AERO 118 Northrop/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F/A-18 Hornet & Super Hornet – Fojtík Jakub (2025)

The multi-role aircraft F/A-18 is one of the most successful combat machines in the world. Paradoxically, its inception was marked by failure, as it lost the LWF (Light Weight Fighter) competition to the future F-16. However, the immense experience gained from the original prototype YF-17 Cobra became so compelling that the U.S. Navy decided to adopt it, giving the aircraft a second chance at life. Under the new designation F/A-18, the aircraft, marketed as the Hornet, gradually became the successor to several carrier-based types, including the legendary F-14 Tomcat, particularly due to advancements in radar technology and guided missiles. Unlike most of its predecessors, the F/A-18 was conceived from the outset as a multi-role aircraft, intended for the destruction of air, naval, and ground targets, as suggested by its unusual designation F/A (Fighter/Attack) instead of the more common F. For its introduction into service with the U.S. Navy, the manufacturer teamed up with McDonnell Douglas, which was the main supplier of carrier-based aircraft. This partnership, which was later ended by lawsuits, was successful for the aircraft itself, which achieved operational service and export. However, it was disadvantageous for the original manufacturer, for whom this type was the last to reach mass production...