Powerful F/A-18 Hornet Blasts Its Thundering Afterburners

Ear-Splitting Flyby.

Since it roared onto the scene in 1984 the F-18 Hornet has been a staple of the US Air Force. Designed as a multirole aircraft the F-18 is suitable for dogfights, bombings and played a crucial role in Operation Desert Storm as well as Iraq War of 2003. Incredibly fast and agile it easy to see why so many nations use this fighter in their air forces. The F-18 is also adaptable for roles such as reconnaissance and escort missions to deter threats.

General Characteristics

• Crew: F/A-18C: 1, F/A-18D: 2 (pilot and weapons system officer)
• Length: 56 ft (17.1 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft (12.3 m)
• Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.7 m)
• Wing area: 400 ft² (38 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 65A005 mod root, 65A003.5 mod tip
• Aspect ratio: 4.0
• Empty weight: 23,000 lb (10,400 kg)
• Loaded weight: 36,970 lb (16,770 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 51,900 lb (23,500 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofans
• Dry thrust: 11,000 lbf (48.9 kN) each
• Thrust with afterburner: 17,750 lbf (79.2 kN) each
• Fuel capacity: 10,860 pounds (4,930 kg) internally

Performance

• Maximum speed:
• High altitude: Mach 1.8 (1,034 knots, 1,190 mph, 1,915 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
• Low altitude: Mach 1.2 (795 knots, 915 mph, 1,473 km/h)[150]
• Range: 1,089 nmi (1,250 miles, 2,000 km) with only two AIM-9s
• Combat radius: 400 nmi (460 mi (740 km)) on air-air mission
• Ferry range: 1,800 nmi (2,070 mi (3,330 km))
• Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,240 m)
• Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)
• Wing loading: 93 lb/ft² (454 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.96 (1.13 with loaded weight & 50% internal fuel)

The Airpower Airshow in Zeltweg, Austria featured an F/A-18 Hornet flyby display. It is hard not to be impressed by how quickly this jet turns and how it can climb vertically in an instant. The sound quality in this video is amazing so turn the volume up because this one is deafening.