F/A-18 Hornet

F/A-18 Hornet (Multirole fighter) – 409

Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing / Northrop

First flight: 18 November 1978

Introduction: 7 January 1983

Number built: 1,480

Unit cost: $29-57 million (2006)

Developed from: Northrop YF-17

Developed into: Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet

General characteristics

Crew:

F/A-18C: 1;

F/A-18D: 2 (pilot and weapons system officer)

Length: 17.1 m

Wingspan: 12.3 m

Height: 4.7 m

Wing area: 38 m²

Empty weight: 10,400 kg

Loaded weight: 16,770 kg

Max. takeoff weight: 23,500 kg

Powerplant: 2× General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofans

Dry thrust: 4,986 kgf (48.9 kN) each

Thrust with afterburner: 8,076 kgf (79.2 kN) each

Fuel capacity: 4,930 kg internally

Performance

Maximum speed:

High altitude – Mach 1.8 (1,915 km/h) at 12,190 m

Low altitude – Mach 1.2 (1,473 km/h)

Range: 2,000 km with only two AIM-9s

Combat radius: 740 km on air-air mission

Ferry range: 3,330 km

Service ceiling: 15,240 m

Rate of climb: 254 m/s

Wing loading: 454 kg/m²

Thrust/weight: 0.96 (1.13 with loaded weight & 50% internal fuel)

Armament

Guns: 1× 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan nose mounted 6-barreled Gatling cannon, 578 rounds

Hardpoints: 9 total – 2× wingtips missile launch rail, 4× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage with a capacity of 6,200 kg external fuel and ordnance

Rockets:

70 mm Hydra 70 rockets;

127.0 mm Zuni rockets

Missiles

Air-to-air missiles:

4× AIM-9 Sidewinder; or

4× AIM-132 ASRAAM; or

4× IRIS-T; or

4× AIM-120 AMRAAM; and

2× AIM-7 Sparrow; or

2× AIM-120 AMRAAM

Air-to-surface missiles:

AGM-65 Maverick;

AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Range (SLAM-ER);

AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile (ARM);

AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW);

AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM);

Taurus missile Cruise missile

Anti-ship missile:

AGM-84 Harpoon

Bombs:

B61 nuclear bomb;

JDAM precision-guided munition (PGMs);

Paveway series of laser-guided bombs;

Mark-80 series of unguided iron bombs;

CBU-78 Gator;

CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition;

CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon;

Mark-20 Rockeye II

Others:

SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod; or

Electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod; or

AN/AAS-38 Nite Hawk Targeting pods (US Navy only), to be replaced by AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR; or

LITENING targeting pod (USMC only); or

up to 3× 1,200 L Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time

Avionics

Hughes APG-73 radar

ROVER (Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver) antenna for use by US Navy's F/A-18C strike fighter squadrons