US Military F-18 Fighter Plane

The F18 is an American fighter, twin-engine, multi-purpose, fourth generation with the capacity to be embarked on aircraft carriers, we can say that it is one of the few attack aircraft capable of beating the modern fighter-bombers of the last generation, its beginnings date back to the 70s, The F-18 Super Hornet was developed by McDonnell Douglas and integrated with Boeing in 1997. It was not only manufactured for the US Navy, but also for the air forces of seven countries, in variations such as the F-18L, F/A-18A/B, CF-18 Hornet, EF-18 Hornet, F-18C/D Hornet, KAF-18 Hornet and F-18C/D Hornet.

Its design and construction was due to a request from the US Navy for a twin-engine aircraft, which had the ability to return to the runway in case of combat damage or mechanical failure, thus becoming over time the most versatile aircraft in the history of the US Navy.

Technical characteristics of the F- 18 Super Hornet

• F-18C crew 1 pilot and F-18D: 1 pilot and 1 weapon systems officer
• Length of 17.1 m
• Wingspan of 12.3 m
• Height of 4.7 m
• Wing area of 38 m²
• 11,200 kg empty weight
• Loaded weight of 16,850 kg
• Maximum take-off weight of 23,400 kg
• Propulsion 2 × General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofan
• Maximum operating speed of 1915 km/h Mach 1.8 to 12,192 m high
• 740 m radius of action
• Range by ferry of 3330 m
• Flight ceiling of 15 240 m
• Rise rate of 254 m/s
• Armament
•  1× M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannon with 578 projectiles
• Pumps
• JDAM
• Paveway Series Laser Guided Pumps
• Mk 80 Series General Purpose Pumps
• CBU-87, CBU-89, CBU-97,Mk 20 Rockeye II
• B61/Mk5762 Nuclear Pumps
•  Rockets
• Hydra 70 of 70 mm
• Zuni of 127 mm
• Air-to-air missiles
• 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder
• Air-to-surface missiles
• AGM-65 Maverick,Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM-ER), AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon, Taurus KEPD 350
• Anti-ship missiles
• AGM-84 Harpoon
• Avionics
•  Hughes APG-73 Radar
•  ROVER Antenna
• Inertial navigation system
• Global positioning system
• Two mission computers
• Front display screen
• VHF omnidirectional landing system
• Multifunction CRT screens

Facts about the F18 Super Hornet

• Since 1986 it has been used for aerial acrobatics by the US Navy Blue Angels
• His baptism of fire was in 1986, where he devastated Libyan sites of SAM with AGM-88 HARM missiles
• Nine of these planes were part of the U.S. air squadron in Operation Desert Storm
• In the Gulf War, F-18s were the only planes to shoot down fast jets
• Canada became the first foreign country to acquire the F-18 in 1988
• These planes participated in the NATO air raids in Bosnia

The name of the F-18 FA comes from Fighter Attack and its missions have been based on air defenses, escorts, elimination of enemy defense, interdiction, close air support and reconnaissance.

Although it is a majestic fighter and an efficient aircraft as an interceptor, it does not achieve very high speeds, due to the fact that the speed is limited by the air intake diffusers, but at lower speeds, this aircraft possesses a magnificent agility and maneuverability that provides it with excellent skills to surpass in turning the rest of the American fighters

Written by: RosaCastellanos