Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series
HA3571F/A-18C Hornet "MIG Killer" 163502/AA410, VFA-81 "Sunliners" January 1991
General Background
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic twin engine all-weather night fighter and attack aircraft. The F/A-18s first flew in November 1978 and the first production flight on April 12, 1980. The first 380 aircraft were F/A-18As and in September 1987 production switched to the F/A-18C. Variants A and C are single-seat aircraft while B and D are tandem-seats. The Hornet can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases with the capability of in flight refueling. A total of 1,480 A-D variants were built.
The Aircraft
At the beginning of Operation Desert Storm on January 17, 1991 4 F/A-18Cs from VFA-81 “Sunliners” departed USS Saratoga each loaded with 4 Mk 84 2000-lb bombs. Their mission, bomb Al Walid AB H-3 out of commission. As they approached their target an E-2 notified them of enemy 15 miles away. LCDR Mark “MRT” Fox “AA 401 (BuNo 163508) and Lt. Nick “Mongo” Mongillo AA 410 (BuNo 163502) are credited with engaging 2 MiG-21s and shooting down both aircraft. These were the only USN air-to-air victories. Both aircraft are preserved at Pensacola.
Hobby Master HA3571, F/A-18C Hornet "MIG Killer" 163502/AA410, VFA-81, 1:72
SKU: HA3571
$84.00Price
Excluding Tax
- Role: supersonic twin engine all-weather night fighter and attack aircraftCrew: 1 x F/A-18C, 2 x F/A-18D (Pilot and Weapons Systems Officer – WSO)DimensionsLength: 56 ft (17.1 m)Wingspan With AAMs: 40 ft 5 in (12.31 m)Folded: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.7 m)Weight:Empty: 23,000 lb (10,400 kg)Loaded: 36,970 lb (16,770 kg)Maximum Take off: 51,900 lb (23,500 kg)PerformancePower Plant: 2 x General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofanDry Thrust: 11,000 lbf (48.9 kN) per engineAfter Burner Thrust: 17,750 lbf (79.2 kN) per engineMaximum Speed: Mack 1.8 (1,190 mph) (1,915 km/h) @ 40,000 ft (12,190 m)Range: 1,089 nmi (1,250 miles) (2,000 km) with 2 x AIM-9sCombat Radius: 400 nmi (460 miles) (740 km) air-to-air missionsFerry Range: 1,800 nmi (2,070 miles) (3,330 km)Service Ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,240 m)Rate of Climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)Armament: 1 x 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon mounted in nose with 578 rounds9 x Hardpoints - a capacity of 13,700 lb (6,215 kg) with external fuel tanks and ordnance2 x wingtip missile launch rails4 x under-wing3 x under-fuselageRockets: 2.75 inch (70 mm) Hydra 70 rockets5 inch (127 mm) Zuni rocketsMissiles: Air-To-Air4 x AIM-9 Sidewinders or4 x AIM-132 ASRAAM or4 x IRIS-T or 4 x AIM-120 AMRAAM and 2 x AIM-7 Sparrow orAdditional - 2 x AIM-120 AMRAAMAir-To-Surface: AGM-65 MaverickStandoff Land Attack Missiles (SLAM-ER)AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation Missile (ARM)AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)Taurus Missile (Cruise Missile)Anti-ship: AGM-84 HarpoonBombs: JDAM Precision-Guided Munition (PGM)Paveway series of Laser-guided bombsMk. 80 series of unguided iron bombsCBU-87 cluster bombsCBU-89 gator mineCBU-97Mk. 20 Rockeye IIB61/Mk. 57 nuclear bombsOthers: SUU-42A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod OrElectronic countermeasures (ECM) pod OrAN/AAS-38 Nite Hawk targeting pod (USN only) to be replaced by AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR OrLITENING targeting pod (only used by USMC, Royal Australian Air Force, Spanish Air Force and Finnish Air Force) OrUp to 3 x 330 US gallons (270 imp gallons / 1,200 liters) Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight Or Extended range/loitering timeAvionics: Hughes APG-73 radarROVER (Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver) antenna for use by USN F/A-18C strike fighter squadronsInertial Navigation System (INS)GPS2 x mission computersHUD (Head Up Display) cockpit displayVery High Frequency (VHF) omni-directional landing systemMultiple-functioning Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display
