MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS HORNET, F/A-18

The Navy has aircraft of each major type. This includes fighter, attack, patrol, and ASW that are far superior to those flown in the past. As you read the rest of this section, refer to figures 2-11 and 2-12, which show some of the aircraft currently in the Navy inventory. The Navy is constantly seeking better and more advanced aircraft operational capabilities. Manufacturers are aware of this and are constantly developing products to meet these demands. Some combat aircraft are described in the following paragraphs. MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS HORNET, F/A-18 The F/A-18 is a twin-jet-engine aircraft designed for all-weather fighter escort and light attack. The Hornet is capable of catapult launch and arrested landings for carrier operations. The crew consists of a pilot on the F/A-18 model aircraft, and a pilot and student on the TF/A-18 model aircraft. The Hornet is powered by two General Electric F404-GE-400 engines. Each jet engine is rated in the 16,000 pounds of thrust class. The F/A-18 has in-flight refueling capability, and it can carry three external fuel tanks for additional range. The Hornet has nine weapon stations. Two are wing-tip stations for Sidewinders, and two outboard wing stations for fuel tanks or air-to-ground weapons. There are two nacelle fuselage stations for Sparrows or sensor pods, and two inboard wing stations for fuel 2-19 F/A-18 HORNET F-14 TOMCAT EA-6B PROWLER AV-8A HARRIER P-3 ORION S-3 VIKING E-2C HAWKEYE T-45 GOSHAWK C-9 SKYTRAIN II ANF0211 Figure 2-11.—Representative types of fixed-wing aircraft.