McDonnell-Douglas / Northrop F / A-18 Hornet is an airborne fighter and attack aircraft capable of operating in all weather conditions. The roots of the F / A-18 go back to 1974 and the F-17 prototype, which the US Navy Command was interested in this year. The contract for serial construction of the aircraft was concluded in 1976. To speed up the work, the Northrop concern entered into cooperation with the McDonnell-Douglas concern. As a result, a test flight of the prototype took place on November 18, 1978, and a year later successful landings on the aircraft carrier. Since 1982, the aircraft has been supplied to linear installations with General Electric F404-GE-402 engines as a power plant. The plane is produced in several modifications. The first were F-18A (fighter) and F-18B (training). Foreign orders from Spain, Canada and Australia quickly appeared. In 1987, a version of the F-18C adapted to use AMRAAM missiles was created. A year later, the F/A-18D, a two-seat variant of the F-18, entered service in all weather conditions and could be used as an attack aircraft. On the
