General Background:
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic twin engine all-weather night fighter and attack aircraft. The F/A-18s first flew in November 1978 and the first production flight on April 12, 1980. The first 380 aircraft were F/A-18As and in September 1987 production switched to the F/A-18C. Variants A and C are single-seat aircraft while B and D are tandem-seats. The Hornet can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases with the capability of in flight refueling. A total of 1,480 A-D variants were built.
The Aircraft:
VFA-81 (Strike Fighter Squadron 81) the “Sunliners” was VF-81 until 4th February 1988 when they transitioned to the F/A-18C Hornet. The squadron deployed three times on the USS Saratoga between 1990 and 1994. On 17th January 1991 while flying from USS Saratoga during Operation Desert Storm F/A-18s from VFA-81 destroyed two Iraqi MiG-21s. The first USN victory of ODS came when Lt. Commander Mark Fox destroyed an Iraqi MiG-21 with a Sidewinder missile. In March 1991 VFA-81 returned to what was then their home NAS Cecil Field, Florida.
Features:
- True 1/72 scale
- Professionally painted
- Great attention to detail
- All markings are Tampoed (pad applied)
- Option to display the model on a stand that is provided
- Model can be shown with the landing gear in the down or up positions
- Canopy can be displayed open or closed
- Metal with a minimum of plastic
- Collectable