top of page
Hello Facebookers, thanks for stopping by. Check out the tabs above to find other cool content related to modern warfare, cannabis culture and disfunctional government. 
 FOLLOW TANSTAAFL: 
  • Facebook B&W
 RECENT POSTS: 
  • Global Security

F/A-18 Hornet


At the rollout of Boeing’s newest 787-10 Dreamliner commercial airliner, Donald Trump indicated he could be looking at a large Super Hornet order. “We are going to fully rebuild our military. By the way, do you care if we use the F-18 Super Hornets? Or do you only care about — what do you think?” Trump said 17 February 2017, addressing the crowd at the Boeing 787 plant in North Charleston, SC. “We are looking seriously at a big order. We’ll see how that [goes].”Trump tweeted on 22 December 2016, “Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!” Defense Secretary James Mattis ordered a review 27 January 2017 of the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Mattis said Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work will “oversee a review that compares the F-35C and F/A-18E/F operational capabilities and assess the extent that the F/A-18E/F [Super Hornet] improvements can be made in order to provide a competitive, cost effective fighter aircraft alternative”. The total F-35C requirement for the Navy is 260 aircraft, of which 26 carrier variants had been delivered to the Navy as of December 2016.BackgroundThe F/A-18 "Hornet" is a supersonic, single seat (A and C models) or tandem seat (B and D models), twin engine, all weather, night, combined fighter and attack aircraft and can be refueled in flight. The F/A-18 multi-mission aircraft can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases. The F/A-18 fills a variety of roles: air superiority, fighter escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, reconnaissance, forward air control, close and deep air support, and day and night strike missions. The F/A-18 Hornet replaced the F-4 Phantom II fighter and A-7 Corsair II light attack jet, and also replaced the A-6 Intruder as these aircraft were retired during the 1990s.The combat-proven F/A-18 Hornet is the first tactical aircraft designed from its inception to carry out both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The F/A-18, (models A, B, C and D), can deliver conventional air-to-air, air-to-ground decoy expendables, and can carry airborne control pods for various missions. The combination of excellent thrust-to-weight ratio, and maneuverability an unmatched combat capability.The A and C models have AN/APG-65 radars and the B and D models have AN/APG-73 radars. The AN/APG-65 and AN/APG-73 airborne radars provide excellent long-range, all-weather, lookup and lookdown capability over land or over sea. Communications for all four models include dual UHF/VHF radios, one KY-58 secure radio, and a two-way Link 4 capability. These F/A-18 aircraft also have Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) capabilities for passive detection and ranging. Later model aircraft can actively and specifically interrogate other aircraft identification beacons.The F/A-18 is in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the air forces of Canada, Australia, Spain, Kuwait, Finland, Switzerland, and Malaysia. As of May 1999 Hornet pilots had accumulated more than 3.7 million flight hours and, in the process, are establishing new records daily in safety, reliability, maintainability and mission performance.A key aspect of the Hornet's popularity with pilots is the ease with which the aircraft can be converted from fighter to strike mode and back again; it's as easy as flipping a switch. During Operation Desert Storm, F/A-18s routinely performed fighter and strike missions on the same sortie. Fulfilling a variety of roles-air superiority, fighter escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, reconnaissance, forward air control, close air support, and day and night strike missions-the F/A-18 has proven to be the most versatile combat aircraft in service.The Hornet was designed to be reliable and easily maintainable. These factors result in significantly lower operating and maintenance costs for the F/A-18 compared to other U.S. Navy fighter and attack aircraft; and life cycle costs comparable to other modern multi-role aircraft. Survivability is another key feature of the Hornet. The F/A-18 uses a variety of systems and technologies to increase its likelihood of reaching a target undetected, of escaping unhurt if detected, and of returning its crew safely if it is hit.The F/A-18 has a digital control-by-wire flight control system which provides excellent handling qualities, and allows pilots to learn to fly the airplane with relative ease. At the same time, this system provides exceptional maneuverability and allows the pilot to concentrate on operating the weapons system. A solid thrust-to-weight ratio and superior turn characteristics combined with energy sustainability, enable the F/A-18 to hold its own against any adversary. The power to maintain evasive action is what many pilots consider the Hornet's finest trait. In addition, the F/A-18 was also the Navy's first tactical jet aircraft to incorporate a digital, MUX bus architecture for the entire system's avionics suite. The benefit of this design feature is that the F/A-18 has been relatively easy to upgrade on a regular, affordable basis.The F/A-18 has proven to be an ideal component of the carrier based tactical aviation equation over nearly two decades of operational experience. The only F/A-18 characteristic found to be marginally adequate by battle group commanders, outside experts, and even the men who fly the Hornet, is its range when flown on certain strike mission profiles. However, the inadequacy is managed well with organic and joint tanking assets.During the initial hours of Desert Storm, 89 Navy and 72 Marine Corps F/A-18C's conducted both defense suppression and strike missions against Iraqi targets. the Navy Hornets flew 4,449 sorties and the Marine Corps' F/A-18C's flew 4,936 sorties resulting in a combined total of 4,551 strikes against targets during Operation Desert Storm. A total of 174 American Hornets (90 Navy; 84 Marines) participated in the war; 26 Canadian models, known as the CF-18, also participated in Desert Storm. Only three Hornets were lost during the war, one of them in a noncombat accident.The F/A-18 has been upgraded regularly since entering service in 1983. In November 1989, the first F/A-18s equipped with night strike capability were delivered. Since 1991, F/A-18s have been delivered with F404-GE-402 enhanced performance engines that produce up to 20 percent more thrust than previous F404 engines. The Hornet's two engines deliver about 36,000 pounds combined thrust and a top speed of more than Mach 1.8.Since May 1994, the Hornet has been equipped with upgraded radar - the APG-73 -, which substantially increases the speed and memory capacity of the radar's processors. In addition, today's Hornets have a laser target designator/ranger, housed within the targeting forward-looking infrared sensor that enables the aircraft to deliver precision laser-guided bombs with pinpoint accuracy.

Recent Posts

See All

TANSTAAFL CAMPAIGN #5

During the 1930's the word marijuana was forced into our lexicon by anti-cannabis advocates within the government. This word was used for it's anti-immigration connotations of the time to frighten the general public with fear and mis-information. Yet today we have incorporated it into our culture without many knowing it's true evil origin. We must work to enlighten others to never use the word marijuana when refering to cannabis and it's by-products. We should also work to get lawmakers to ammend the word out of current legislation and replace it for what it is...CANNABIS. Join us in a campaign to persuade others of our goal.
Leave an email and so when we need signatures for petitions or to send out an email campaign we can be ready. Thanks.
 TANSTAAFL.SOLUTIONS MANIFESTo: 

TANSTAAFL Solutions Mission:Welcome, to TANSTAAFL Solutions. It is our mission to stand against the celebrity corporate cultured mentality and bring back thee virtues of Responsibility, Hard Work and Understanding. T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L (There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch) means we get what we pay for. Robert A. Heinlein, in his novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress wrote,“That anything free costs twice as much in the long run or turns out worthless.” How many worthless things are around today? Ignorance, unjust laws, racism, the GOP. All these things work to degrade a Human soul. Many Earthlings have no clue but because of their numbers, they decide how we should live. TANSTAAFL Solutions will work to voice opposition to what is wrong today. It is time to take responsibility and work for direct action to change. We hope to encourage, entertain and inspire others to join us and amputate the rancid 20th century mentality which has corrupted our time. We believe in a global world culture of Planet Terra and everyone has the right to freedom, equality and to live responsibly in peace. We also understand that any of these goals cannot be achieved without dedication, an effective strategy and the will to work and stand for what is right.

Commander C Red

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

bottom of page