NAVY * AIRCRAFT

Sea Power, Jan 2004

The Hornet has been battle-tested and proved to be a highly reliable and versatile strike fighter. The F/A-18 played an important role in the 1986 stakes against Libya, launching HARMs (High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles) against Libyan air-defense radar and missile sites. During Operation Desert Storm, two F/A-18Cs, each carrying four 2,000-pound bombs, shot down two Iraqi MiG-21 interceptors, then proceeded to deliver their bombs on target. Hornets taking direct hits from surface-to-air missiles, recovering successfully, being repaired quickly, and flying again the next day proved the aircraft's survivability.

Hornets participated in strikes against Iraq in December 1998 during Operation Desert Fox and are continuing similar missions today as participants in Operation Southern Watch. Navy and Marine Corps Hornets also were in the forefront of strikes in Kosovo and Serbia during Operation Allied Force, and in Afghanistan in 2001 during Operation Enduring Freedom, and in Iraq in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The latest lot of F/A-18C/D Hornets is far more capable than the first F/A-18A/Bs; however, by 1991 it was clear that avionics cooling, electrical, and space constraints would limit future growth in capability. Additionally, as improvements increased the aircraft's "empty weight," Hornets were returning to their carriers with less than optimal reserve fuel and/or unexpended weapons. Although the F/A-18C/D's growth is now limited, the Hornet will continue to fill carrier air wings for many years to come, gradually giving way to the larger, longer-range, and more capable F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The last Hornet, an F/A-18D, rolled off the Boeing production line in August 2000.

As of June 30, 2003, the Navy and Marine Corps had 188 F/A-18A, 30 F/A-18B, 401 F/A-18C, and 140 F/A-18D aircraft in service and test roles, and one NF/A-18A, two NF/A-18B, and three NF/A-18D versions in permanent test roles. Hornets equip 24 active and three reserve VFA squadrons, two fleet readiness VFA squadrons, one reserve fighter composite (VFC) squadron, three air test and evaluation (VX) squadrons, the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels), and the Naval Strike & Air Warfare Center.

F-14 TOMCAT/SUPER TOMCAT

BRIEFING: The F-14, an aircraft that has been in service for 30 years, continues to be the Navy's premier long-range, all-weather, carrier-based precision strike fighter. The F-14's sophisticated radar-missile combination enables it to simultaneously track 24 targets and attack up to six targets while continuing to scan the airspace. Its powerful radar can break out fighter-size targets at more than 100 nautical miles across a 120-mile sector. When employing the highly effective Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile, the Tomcat has scored kills at launch ranges in excess of 100 miles against simulated bomber and fighter targets. Tomcats fired the Navy's first combat launches of the AIM-54 Phoenix in early 1999 during Operation Southern Watch, and participated in strikes in Kosovo and Serbia during Operation Allied Force, in Afghanistan in 2001 during Operation Enduring Freedom, and in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.