|
F-18 Hornet :SpecificationMANUFACTURER: McDonnell Douglas/Northrop WEIGHTS: DIMENSIONS: PERFORMANCE: F-18 Hornet :OverviewThe F-18 Hornet is a strike-fighter aircraft in wide use by the US Navy and Marine Corps as well as several other air forces. In US service, the F-18 replaced the A-7 Corsair as well as some F-4 Phantoms in carrier air wings, while in Marine squadrons, it replaced the F-4 as well as some A-4 Skyhawk aircraft. The Night Attack variant is replacing Marine Corps A-6E Intruder aircraft. F-18 Hornet :CharacteristicsThe F-18 Hornet is flown in both single- and two-seat variants. It is characterized by high maneuverability, the ability to operate in either the fighter or attack role with only a change of weapons racks, and comparatively low maintenance requirements. The emphasis on easy access to aircraft systems is considered one of the aircraft's strongest points. The F-18 Hornet has slightly swept wings with a relatively low aspect ratio, 20° sweep at the quarter-chord, 3° of anhedral, and Leading-Edge Root Extensions (LERX). The LERX allow flight at or beyond 60° angles of attack. Retrofitted fences on the LERX measure 32 in (813 mm) long by 8 in (203 mm) high. These fences generate vortices that reduce loads on the tail group and confer a six-times (and perhaps as high as 27- times) increase in the tail section's fatigue life. Leading-edge maneuvering flaps can be extended to 30° and be differentially deflected up to 3°. The trailing-edge flaps can be lowered to 45° and have 8° differential deflection. The twin, swept fin-and-rudder surfaces are mounted forward of the swept, all-moving stabilators; the fins are canted 20° to the outside, and the stabilators have 2° of anhedral. A rectangular, front hinged speed brake is fitted between the vertical fins. Much of the wing, all of the tail surfaces, and the speed brake are composed of carbon/epoxy composites. All control surfaces are commanded by the AN/ASW-44 quadruplex fly-by-wire system. The two low-bypass turbofan engines are fed by fixed pilot air intakes located under the wings; the exhaust nozzles extend to the rear of the stabilators. The intake ducts also house the main landing gear, each main wheel turning 90° during retraction. Finnish, Kuwaiti, Swiss, and US Navy aircraft delivered in 1992 and beyond are fitted with the F404-GE-402 Enhanced Performance Engine (EPE) variant, developing 17,600 Ib (7,983 kg) static thrust with afterburning. Approximately 50% of the structural weight of the aircraft is aluminum, 17% is steel, 13% is titanium, 10% is carbon/ epoxy, and 10% other. The cockpit is located between the LERX and has excellent visibility; it is enclosed by a singlepiece canopy that is hinged at the rear. The pilot sits in a Martin-Baker SJU-5/6 ejection seat. Avionics in the F-18 include the Hughes AN/APG-65 digital, multimode air-to-air and air-to-ground radar, and Electronic Support Measures (ESM) equipment including the Magnavox AN/ ALR-50 and Litton ALR-67 radarwarning receiver (some export aircraft may be retrofitted with the Litton AN/ ALR-87 threat-warning system). Later aircraft are being fitted with the AN/ APG-73 radar with three times the memory and a threefold increase in processing speed. Other avionics include a centrally mounted 4.7 X 4.7-in (120 X 120-mm) Kaiser Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) and AN/AVQ-28 Head-Up Display (HUD) with 20° field of view, and two additional Kaiser multifunction CRTs. Initial production F-18's were fitted with the Lit- ton AN/ASN-130 Carrier Aircraft Internal Navigation System (CAINS), which uses gyros, accelerometers, a computer, and a platform. T,he Litton AN/ ASN-139 CAINS II is a drop-in replacement for the ASN-130 and has an 11-in (280-mm) ring laser gyro, new accelerometers, and MIL-STD-1750-level processors. In keeping with its dual role, the F-18 Hornet has a comprehensive weapons carriage capability. In addition to wingtip Sidewinder Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) stations, the aircraft can carry up to four Sparrow semiactive radar-homing AAMs on two outboard wing stations and two semirecessed fuselage hardpoints. The M61 Vulcan gun system is mounted On a slide-in pallet in the nose. The centerline barrel mount in the airframe steadies the gun; vents to either side direct gases away from engine inlets. Firing rate is 4,000 or 6,000 shots per minute. Three fuselage stations and four wing stations can carry Harpoon antiship and Maverick land-attack missiles, as well as the Walleye glide bomb, conventional bombs, up to three 330-US gal (1,250- liter) drop tanks, Loral (formerly Ford) Aeroneutronic AN/AAS-38 NITE Hawk Laser Target Designator/Ranger (LTD/ R) pod with Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) system and Litton laser designator, Hughes AN/AAR-50 Thermal Imaging Navigation Set (TINS) pod with FLIR, or other stores. F-18 Hornet :DevelopmentThe Hornet's initial operational capability was on January 7, 1983 and the F/A-18D in November 1989. Its first flight (F/A-18A) was on November 18,1978; the F/A-18C's first flight was on September 18, 1987; the first flight of the F/A-18D night-attack variant was on May 6,1988. In production, with more than 1,070 delivered by early 1992 to US and international customers. The design's 1 millionth flight hour was registered by a US Navy pilot on April 10, 1990. In early 1987, developmental models of the F-18 were assigned to the Blue Angels, the Navy-Marine Corps flight demonstration team (replacing A-4F Skyhawks) . At first, Iraq's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait seemed likely to doom Kuwaiti plans to acquire 40 F/A-18s. However, the US DoD authorized a $140-million advance on the contract to McDonnell Douglas in September 1990. The first of the order rolled out on October 8, 1991, for delivery in January 1992, with the entire purchase completed in fall 1993. In May 1992, Finland announced a $2.5-billion deal to purchase 57 F-18 C and 7 F-18 D aircraft after an evaluation that included the Dassault Mirage 2000-5, the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen, and the MiG-29 Fulcrum. Other countries operating the Hornet include Australia, Canada, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland. Malaysia's mixed buy of 8 F-18's and 18 MiG-29's provided an opportunity for side-by-side comparisons. F-18 Hornet :VariantsA+/C/D:The F-18 A and F-18 C are single-seat aircraft. The F-18 B and F-18 D have two seats, space for the rear cockpit being provided by a relocation of avionic equipment and a 6% reduction in internal fuel; two-seat Hornets are otherwise fully combat-capable. The B model is used primarily for training, while the D model is configured as an all-weather strike craft. Whereas the B model has both seats configured as pilot's stations, the D model's rear seat is configured for a Weapons and Sensors Officer to assist in operating the weapons systems. The D model is primarily operated by the U.S. Marine Corps in the night attack and FAC(A) (Forward Air Controller (Airborne)) roles. The F-18 C 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 AGM-65 Maverick and AGM-84 Harpoon air-to-surface missiles. 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 include an improved night attack capability, consisting of the Hughes AN/AAR-50 thermal navigation pod, the Loral AN/AAS-38 Night Hawk FLIR (forward looking infrared array) targeting pod, night vision goggles, and two full-color (previously monochrome) MFDs and a color moving map. The F-18 A and F-18 B models are used by the US Navy's Blue Angels aerobatic team, performing at airshows and other special events across the US and worldwide. The Blue Angels have used the Hornet since 1986 when it replaced the A-4 Skyhawk. The two-seat B model is typically used to give rides to VIPs, but can also fill in for other aircraft in the squadron in a normal show if the need arises. Beginning in 1991, Hornets were upgraded to the F404-GE-402 engine, providing a 20% increase in thrust. 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. The A model Hornets upgraded to the AN/APG-73 are designated F-18 A+. Since 1993, the Nite Hawk also has a designator/ranger laser, allowing it to self-mark targets. In addition, 48 D model Hornets are configured for reconnaissance as the F-18 D (RC) version, substituting the gun with a sensor package. Production of the F-18 C ended in 1999. E/F Super Hornet: The single seat F-18 E and two-seat F-18 F Super Hornets carry over the name and design concept of the original F-18 Hornet, but have been extensively redesigned. The Super Hornet has a new, 25% larger airframe, more powerful GE F414 engines based on F/A-18's F404, and upgraded avionics suite. The aircraft is currently in production and will eventually equip 22 squadrons. EA-18 Growler: The EA-18 G Growler is an electronic warfare version of the F-18 F Super Hornet, slated to begin production in 2008, with fleet deployment in 2009. The EA-18 G will replace the Navy's EA-6B Prowler and the already-retired Air Force EF-111A Ravens. Other US variants RF-18: This designation was given to a reconnaissance version of the F-18 A. The first of two prototypes flew in February 1984, however the variant was not produced. TF-18 A :Two-seat training version of the F-18 A fighter, later redesignated F-18 B. F-18 D(CR) :Proposed two-seat reconnaissance version for the US Marine Corps. The F-18 D(CR) was originally intended to replace the RF-4B Phantom tactical reconnaissance aircraft. None were ever built. F-18 HARV:Single-seat high-alpha research vehicle for NASA. X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing :A NASA F-18 Hornet has been modified to demonstrate the Active Aeroelastic Wing technology, and was designated X-53 in December 2006. Export variants: F-18 L: This was a lighter land-based version of the F-18 Hornet. It was designed to be a single-seat air-superiority fighter and ground-attack aircraft. It was originally intended to be built by Northrop as the export version of the F-18 Hornet. The F-18 L was lighter due to the removal of carrier landing capability. Despite the advantages, customers preferred the "ordinary" Hornet, and the F-18 L never went into production. F/A-18 Hornet (A)F-18 A: Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Royal Australian Air Force. (A)F-18 B: Two-seat training version for the Royal Australian Air Force. "F-18 A" was the original company designation, designations of "AF-18 A" & "ATF-18 A" have also been applied. Assembled in Australia (excluding the first two (A)F-18 Bs) 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 a Australian (A)F-18 A/B and a US F-18 A/B were the lack of a catapult attachment, replacement of the carrier tailhook for a lighter "land" arresting hook, and the replacement of the automatic carrier landing system with a Instrument Landing System. Australian Hornets have been involved in a number of 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-18 C model avionics. The second and current upgrade program (HUG 2.2) updates the fleet's avionics to beyond E model Hornet capability. CF-18 Hornet :CF-18 A : Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Canadian Armed Forces. Canadian Armed Forces designation CF-188A Hornet.CF-18 B : Two-seat training version for the Canadian Armed Forces. Canadian Armed Forces designation CF-188B Hornet. EF-18 Hornet :EF-18 ASingle-seat fighter/attack version for the Spanish Air Force. Spanish Air Force designation C.15. EF-18 B: Two-seat training version for the Spanish Air Force. Spanish Air Force designation CE.15. KAF-18 Hornet :KAF-18 C: Single-seat fighter/attack version for the Kuwait Air Force.KAF-18 D: Two-seat training version for the Kuwait Air Force. F-18C/D Hornet :Finland uses F-18 C/D Hornets, with Finland specific mid-life update. It lacks certain avionics, target acquisition and weapon control features, limiting its ground attack capability. The 57 single-seated F-18C model units were assembled by Patria in Finland. F-18 C/D Hornet:Switzerland uses F-18 C/D,later Swiss specific mid-life update. The Swiss F-18's were originally without ground attack capability until hardware was retrofitted. F-18 Hornet :Combat ExperienceUS Navy Hornets patrolled the Persian Gulf and Red Sea from US carriers as part of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm: 174 Navy and Marine Corps F-18's conducted both defense suppression and strike missions against Iraqi targets and proved to be among the most flexible and effective strike aircraft available. 90 Navy Hornets flew 4,431 sorties, and 84 Marine Corps F-18's flew 5,047 sorties. In one instance, a Hornet en route to an air-to-ground attack shot down a MiG-21 Fishbed with an AIM-9 before continuing to its target. The aircraft's full-mission-capable rate averaged better than 90%, with each aircraft amassing an average of more than 90 flight hours per month. Several F-18's were hit by surface-toair missiles, but most were able to return to base flying on a single engine. A total of three US-flown Hornets were lost during the seven-week war, one to noncombat causes. Canada deployed 26 CF-18's from Lahr, Germany, to the gulf. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
