McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C/D Hornet

The F/A-18C first flew on 3 September 1986, and production switched from the A to the C in September 1987. Outwardly almost identical, the C/D added the ability to carry the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the AGM-84E SLAM and the infrared-guided AGM-65F Maverick, along with the Martin-Baker NACES ejection seat and a self-protection jammer. Jets delivered from 1989 gained night-attack kit — a NITE Hawk FLIR targeting pod, night-vision goggles and colour displays — and from 1992 the F404-GE-402 engine, with about 10% more thrust, became standard, followed by the AN/APG-73 radar.

The two-seat F/A-18D became the US Marine Corps' night-attack and airborne forward air control jet, and about 60 were configured as F/A-18D(RC) reconnaissance aircraft. On the opening day of the 1991 Gulf War, two VFA-81 F/A-18Cs shot down two MiG-21s and went on to bomb their assigned target on the same sortie — the dual role in a single mission.

C/D production ended in August 2000, with 1,480 F/A-18A/B/C/Ds built in total. The US Navy retired its last C-models from active service in February 2019, while the Marine Corps continues to fly upgraded Hornets as it transitions to the F-35.