McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

Development

Origins

The United States Navy started the Naval Fighter-Attack, Experimental (VFAX) program to procure a multirole aircraft to replace the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, the A-7 Corsair II, and the remaining McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs, and to complement the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. Vice Admiral Kent Lee, then head of Naval Air Systems Command, was the lead advocate for the VFAX against strong opposition from many Navy officers, including Vice Admiral William D. Houser, deputy chief of naval operations for air warfare – the highest-ranking naval aviator.

In August 1973, Congress mandated that the Navy pursue a lower-cost alternative to the F-14. Grumman proposed a stripped F-14 designated the F-14X, while McDonnell Douglas proposed a naval variant of the F-15, but both were nearly as expensive as the F-14. That summer, Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger ordered the Navy to evaluate the competitors in the Air Force's Lightweight Fighter (LWF) program, the General Dynamics YF-16 and Northrop YF-17. The Air Force competition specified a day fighter with no strike capability. In May 1974, the House Armed Services Committee redirected $34 million from the VFAX to a new program, the Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF), intended to make maximum use of the technology developed for the LWF program.

Redesigning the YF-17

Though the YF-16 won the LWF competition, the Navy was skeptical that an aircraft with one engine and narrow landing gear could be easily or economically adapted to carrier service, and refused to adopt an F-16 naval derivative – the Vought Model 1600 – proposed by Vought/General Dynamics. On 2 May 1975, the Navy announced its selection of the YF-17. Since the LWF did not share the design requirements of the VFAX, the Navy asked McDonnell Douglas and Northrop to develop a new aircraft from the design and principles of the YF-17. On 1 March 1977, Secretary of the Navy W. Graham Claytor announced, that the F-18 would be named "Hornet", after the characteristics of the Hornet insect. It also shares the namesake with ships that had borne the name USS Hornet since the Revolutionary War.

Northrop had partnered with McDonnell Douglas as a secondary contractor on NACF to capitalize on the latter's experience in building carrier aircraft, including the widely used F-4 Phantom II. On the F-18, the two companies agreed to evenly split component manufacturing, with McDonnell Douglas conducting the final assembly. McDonnell Douglas would build the wings, stabilators, and forward fuselage. While Northrop would build the center and aft fuselage and vertical stabilizers. McDonnell Douglas was the prime contractor for the naval versions, and Northrop would be the prime contractor for the F-18L land-based version which Northrop hoped to sell on the export market.

The F-18, initially known as McDonnell Douglas Model 267, was drastically modified from the YF-17. For carrier operations, the airframe, undercarriage, and tailhook were strengthened, folding wings and catapult attachments were added, and the landing gear was widened. Another wheel was added to the front landing gear as well. To meet Navy range and reserves requirements, McDonnell increased fuel capacity by 4,460 pounds (2,020 kg), by enlarging the dorsal spine and adding a 96-gallon fuel tank to each wing. A "snag" was added to the wing's leading edge and stabilators to prevent an aeroelastic flutter discovered in the F-15 stabilator. The wings and stabilators were enlarged, the aft fuselage widened by 4 inches (102 mm), and the engines canted outward at the front. These changes added 10,000 lb (4,540 kg) to the gross weight, bringing it to 37,000 lb (16,800 kg). The YF-17's control system was replaced with a fully digital fly-by-wire system with quadruple redundancy, the first to be installed in a production fighter. The airframe was designed for a service life of 6,000 flight hours.

Northrop's F-18L

Northrop developed the F-18L as a potential export aircraft. Since it was not strengthened for carrier service, it was expected to be lighter and better performing, and a strong competitor to the F-16 Fighting Falcon then being offered to American allies. The F-18L's normal gross weight was lighter than the F/A-18A by 7,700 pounds (3,490 kg), via lighter landing gear, lack of wing folding mechanism, reduced part thickness in areas, and lower fuel-carrying capacity. Though the aircraft retained a lightened tailhook, the most obvious external difference was the removal of "snags" on the leading edge of the wings and stabilators. It still retained 71% commonality with the F/A-18 by parts weight, and 90% of the high-value systems, including the avionics, radar, and electronic countermeasure suite, though alternatives were offered. Unlike the F/A-18, the F-18L carried no fuel in its wings and lacked weapons stations on the intakes. It had three underwing pylons on each side, instead.

The F/A-18L was essentially an F/A-18A lightened by about 2,500 to 3,000 pounds (1,130 to 1,360 kg); weight was reduced by removing the folding wing and associated actuators, implementing a simpler landing gear (single wheel nose gear and cantilever oleo main gear), and changing to a land-based tail hook. The revised F/A-18L included wing fuel tanks and fuselage stations of the F/A-18A. Its weapons capacity would increase from 13,700 to 20,000 pounds (6,210 to 9,070 kg), largely due to the addition of a third underwing pylon and strengthened wingtips (11 stations in total vs 9 stations of the F/A-18A). Compared to the F-18L, the outboard weapons pylons are closer to the wingtip missile rails. Because of the strengthened nonfolding wing, the wingtip missile rails were designed to carry either the AIM-7 Sparrow (7F/7M/7P variants, same as the F/A-18A) or Skyflash medium-range air-to-air missiles, in addition to the AIM-9 Sidewinder as found on the F/A-18A. The F/A-18L was strengthened for a 9 g design load factor compared to the F/A-18A's 7.5 g factor.

The partnership between McDonnell Douglas and Northrop soured over competition for foreign sales for the two models. Northrop felt that McDonnell Douglas would put the F/A-18 in direct competition with the F-18L. In October 1979, Northrop filed a series of lawsuits charging that McDonnell was using Northrop technology developed for the F-18L for foreign sales of the F/A-18 in violation of their agreement, and asked for a moratorium on foreign sales of the Hornet. McDonnell Douglas countersued, alleging Northrop illegally used F/A-18 technology in its F-20 Tigershark. A settlement was announced 8 April 1985 for all of the lawsuits. McDonnell Douglas paid Northrop $50 million for "rights to sell the F/A-18 wherever it could". Additionally, the companies agreed on McDonnell Douglas as the prime contractor with Northrop as the principal subcontractor. As principal subcontractor, Northrop produced the rear section for the F/A-18 (initially the A/B, then the C/D and eventually also the E/F Super Hornet), while McDonnell Douglas produced the rest with final assembly performed by McDonnell Douglas. At the time of the settlement, Northrop had ceased work on the F-18L. Most export orders for the F-18L were captured by the F-16 or the F/A-18. The F-20 Tigershark did not enter production, and although the program was not officially terminated until 17 November 1986, functionally it was dead by mid-1985.

Into production

During flight testing, the snag on the leading edge of the stabilators was filled in, and the gap between the leading-edge extensions (LEX) and the fuselage was mostly filled in. The gaps, called the boundary layer air discharge slots, controlled the vortices generated by the LEX and presented clean air to the vertical stabilizers at high angles of attack, but they also generated a great deal of parasitic drag, worsening the problem of the F/A-18's inadequate range. McDonnell filled in 80% of the gap, leaving a small slot to bleed air from the engine intake. This may have contributed to early problems with fatigue cracks appearing on the vertical stabilizers due to extreme structural loads, resulting in a short grounding in 1984 until the stabilizers were strengthened. Starting in May 1988, a small vertical fence was added to the top of each LEX to broaden the vortices and direct them away from the vertical stabilizers. This also provided a minor increase in controllability as a side effect. F/A-18s of early versions had a problem with insufficient rate of roll, exacerbated by the insufficient wing stiffness, especially with heavy underwing ordnance loads. The first production F/A-18A flew on 12 April 1980. After a production run of 380 F/A-18As (including the nine assigned to flight systems development), manufacture shifted to the F/A-18C in September 1987.

Improvements and design changes

In the 1990s, the U.S. Navy faced the need to replace its aging A-6 Intruders and A-7 Corsair IIs with no replacement in development. To answer this deficiency, the Navy commissioned development of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Despite its designation, it is not just an upgrade of the F/A-18 Hornet, but rather, a new, larger airframe using the design concepts of the Hornet. Hornets and Super Hornets will serve complementary roles in the U.S. Navy carrier fleet until the Hornet A-D models are completely replaced by the F-35C Lightning II. Although the airframe was originally designed for service life of 6,000 flight hours, the Marines have chosen to extend the use of certain F/A-18s up to 10,000 flight hours, due to delays in the F-35B variant.

End of production

Production of the C- and D- models ended in 2000, with the plant transitioning to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The last F/A-18C was assembled in Finland and delivered to the Finnish Air Force in August 2000. The last F/A-18D was delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps in August 2000. Production of the F/A-18E/F is scheduled to end in 2027.

Design

The F/A-18 is a twin engine, midwing, multimission tactical aircraft. It is highly maneuverable, due to its good thrust-to-weight ratio, digital fly-by-wire control system, and leading-edge extensions, which allow the Hornet to remain controllable at high angles of attack. The trapezoidal wing has a 20-degree sweepback on the leading edge and a straight trailing edge. The wing has full-span, leading-edge flaps and the trailing edge has single-slotted flaps and ailerons over the entire span.

Canted vertical stabilizers are another distinguishing design element, one among several other such elements that enable the Hornet's excellent high angle of attack ability, including oversized horizontal stabilators, oversized trailing-edge flaps that operate as flaperons, large full-length leading-edge slats, and flight control computer programming that multiplies the movement of each control surface at low speeds and moves the vertical rudders inboard instead of simply left and right. The Hornet's normally high angle of attack performance envelope was put to rigorous testing and enhanced in the NASA F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). NASA used the F-18 HARV to demonstrate flight handling characteristics at high angle-of-attack (alpha) of 65–70 degrees using thrust vectoring vanes. F/A-18 stabilators were also used as canards on NASA's F-15S/MTD.

The Hornet was among the first aircraft to heavily use multifunction displays, which at the switch of a button allow a pilot to perform either fighter or attack roles or both. This "force multiplier" ability gives the operational commander more flexibility to employ tactical aircraft in a fast-changing battle scenario. It was the first Navy aircraft to incorporate a digital multiplexing avionics bus, enabling easy upgrades.

The Hornet was designed to reduce maintenance, and as a result, has required far less downtime than its heavier counterparts, the F-14 Tomcat and the A-6 Intruder. Its mean time between failures is three times greater than any other Navy strike aircraft, and requires half the maintenance time. Its General Electric F404 engines were also innovative in that they were designed with operability, reliability, and maintainability first. The engine, while unexceptional in rated performance, demonstrates exceptional robustness under various conditions and is resistant to stall and flameout. The F404 engine connects to the airframe at only 10 points and can be replaced without special equipment: a four-person team can remove the engine within 20 minutes. The aircraft has a top speed of Mach 1.8 at 40,000 ft.

Operational history

United States

McDonnell Douglas rolled out the first F/A-18A on 13 September 1978, in blue-on-white colors marked with "Navy" on the left and "Marines" on the right. Its first flight was on 18 November. In a break with tradition, the Navy pioneered the "principal site concept" with the F/A-18, where almost all testing was done at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, instead of near the site of manufacture, and using Navy and Marine Corps test pilots instead of civilians early in development. In March 1979, Lt. Cdr. John Padgett became the first Navy pilot to fly the F/A-18.

Following trials and operational testing by VX-4 and VX-5, Hornets began to fill the Fleet Replacement Squadrons VFA-125, VFA-106, and VMFAT-101, where pilots are introduced to the F/A-18. The Hornet entered operational service with Marine Corps squadron VMFA-314 at MCAS El Toro on 7 January 1983, and with Navy squadrons VFA-113 and VFA-25 on 1 July 1984, replacing F-4s and A-7Es, respectively.

Navy strike-fighter squadrons VFA-25 and VFA-113 (assigned to CVW-14) deployed aboard USS Constellation from February to August 1985, marking the first deployment for the F/A-18.

The initial fleet reports were complimentary, indicating that the Hornet was extraordinarily reliable, a major change from its predecessor, the F-4J. In January 1985, the VFA-131 "Wildcats" and the VFA-132 "Privateers" moved from Naval Air Station Lemoore, California to Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida to become the Atlantic Fleet's first F/A-18 squadrons. VFA-151, VFA-161, VFA-192 and VFA-195 transitioned to the F/A-18A in 1986. With the exception of VFA-161, the rest would move to NAF Atsugi, Japan to join CVW-5 and the USS Midway. Other squadrons that switched to F/A-18 included VFA-146 "Blue Diamonds", and VFA-147 "Argonauts".

The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron switched to the F/A-18 Hornet in 1986, replacing the A-4 Skyhawk. The Blue Angels performed in F/A-18A, B, C, and D models at air shows and other special events across the US and worldwide before transitioning to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in late 2020. Blue Angels pilots must have 1,250 hours and an aircraft-carrier certification. The two-seat B and D models were typically used to give rides to VIPs, but also filled in for other aircraft, if such a need arose.

Non-U.S. service

The F/A-18 has been purchased and is in operation with several foreign air services. Export Hornets are typically similar to U.S. models of a similar manufacture date. Since none of the customers operate aircraft carriers, all export models have been sold without the automatic carrier landing system, and the Royal Australian Air Force further removed the catapult attachment on the nose gear. Except for Canada, all export customers purchased their Hornets through the U.S. Navy, via the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, where the Navy acts as the purchasing manager, but incurs no financial gain or loss. Canada is the largest Hornet operator outside of the U.S.

From the late 1970s, the Australian government sought a replacement for the Dassault Mirage IIIO then operated by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadrons. Numerous options were considered for the replacement, notably the F-15A Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the then new F/A-18 Hornet. The F-15 was discounted because the version offered had no ground-attack capability. The F-16 was considered unsuitable largely due to having only one engine.

The F/A-18 was officially chosen in October 1981. The RAAF was to receive 57 F/A-18A fighters and 18 F/A-18B two-seat trainers. Initial differences between the Australian and U.S. Navy's F/A-18 were the removed nose-wheel tie bar for catapult launch (later re-fitted with a dummy version to remove nose wheel shimmy), addition of a high frequency radio, an Australian fatigue data analysis system, an improved video and voice recorder, and the use of instrument landing system/VHF omnidirectional range instead of the carrier landing system.

Two aircraft were completed in the US, while the remainder were assembled in Australia at Government Aircraft Factories. F/A-18 deliveries to the RAAF began on 29 October 1984, and continued until May 1990. The fleet was upgraded beginning in the late 1990s to extend their service lives to 2015.

In 2001, Australia deployed four aircraft to Diego Garcia, in an air-defense role, during coalition operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan. In 2003, 75 Squadron deployed 14 F/A-18s to Qatar as part of Operation Falconer and these aircraft saw action during the invasion of Iraq. Australia had 71 Hornets in service in 2006, after four were lost to crashes.

Potential operators

In June 2023, the Financial Review reported that Australia, the United States and Ukraine were negotiating the supply of 41 Australian F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force. A further update was issued in December 2023, that the U.S. have continued talks with the Australian government and have begun exploring the option of providing aging jets and parts from the Finnish Air Force.

During December 2023 Ukraine asked the US, according to documents viewed by Reuters, for F/A-18 Hornets. The Ukrainian ambassador to Australia is expected to again request surplus Hornets. A report found that 14 of the 41 airframes were airworthy and another two years flying could be "squeezed" from them.

Failed bids

Several Nations considered operating the hornet at various points in time. The F/A-18C and F/A-18D were considered by the French Navy (Marine Nationale) during the 1980s for deployment on their aircraft carriers Clemenceau and Foch and again in the 1990s for the later nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, in the event that the Dassault Rafale M was not brought into service when originally planned.

Austria, Chile, Czech Republic, Hungary, Philippines, Poland, and Singapore evaluated the Hornet but did not purchase it.

The Imperial Iranian Air Force, as part of its large modernization plans in the 1970s, originally considered the YF-17 but - after the F-16 was chosen by the original NATO partners - chose to buy 160 F-16s. However, after the Navy's request for a naval YF-17, the Shah expressed interest once more in the program and in the end about 200 to 250 F-18Ls were considered with delivery planned for the early to mid 1980s. An additional $8 million was used for research and development into the F/A-18 program.

South Korea originally set out with an ambitious plan to build 120 new fighter jets through its Korean Fighter Program. Although the F/A-18 Hornet was first selected, complications with the deal led to a change in direction. Instead, the country opted for the F-16C/D Block 52D, known locally as the KF-16C/D, with 72 of the jets to be built domestically in South Korea.

Thailand ordered four C and four D model Hornets in 1995–1996 for $392 million, with plans for ten additional Hornets. Thailand already paid $74.5 million deposit before the Asian financial crisis in late 1990s hit the country, which resulted in the order being canceled in April 1998. The eight Hornets were completed as F/A-18Ds for the U.S. Marine Corps.

The F/A-18A and F-18L land-based version competed for a fighter contract from Greece in the 1980s. The Greek government chose F-16 and Mirage 2000 instead.

Variants

F/A-18A/B Hornet

The F/A-18A, single-seat variant, can employ the AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-65E Maverick, AGM-88 HARM and the AGM-62 Walleye I/II. The F/A-18A was also equipped with the AN/AAS-38 Nite Hawk targeting pod and the AN/ASQ-173 laser detector tracker strike camera pod for targeting. During the Gulf War, there were limited numbers of the Nite Hawk for USN and USMC Hornets. The F/A-18B has space for the two-seat cockpit, provided by a relocation of avionics equipment and a 6% reduction in internal fuel. Two-seat Hornets are otherwise fully combat-capable. The B-model is used primarily for training.

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. A-model Hornets that have been upgraded to the AN/APG-73 and are capable of carrying the AIM-120 AMRAAM are designated F/A-18A+. Later in the 2010s they received life-extending upgrades from the USMC and then became F/A-18A++.

F/A-18C/D Hornet

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 later on the AGM-84E SLAM as well as the IR version of the AGM-65 (AGM-65F). 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 have improved night attack abilities, consisting of the Hughes AN/AAR-50 thermal navigation pod, AN/AAS-38A NITE Hawk FLIR (forward looking infrared array) targeting pod, night vision goggles, and two full-color (formerly monochrome) multi-function display (MFDs) and a color moving map.

The F/A-18C is the single-seat variant and the F/A-18D is the two-seat variant. The D-model can be configured for training or as an all-weather strike craft. The "missionized" D model's rear seat is configured for a Marine Corps naval flight officer who functions as a Weapons and Sensors Officer to assist in operating the weapons systems. The F/A-18D is primarily operated by the U.S. Marine Corps in the night attack and Forward Air Controller (Airborne) (FAC(A)) roles.

Sixty D-model Hornets are configured as the night attack F/A-18D (RC) with the ability for reconnaissance. These could be outfitted with the ATARS electro-optical sensor package that includes a sensor pod and equipment mounted in the place of the M61 cannon.

Beginning in 1992, the F404-GE-402 enhanced performance engine, providing approximately 10% more maximum static thrust became the standard Hornet engine. Since 1993, the AAS-38A NITE Hawk added a designator/ranger laser, allowing it to self-mark targets. The later AAS-38B added the ability to strike targets designated by lasers from other aircraft without having to mount a separate laser spot tracking pod.

The U.S. Navy retired its F/A-18C/D in February 2019. However, the USMC still retains theirs, and is in the process of upgrading their radar to APG-79(V)4 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar system. This variant for the USMC with the MLU is called F/A-18C+. These are F/A-18Cs of the Blocks 25 and 30 that are being modernized to the most modern Block 35 and for a longer service life.

F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

The single-seat F/A-18E and two-seat F/A-18F, both officially named Super Hornet, carry over the name and design concept of the original F/A-18 but have been extensively redesigned by McDonnell Douglas. The Super Hornet, which began production in 1995, has a new, 25% larger airframe, larger rectangular air intakes, more powerful GE F414 engines based on F/A-18's F404, and an upgraded avionics suite. Like the Marine Corps' F/A-18D, the Navy's F/A-18F carries a naval flight officer as a second crew member in a weapon systems officer role. The Super Hornet is unofficially known as "Rhino" in operational use. This name was chosen to distinguish the newer variants from the legacy F-18A/B/C/D Hornet and avoid confusion during carrier deck operations. The Super Hornet is also operated by Australia and Kuwait.

EA-18G Growler

The EA-18G Growler is an electronic warfare version of the two-seat F/A-18F, which entered production in 2007. The Growler has replaced the Navy's EA-6B Prowler and carries a Naval Flight Officer as a second crewman in an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) role. Growlers are used by the United States and Australia.

US variants list

F/A-18A

Original single-seat version, can carry the AGM-84 ASM, AGM-62 Walleye, AGM-88 HARM and the TV guided versions AGM-65 Maverick.

F/A-18B

Two-seat version of the F/A-18A, combat capable but mainly used for training.

F/A-18C

Improved version of the F/A-18A, can carry the AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-84E SLAM and the IR guided versions AGM-65 Maverick.

F/A-18D

Two-seat version of the F/A-18C, used only by USMC.

F/A-18E

Most modern version of the F/A-18, has a larger airframe, more powerful engines, and a better avionics suite compared to the F/A-18C.

F/A-18F

Two-seat version of the F/A-18E.

F-18(R)

This was a proposed reconnaissance version of the F/A-18A. It included a sensor package that replaced the 20 mm cannon. The first of two prototypes flew in August 1984. Small numbers were produced.

RF-18D

Proposed two-seat reconnaissance version for the U.S. Marine Corps in the mid-1980s. It was to carry a radar reconnaissance pod. The system was canceled after it was unfunded in 1988. This ability was later realized on the F/A-18D(RC).

TF-18A

Two-seat training version of the F/A-18A fighter, later redesignated F/A-18B.

Export variants

These designations are not part of 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system.

F-18L

A proposed land-based export version of the single-seat F-18A with air-superiority and attack capabilities. This variant was to be lightened by the removal of carrier landing capability and assembled by Northrop. Customers preferred the standard Hornet and the F-18L never entered mass production.

(A)F/A-18A/B

(A)F/A-18A: Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Royal Australian Air Force.

(A)F/A-18B: Two-seat training version for the Royal Australian Air Force.

"F/A-18A" was the original company designation, designations of "AF-18A" & "ATF-18A" have also been applied. Assembled in Australia (excluding the first two (A)F/A-18Bs) by Aero-Space Technologies of Australia (ASTA) from 1985 through to 1990, from kits produced by McDonnell Douglas with increasing local content in the later aircraft. Originally the most notable differences between an Australian (A)F/A-18A/B and a US F/A-18A/B were the lack of a catapult attachment, replacing the carrier tailhook with a lighter land arresting hook, and the automatic carrier landing system with an Instrument Landing System. Australian Hornets have been involved in several major upgrade programs. This program called HUG (Hornet Upgrade) has had a few evolutions over the years. The first was to give Australian Hornets F/A-18C model avionics. The second and current upgrade program (HUG 2.2) updates the fleet's avionics even further. By 2021 12 (A)F/A-18A and 6 (A)F/A-18B (and an additional 7 broken down (A)F/A-18 for spare parts) were sold to the Royal Canadian Air Force.

CF-188

CF-188A: Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)/Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Unofficially referred to as the CF-18A Hornet.

CF-188B: Two-seat training and combat version for the CAF/RCAF. Unofficially referred to as the CF-18B Hornet.

Operators

Canada

Royal Canadian Air Force (see McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet)

86 (63 CF-18A & 23 CF-18B) aircraft in use as of 2021.

10 Ex-RAAF F/A-18A/B in use as of 2025.

Finland

Finnish Air Force - 53 F/A-18Cs and 7 F/A-18Ds in use as of 2025.

Karelia Air Wing

No. 31 Squadron

Lapland Air Wing

No. 11 Squadron

Kuwait

Kuwait Air Force - 31 F/A-18Cs and 8 F/A-18Ds in service as of November 2008. 34 (27 F/A-18C & 7 F/A-18D) aircraft were in use as of 2021.

9th Fighter and Attack Squadron

25th Fighter and Attack Squadron

Malaysia

Royal Malaysian Air Force - 7 F/A-18Ds in operation as of 2025. 1 crashed in 2025.

RMAF Butterworth

No. 18 Squadron

Spain

Spanish Air and Space Force - 85 F/A-18A+/B+ in service. There were 84 (72 EF-18M and F/A-18C & 12 EF-18BM) aircraft in use as of 2021.

Ala de Caza 15 (15th Fighter Wing) Zaragoza AB, (151, 152 and 153 Squadrons)

Former operators

Australia

Royal Australian Air Force

No. 3 Squadron RAAF 1985–2017 (converted to F-35A)

No. 75 Squadron RAAF 1988–2021 (converted to F-35A)

No. 77 Squadron RAAF 1985–2020 (converted to F-35A)

No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF 1985-2019 (converted to F-35A)

Aircraft Research and Development Unit

United States

United States Marine Corps

VMFA-115 1985–2023 (to convert to F-35C)

VMFA-122 1986–2017 (converted to F-35B)

VMFA-134 1989–2007 (Marine Corps Reserve; placed in cadre status)

VMFA-142 1990–2008 (Marine Corps Reserve; placed in cadre status)

VMFA-212 1988–2008 (disestablished)

VMFA-235 1989–1996 (disestablished)

VMFA-251 1987–2020 (to convert to F-35C)

VMFA-314 1982–2019 (converted to F-35C)

VMFA-321 1991–2004 (Marine Corps Reserve; disestablished)

VMFA-333 1987–1992 (disestablished)

VMFA-451 1987–1997 (re-designated to VMFAT-501 April 2010, converted to F-35B)

Aircraft on display

YF-18A

160775 – U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology, NAWS China Lake, California. This is the first F/A-18A built in 1978. Aircraft was recently restored in the same livery after being built. Aircraft was moved off base for better public viewing.

160780 – Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton, Virginia.

F/A-18A

161353 – Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, NAS Patuxent River, Lexington Park, Maryland.

161366 – Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, main gate.

161367 – Naval Air Systems Command Headquarters Building, NAS Patuxent River, Lexington Park, Maryland.

161712 – Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, in VMFA-112 markings.

161725 – California Science Center museum, Los Angeles, California.

161726 – In Blue Angels markings, main gate, NAS JRB New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana.

161749 – Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, MCAS Miramar, California.

161941 – In Blue Angels #1 markings, main gate, NAS Jacksonville Heritage Park, Jacksonville, Florida.

161942 – In Blue Angels #1 markings, USS Lexington Museum, Corpus Christi, Texas. On loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, Florida.

161948 - In Blue Angels markings, Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum, Titusville, Florida. On loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum.

Notable accidents

On 8 December 2008, a U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18D crashed in a populated area of San Diego, California while on approach to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, killing four people on the ground. The pilot ejected safely; there was no weapon systems officer on board the aircraft.

On 6 April 2012, a USN F/A-18D from VFA-106 crashed into apartment buildings in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Both crew members ejected. Seven people were injured including the two pilots, who were taken to the hospital; all survived. The crew performed a last-second fuel dump, and thus may have prevented a large explosion and fire after the crash.

On 2 June 2016, U.S. Marine Corps Captain Jeff Kuss fatally crashed due to weather and fatigue, during a training exercise to prepare for the Great Tennessee Air Show. Capt. Kuss's jet (Blue Angels No. 6) crashed about two miles from the runway after an attempted "Split S" maneuver.

On 24 August 2023, a U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18D crashed after taking off from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The sole pilot onboard died after ejecting from the aircraft.

On 21 August 2025, a Royal Malaysian Air Force F/A-18D Hornet caught fire and crashed during takeoff from Kuantan Air Base. Both pilots ejected safely. This incident marked the first loss of Malaysia’s aging Hornet fleet, raising concerns about the country’s defense capabilities. The Prime Minister called for a full investigation, and the event attracted widespread media attention.

On June 13, 2026, an F/A-18 Hornet of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed into a wooded mountain side near Rimrock Lake during a routine training flight, sparking a brush fire. The single pilot of the aircraft ejected the aircraft with minor injuries, and was recovered without incident.

Specifications (F/A-18C/D)

Data from U.S. Navy fact file, F/A-18A/B/C/D NATOPS, Frawley Directory, Great BookGeneral characteristics

Crew: 1 (C - pilot)/2 (D - pilot and weapon systems officer)

Length: 56 ft 1 in (17.1 m)

Wingspan: 40 ft 4 in (12.3 m) with AIM-9 Sidewinders on wingtip LAU-7 launchers

Width: 27 ft 7 in (8.4 m) wing folded

Height: 15 ft 5 in (4.7 m)

Wing area: 410 sq ft (38 m2)

Aspect ratio: 4

Airfoil: root:NACA 65A005 mod.; tip:NACA 65A003.5 mod.

Empty weight: 23,000 lb (10,433 kg)

Gross weight: 36,970 lb (16,769 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 51,900 lb (23,541 kg)

Fuel capacity: 10,860 pounds (4,930 kg) internally

Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F404-GE-402 afterburning turbofan engines, 11,000 lbf (49 kN) thrust each dry, 17,750 lbf (79.0 kN) with afterburner

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.8, 1,034 kn (1,190 mph; 1,915 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,192 m) altitude

Mach 1.06, 700 kn (806 mph; 1,296 km/h) at sea level