Photo Name
F18Departure12-07.jpg

 
Aircraft Details

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (F/A-18C/D)

General characteristics

 * Crew: F/A-18C: 1, F/A-18D: 2 (pilot and weapons system officer)
 * Length: 56ft (17.1m)
 * Wingspan: 40ft (12.3m)
 * Height: 15ft 4in (4.7m)
 * Wing area: 400sq ft (38m)
 * Airfoil: NACA 65A005 mod root, 65A003.5 mod tip
 * Empty weight: 23,000lb (10,400kg)
 * Loaded weight: 36,970lb (16,770kg)
 * Max takeoff weight: 51,900lb (23,500kg)
 * Powerplant: 2 General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofans
    - Dry thrust: 11,000lbf (48.9kN) each
    - Thrust with afterburner: 17,750lbf (79.2kN) each

Performance

 * Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1,190mph, 1,915km/h) at 40,000ft (12,190m)
 * Range: 1,089nm (1,250mi, 2,000km) with only two AIM-9s
 * Combat radius: 400nm (460mi, 740km) on air-air mission
 * Ferry range: 1,800nm (2,070mi, 3,330km)
 * Service ceiling: 50,000ft (15,240m)
 * Rate of climb: 50,000ft/min (254m/s)
 * Wing loading: 93sq lb/ft (454sq kg/m)
 * Thrust/weight: 0.96
The M61 Vulcan at the Miramar Airshow

Armament

 * Guns: 1 20 mm (0.787in) M61 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 13,700lb (6,215kg) external fuel and ordnance
 * Rockets:
    - 2.75in (70mm) Hydra 70 rockets
    - 5in (127.0mm) 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 additional 2 AIM-120 AMRAAM
    - Air-to-surface missiles:
      + AGM-65 Maverick
      + Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM-ER)
      + AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile (ARM)
      + AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
      + Taurus missile (Cruise missile)
    - Anti-ship missile:
      + AGM-84 Harpoon
 * Bombs:
    - JDAM Precision-guided munition (PGMs)
    - Paveway series of Laser guided bombs
    - Mk 80 series of unguided iron bombs
    - CBU-87 cluster
    - CBU-89 gator mine
    - CBU-97
    - Mk 20 Rockeye II
    - B61/Mk57 nuclear bombs[69]

A Finnish F-18 releasing flares

 * 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, Royal Australian Air Force, Spanish Air Force, and Finnish Air Force only) or
    - up to 3 330 US gallons (1,200l; 270imp gal) 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
 * Inertial navigation system
 * GPS
 * Two mission computers
 * HUD cockpit dislay
 * Very High Frequency omni-directional landing system
 * Multiple-functioning Cathode ray tube display

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