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F/A-18C Hornet, VFA-195
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Model no longer made with clear canopy
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Recognizing the need for a smaller, less expensive fighter to counter the threat of high-performance opposition aircraft, Northrop Aviation Corporation developed the YF-17 with multiple mission capabilities including air superiority, reconnaissance, close support and interdiction. In early 1974, the first prototype rolled off the assembly line. As a result of flight tests in which the aircraft achieved speeds of Mach 2 and demonstrated a capacity to withstand up to 9.4 g-loads in tight turns as well as an exceptional rate-of-climb, Northrop saw its aircraft as being a contender for the Air Force's "Air Combat Fighter" but lost out to the General Dynamics F-16 Falcon. Instead the Navy, which had been looking for a new strike/fighter aircraft, announced in 1975 to procure the YF-17. McDonnell-Douglas was contracted by Northrop to aid in the transition of the YF-17 to the F/A-18 Hornet for carrier operations including aerodynamic changes to reduce landing speeds and re-design of structural components to withstand stresses encountered during landings and catapult launches. As a result, maximum speed was reduced from Mach 2.0 to 1.8. Fleet deliveries of the Hornet began in 1983. Overall plans for procurement were established at 1,168 aircraft (including two-seat versions) for the Navy, Marines and several Naval Air Reserve squadrons. Operational status for the first Navy and Marine squadrons was achieved in later that year. Avionics are designed to enable the handling of its multi-role missions. Features include "fly-by-wire" Heads-Up-Display; the HOTAS concept which gives the pilot control of the major sensors, weapons and displays without moving his hand from the stick; the APG-65 radar; and a Forward Looking Infra Red radar. In various configurations the F/A-18 can carry an ordnance load of approximately 17,000 pounds including a mix of weapons for air-to-air combat (Vulcan cannon and guided missiles) as well as air-to-ground ordnance (Harm or Maverick missiles and a wide array of conventional weapons). The multi-role capability was recently demonstrated in the Gulf War when two Hornets encountered and shot down two Iraqi fighters while en route to a target on a strike mission which was successfully accomplished following the melee. The F/A-18 currently equips the majority of Navy and Marine fighter-attack squadrons and will ultimately replace the F-14 Tomcat as it has the F-4 Phantom, the A-4 Skyhawk and the A-7 Corsair II. The Blue Angels flight demonstration team has used the F/A-18 since l987. Specs:
F/A-18C
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