F/A-18

The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to attack air and ground targets. The F/A-18 was derived from the YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The Hornet is also used by the air forces of several other nations. It has been the aerial demonstration aircraft for the U.S. Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, since 1986.

The fighter's primary missions are fighter escort, fleet air defense, SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) , air interdiction, close air support and Aerial reconnaissance. Its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset, though it has been criticized for its lack of range and payload compared to its earlier contemporaries, such as the F-14A Tomcat in the fighter and strike fighter role, and the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II in the attack role.

Battlefield 2
The F/A-18A Hornet appears in Battlefield 2 as one of the four USMC Fixed-wing aircraft in the game, along with the F-35B, F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt II.

Compared to the F-35B
The two aircraft are similar as they have the same armament and belong to the same faction. The F-35 does however, trade better maneuverability and speed for VTOL/STOL capabilities. This gives the F/A-18 better combat statistics than the F-35B.

Appearances

 * Daqing Oilfields
 * FuShe Pass
 * Highway Tampa
 * Kubra Dam
 * Operation Clean Sweep

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Two F/A-18C Hornets appear in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 acting as air support in the missions Cold War and High Value Target. One also crashes in the cutscene after a US defeat on Valparaiso. Two F/A-18s can be seen bombing near the middle of the map at the beginning of a match on Panama Canal, alongside radio chatter. These bombs cannot harm the player, even if one makes it to the target zone before the jets arrive. Two more Hornets also appear bombing the RU spawn after a US victory on Panama Canal, as well as another two bombing base Charlie after a US victory on Laguna Alta. Two more can also be seen flying past the map on Isla Innocentes, after the US destroys the first two M-COMs. The F/A-18 is never usable by the player.

Singleplayer
The F/A-18F Super Hornet is a two-seater variant of the F/A-18. It appears in the singleplayer mission Going Hunting, with Jennifer Hawkins and her pilot operating as callsign "Shark 4-6" They engage PLR jets over Iranian skies and destroy targets at Mehrabad International Airport.

Multiplayer
The F/A-18E Super Hornet is a single-seat variant of the F/A-18. It is one of the two jets in the Conquest version of Caspian Border, Kharg Island and Operation Firestorm. It is the main jet of the US forces, with its counterpart being the Su-35BM Flanker-E. The F/A-18E has identical stats to the Su-35 and is armed with a 20 millimeter cannon by default. The Super Hornet's armament can be increased via Customization once new specializations are unlocked.

Parked jets at the team's main base function as spawn points, allowing pilots to join action without waiting on the airfield, and to discourage friendly fire incidents over piloting rights. Once occupied or airborne, the jet no longer serves as a spawn point.

Gadgets

 * IR Flares – 300


 * Extinguisher – 11,600


 * ECM Jammer – 35,000

Upgrades

 * Stealth – 1500


 * Belt Speed – 2700


 * Proximity Scan – 4200


 * Air Radar – 8600


 * Maintenance – 19000


 * Beam Scanning – 29000

Weapons

 * Heat Seekers – 700


 * Rocket Pods – 6200


 * Guided Missile – 24000

Permanent

 * Below Radar – 15000

Trivia

 * Battlelogs icon for the F/A-18 is the same model from Battlefield 2.