FA18 Hornet Fighter Jet
Beginning in 1981, Australia ordered a total of 57 single-seat F/A-18As and 18 two-seater F/A-18Bs from American aviation company McDonnell Douglas, which later merged with Boeing. Boeing F/A-18 Hornet Current Price $ 29 - 57 million U.S. Boeing FA-18 Hornet Anatomy of the FA-18 Hornet Fighter Attack AirplaneSubscribe to US Today!The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engin. The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather, carrier-capable, multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing ) and Northrop (now part of Northrop Grumman ), the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the. The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet was designed for aircraft carrier duty and was the first tactical aircraft designed to carry out both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Marines ordered it as an F-18 fighter and the Navy as an A-18 attack aircraft.
Program Overview
Northrop Grumman has a principal role in the design and production of the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet Block II, the U.S. Navy's frontline carrier-based strike fighter. The most advanced multi-role strike fighter available today and for the foreseeable future, the Super Hornet has the capability, flexibility and performance necessary to modernize the air or naval aviation forces of any country.
As principal subcontractor to The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman produces the F/A-18's aft/center fuselage section and vertical tails and integrates all associated subsystems at its facility in El Segundo, Calif. Northrop Grumman has delivered more than 1,800 fuselage “shipsets” since the F/A-18 program began in the 1970s.
The first A/B Hornet model entered service with the Navy in 1983. The A/B evolved into the C/D Hornet in the 1980s and now the Super Hornet. This aircraft will remain the backbone of U.S. naval aviation strike warfare well into the 21st century. F/A-18's are also operated by the air forces of Australia, Canada, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain and Switzerland. The Super Hornet was introduced into the U.S. Navy fleet in 2000. In May 2007, the Commonwealth of Australia signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance to buy 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets, becoming the first international Super Hornet customer.
Two pilots have been forced to eject from a fighter jet at Amberley RAAF base west of Brisbane....
Two pilots have been forced to eject from a fighter jet at Amberley RAAF base west of Brisbane.
7News screen grab of the F/A-18 Super Hornet that was involved in an emergency situation during takeoff that saw two pilot eject from the plane Picture 7NewsSource:Supplied
Witnesses have captured the moment an Australian air force fighter jet crashed at a Queensland base forcing the pilots to eject from the plane.
Footage from the incident at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley on Tuesday shows a wrecked RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft with scorched burn marks around the cockpit on the ground near an airstrip.
Another picture shows two pilots parachuting towards the ground after they were forced to eject at around 2.30pm during a regular training exercise.
“Defence can confirm that an incident involving an Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet has occurred during takeoff at RAAF Base Amberley,” a Defence Department spokeswoman said.
The base is used by Royal Australian Air Force as a military airbase and is located 50 km southwest of Brisbane
“The aircrew ejected and are safe. No other personnel were involved in the incident.”
#breaking An @AusAirForce Super Hornet has crashed before takeoff at RAAF Base Amberley - Defence says “aircrew of that aircraft are safe” but cause of the incident is still unknown pic.twitter.com/kNj1WOyXc0
— Andrew Greene (@AndrewBGreene) December 8, 2020Reports indicate the plane, which has been described as “badass” by Popular Mechanics, seems to have encountered engine failure as it was taking off alongside seven other aircraft. The Super Hornet is powered by two General Electric F414-GE-400 engines.
The crew were then forced to eject as the aircraft ran off the runway and crashed in a ditch.
Witnesses captured the moment the jet crashed. Picture: 7NewsSource:Supplied
The crew were forced to eject from the plane. Picture 7NewsSource:Supplied
Officials said it wasn’t clear what caused the incident and an investigation has been opened.
“Defence’s first priority is the safety of personnel,” the spokeswoman said.
Pictures from the scene appear to show the plane with a “collapsed nose gear”, reports The Aviationist.
Hornet Jets
The Australian F/A-18F Super Hornets were part of Operation OKRA in the Middle East, who joined the US in conducting air strikes against ISIS targets in Iraq.
Australia currently has 24 of the Super Hornets in service at Amberley, according to the RAAF. Australia requested the aircraft in February 2007 with the contract placed in May that year. The first five of the aircraft were delivered in March, 2010.
According to Boeing, the “F/A-18F Super Hornet is a combat-proven strike fighter with built-in versatility” and “supports a full complement of smart weapons, including laser-guided bombs”.
F/a-18 Super Hornet Fighter Jet
The aircraft that crashed was valued at $75 million, according to ABC News.
A RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) F/A-18F Super Hornet pulls up from a strafing run as part of Exercise Nigrum Pugio on October 14, 2020 in Townsville, Australia. Picture: Ian HitchcockSource:Supplied