McDonnell Douglass F-18 Hornet

McDonnell Douglass F-18 Hornet. . The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Homet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather,carrier-capable, multirole combat jet designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the FA designation), Designed by McDonnell Douglas (row Boeing) and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YE-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The Hornet is also used by the air forces of several other nations, and beginning in 1996, by the U.S. Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. , The Hornet was among the first aircraft to heavily use malfunction displays, which at the switch of a button allow a pilot to perform either fighter or attack roles or both. This "force multiplier ability gives the operational commander more flexibility to employ tactical aircraft in a fast-changing battle scenario. It was the first Navy aircraft to incorporate a digital multiplexing avionics bus, enabling easy upgrades., The Hornet is also notable for having been designed to reduce maintenance, and as a result has required far less downtime than its heavier counterparts, the F-14 Tomcat and the A-46 Intruder Its mean time between failures is three times greater than any other Navy strike aircraft, and requires half the maintenance time. Its General Electric F404 engines were also innovative in that they were designed with operability, reliability, and maintainability first. The engine, while unexceptional in rated performance, demonstrates exceptional robustness under various conditions and is resistant to stall and flameout The F404 engine connects to the airframe at only 10 points and can be replaced without special equipment; a four-person team can remove the engine within 20 minutes., On loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation