The Navy has aircraft of each major type. This includes
fighter, attack, patrol, and ASW that are far superior to
those flown in the past. As you read the rest of this
section, refer to figures 2-11 and 2-12, which show
some of the aircraft currently in the Navy inventory.
The Navy is constantly seeking better and more
advanced
aircraft
operational
capabilities.
Manufacturers are aware of this and are constantly
developing products to meet these demands. Some
combat aircraft are described in the following
paragraphs.
MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS HORNET, F/A-18
The F/A-18 is a twin-jet-engine aircraft designed
for all-weather fighter escort and light attack. The
Hornet
is capable of catapult launch and arrested
landings for carrier operations.
The crew consists of a pilot on the F/A-18 model
aircraft, and a pilot and student on the TF/A-18 model
aircraft. The Hornet is powered by two General Electric
F404-GE-400 engines. Each jet engine is rated in the
16,000 pounds of thrust class. The F/A-18 has in-flight
refueling capability, and it can carry three external fuel
tanks for additional range.
The Hornet has nine weapon stations. Two are
wing-tip stations for Sidewinders, and two outboard
wing stations for fuel tanks or air-to-ground weapons.
There are two nacelle fuselage stations for Sparrows or
sensor pods, and two inboard wing stations for fuel
2-19
F/A-18 HORNET
F-14 TOMCAT
EA-6B PROWLER
AV-8A HARRIER
P-3 ORION
S-3 VIKING
E-2C HAWKEYE
T-45 GOSHAWK
C-9 SKYTRAIN II
ANF0211
Figure 2-11.—Representative types of fixed-wing aircraft.
