McDONNELL DOUGLAS  (BOEING) F/A-18A  “HORNET” F – FIGHTER A – ATTACK -18 MODEL NUMBER A- FIRST MODIFICATION The F/A-18’s first flight was 18 November 1978 and the “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron 312 (VMFA-312) were the first F/A-18 unit.  During operation “Desert Storm” the F/A-18 downed two Iraqi Mig-21 (Chinese built Shenyang F-7) with only one F/A-18 lost to a Surface to Air Missile (SAM) throughout the entire war.  The Hornet is a high performance tactical airplane that can operation from aircraft carriers or land bases.  It can perform fighter, attack, and reconnaissance missions. SPECIFICATIONS WING SPAN    37’ 6” WING AREA    400  SQ FT LENGTH    56’ HEIGHT    15’ 3.5” EMPTY WEIGHT   23,050  LBS GROSS WEIGHT   49,224  LBS ENGINE    2 x GENERAL ELECTRIC F-404-GE-400 THRUST    16,000  LBS MAX SPEED    1,305 MPH CEILING    50,000’ RANGE     2,303 NAUTICAL MILES ARMAMENT    1 x M-61 20MM CANNON      9 x EXTERNAL WEAPONS STATIONS