F/A-18 Hornet CHARACTERISTICS
General characteristics
Crew: 1 (C)/2 (D - pilot and weapon systems officer)
Length: 56 ft 1 in (17.1 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 4 in (12.3 m) with AIM-9 Sidewinders on wingtip LAU-7 launchers
Width: 27 ft 7 in (8.4 m) wing folded
Height: 15 ft 5 in (4.7 m)
Wing area: 410 sq ft (38 m2)
Aspect ratio: 4
Airfoil: root:NACA 65A005 mod.; tip:NACA 65A003.5 mod.
Empty weight: 23,000 lb (10,433 kg)
Gross weight: 36,970 lb (16,769 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 51,900 lb (23,541 kg)
Fuel capacity: 10,860 pounds (4,930 kg) internally
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F404-GE-402 afterburning turbofan engines, 11,000 lbf (49 kN) thrust each dry, 17,750 lbf (79.0 kN) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 1,034 kn (1,190 mph, 1,915 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
Maximum speed: Mach 1.8
Cruise speed: 570 kn (660 mph, 1,060 km/h)
Range: 1,089 nmi (1,253 mi, 2,017 km)
Combat range: 400 nmi (460 mi, 740 km) air-air mission
Ferry range: 1,800 nmi (2,100 mi, 3,300 km)
Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (250 m/s)
Wing loading: 93 lb/sq ft (450 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.96 (1.13 with loaded weight at 50% internal fuel)
Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan nose mounted 6-barrel rotary cannon, 578 rounds
Hardpoints: 9 total: 2× wingtips missile launch rail, 4× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage with a capacity of 13,700 lb (6,200 kg) external fuel and ordnance, with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: *** 2.75 in (70 mm) Hydra 70 rockets
5 in (127.0 mm) Zuni rockets
Missiles: *** Air-to-air missiles:
2× AIM-9 Sidewinder on wingtips and
8× AIM-9 Sidewinder (with double-racks) or 4× AIM-132 ASRAAM or 4× IRIS-T (EF-18A/B) or 8× AIM-120 AMRAAM (with double-racks) and
2× AIM-7 Sparrow or 2× AIM-120 AMRAAM
Air-to-surface missiles:
4x AGM-65 Maverick
AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER)
AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile (ARM)
4x AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)
Taurus Cruise missile
Anti-ship missile:
AGM-84 Harpoon
Bombs: *** B83 nuclear bomb
B61 nuclear bomb[198]
Joint Direct Attack Munition JDAM precision-guided munition (PGMs)
Paveway series of laser-guided bombs
Mk 80 series of unguided bombs
CBU-78 Gator
CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition
CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
Mk 20 Rockeye II
Mk 77 Incendiary bomb
Other: *** ADM-141 TALD
SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or
Electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod or
AN/AAS-38 Nite Hawk Targeting pods (US Navy only), now being replaced by AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR or
LITENING targeting pod (USMC, Royal Australian Air Force, Spanish Air Force, and Finnish Air Force only) or
up to 3× 330 US gallons (270 imp gal; 1,200 L) Sargent Fletcher FPU-8/A drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time.
Avionics
Hughes APG-73 radar
ROVER (Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver) antenna for use by U.S. Navy's F/A-18C strike fighter squadrons
