Scale Aviation Modeller International – September 2019

34

M D F

HORNET

T

he McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-

weather, carrier-capable, multirole

combat jet, designed as both a ighter and attack

aircraft (hence the F/A designation). The F/A-18

was derived from the YF-17 `Cobra’ of the

1970s and destined for use by the United States

Navy and Marine Corps, and able to carry a

wide variety of bombs and missiles, including

air-to-air and air-to-ground, supplemented by

a 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon. The aircraft’s

primary missions are ighter escort, leet air

defence, suppression of enemy air defences, air

interdiction, close air support, and aerial

reconnaissance, and its versatility and reliability

have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset.

Though it has been criticised for its lack of

range and payload compared to its earlier

contemporaries, such as the F-14 Tomcat,

the A-6 Intruder and the A-7 Corsair in the attack

role, the F/A-18 has certainly proved its worth

in combat zones. The Hornet irst saw combat action during

the 1986 US bombing of Libya and subsequently

participated in the 1991 Gulf War and

2003 Iraq War, and both Navy

F/A-18A/Cs and Marine

F/A-18A/C/Ds were used

continuously in Operation

‘Southern Watch’ and

over Bosnia and Kosovo

in the 1990s. Navy Hornets

lew during Operation ‘Enduring Freedom’ in 2001

during Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’ in 2003, and

continue to be used in operations of Afghanistan

and Libya to the present time. The F/A-18 Hornet is

also used by the air forces of several other nations,

including Australia, Canada, Finland, Spain, Kuwait

and Malaysia, and since 1986, by the Navy’s Flight

Demonstration Squadron, the ‘Blue Angels’ The

F/A-18 also served as the baseline for the Boeing

F/A-18E/F ‘Super Hornet’, its larger, evolutionary

redesign. MDF 34 looks in depth at the ‘Legacy’

versions of the aircraft, these being the F/A-18A,

B, C and D, and their background, operators and

combat operations are brought together in one

volume, which will be an invaluable resource for the

modeller and enthusiast alike.

MDF 34

HORNET

£24.99

+ P&P

OUT NOW!

HORNET

THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans

F/A-18A/B/C/D and International Versions

ORDER HOTLINE: 44 (0)1908 597029

ORDER ONLINE: http://www.sampublications.com

M D FHORNET 34

HORNET

THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

and International Versions F/A-18A/B/C/D

by Andy Evans

Modellers Dataile • 34

Cover for illustrative purposes only