McDonnell Douglas F-18A RAAF Model Airplane

Item#: FMJF18ARAAF

MSRP Price: $299.95

Factory Direct Price: $199.95

Wing Span: 11.84"
Length: 17.68"

Manufacturer: McDonnell Aircraft Corporation

This McDonnell Douglas F-18A Hornet Airplane Model comes with a detachable stand made of chrome steel and wood it also has a Laminated Royal Australian Air Force Logo and an Inscription Plaque that adds beauty and value to this high quality Scale Model.

This McDonnell Douglas F-18A Hornet Model Airplane is a perfect gift for Non-active Pilots, Active Pilots, Aviation Enthusiasts, War Veterans or the people that took part in the developement of this Aircraft.

Your model will be made exactly as shown in the photographs. If you would like to change this model in any other way, please visit Our Custom Model Gallery section of our website to commission a personalized model to be built.

McDonnell Douglas F-18A Hornet History:

McDonnell Douglas rolled out the first F/A-18A on 13 September 1978, in blue-on-white colors marked with "Navy" on the left and "Marines" on the right. Its first flight was on 18 November. In a break with tradition, the Navy pioneered the "principal site concept" with the F/A-18, where almost all testing was done at NAS Pax River,[2] instead of near the site of manufacture, and involving Navy test pilots instead of contractor pilots much earlier in the process.

In March 1979, Lt Cdr John Padgett became the first Navy pilot to fly the F/A-18.[13] In all, nine F/A-18As and two F/A-18Bs were assigned to flight systems development.Following trials and operational testing by VX-4 and VX-5, Hornets began to fill the Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS) VFA-125, VFA-106, and VMFAT-101, where pilots are introduced to the F/A-18. The Hornet entered operational service with Marine Corps squadron VMFA-314 at MCAS El Toro on 7 January 1983, and with Navy squadron VFA-113 in March 1983, replacing F-4s and A-7Es, respectively.

The initial fleet reports were complimentary, indicating that the Hornet was extraordinarily reliable, a major change from its predecessor, the F-4J.[14] Other squadrons that switched to F/A-18 are VFA-146 "Blue diamonds", and VFA-147 "Argonauts". In January 1985, the VFA-131 Wildcats moved from Naval Air Station Lemoore to Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida, and became the Atlantic Fleet’s first F/A-18 squadron.

The US Navy's Blue Angels aerobatic team switched to the F/A-18 Hornet in 1986,[11] when it replaced the A-4 Skyhawk. The Blue Angels perform in F/A-18A and B models at air shows and other special events across the US and worldwide. Blue Angels pilots must have 1,350 hours and an aircraft carrier certification. The two-seat B model is typically used to give rides to VIPs, but can also fill in for other aircraft in the squadron in a normal show if the need arises. The Royal Australian Air Force purchased 57 F/A-18A fighters and 18 F/A-18B two-seat trainers, with 71 in service, and 4 lost to crashes.[18] The first F/A-18 was delivered to the RAAF on 29 October 1984.[11] The fleet is expected to be retired by 2015, replaced by the F-35 Lightning II.

Three options were considered for the replacement of the RAAF's Mirage IIIs, options were the F-15A Eagle, F-16 Falcon, and the then brand new F/A-18 Hornet. The F-15 was discounted because the version offered did not have a ground-attack capability. The F-16 was deemed unsuitable largely on the basis of its having only one engine. Consequently, Australia signed a contract in October 1981. The first two aircraft were produced in the US, with the remainder being assembled in Australia at GAF. Deliveries took place between February 1985 and May 1990.