. Navy’s aerial demonstration team, the Blue Angels, has also used the plane- after replacing missiles and bombs with smoke generators.

 

The Hornet’s first real combat test was during Operation El Dorado Canyon--the 1983 United States’ bombing of Libya as punishment for sponsoring terrorism. In that operation, the planes attacked surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites. But it was during the Gulf War in early 1991 that the plane gained its reputation as a versatile and solid combat aircraft. One hundred and ninety navy Hornets operating from six aircraft carriers were reinforced by 84 Marine Hornets and 18 belonging to the Canadian Air Force--that nation’s entire force. In preparation for a ground invasion, they attacked targets in Kuwait and Iraq. They also performed reconnaissance and damage assessment work. And taking the place of the recently decommissioned SR-71 Blackbird, the Hornet flew surveillance flights. On January 17, they scored the first two victories of the war. That morning, two F/A-18s were on approach for a bombing mission in an Iraqi airfield when they were informed that two MiG-21s were approaching. The pilots switched their radar to air-to-air, locked onto the MiGs, and shot them down with an AIM-7 and AIM-9. They then switched the radar back to air-to-ground and successfully completed their bombing missions. This versatility was priceless. As was the plane’s durability. Two were hit by SAMs yet were able to return to their carrier, be repaired, and be back on mission the next day. By the end of the war, the Hornet was a favorite of pilots and crews alike.

 

The success of the plane’s performance during the Gulf War and the cancellation of various other aircraft development programs, including the A-12, led to the development of a new version of the Hornet, the F/A 18-E/F Super Hornet. Entering service in 2002, the navy predicts that the new plane, which has a longer range, carries more weapons, and has more power than the earlier models, will not only be in operation for at least 20 years but could replace almost every other plane in the navy’s inventory. In planning for such long-term service, the design included 17 square feet of "growth space" for yet-to-be-invented electronics, systems, and other future inventions. Heralded by the navy as the future of aviation, the Super Hornet ensures that the plane that was almost lost in development will be a mainstay of America’s defense for decades to come.

 

--Pamela Feltus

 

Sources:

Hallion, Richard P. Storm Over Iraq: Air Power and the Gulf War. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992.

Holder, Bill and Mike Wallace. McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1997.

FAS F/A-18 page: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/f-18.htm

Naval Institute Guide to Ships and Aircraft: http://www.usni.org/resources/FA18Hornet/FA18CD.htm

U.S. Navy Fact File on F/A-18 Hornet. http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/aircraft/air-fa18.html

 

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