The F/A-18 Hornet is the true multi-role aircraft. It can vault from a carrier deck, bomb a target and stay to dogfight even the best enemy aircraft without missing a beat. It's the Navy's first modern-era jet intended for double duty against air- and ground-based adversaries. Armed to the hilt with Sparrow and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, an internal cannon, and laser-guided bombs, this modern warbird was an outstanding performer in Operation Desert Storm. Strapped into a digital cockpit described as a cross between Star Wars and a video game, pilots of the F/A-18 Hornet take on the ultimate aviation job: blasting this single-seat, high-performance jet off the deck of a carrier, dropping bombs, and firing air-to-ground ordnance. Offering unmatched agility, the Hornet is the choice aircraft of the US Navy's elite Blue Angels aerobatic team.

The F/A-18A is the single-seat variant and the F/A-18B is the two-seat variant. The space for the two-seat cockpit is provided by a relocation of avionics equipment and a 6% reduction in internal fuel; two-seat Hornets are otherwise fully combat-capable. The B-model is used primarily for training.

In 1992, the original Hughes AN/APG-65 radar was replaced with the Hughes (now Raytheon) AN/APG-73, a faster and more capable radar. A-model Hornets that have been upgraded to the AN/APG-73 are designated F/A-18A+.

Pictured here is a gorgeous 1:72 scale diecast replica of a Royal Canadian Boeing CF-188B Hornet Strike Fighter that was attached to 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron "Alouettes, then deployed to CFB Bagotville, Quebec, Canada, during 2004. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-1/2-inches
Length: 9-inches

Release Date: July 2023

Historical Account: "I Shall Pluck You" - 425 Squadron, the first French Canadian squadron, was formed on June 22nd, 1942, at RAF Dishforth in Yorkshire, England, as a bomber unit flying Vickers Wellingtons. On the night of October 5th-6th, 1942, the squadron went into action for the first time, bombing Aachen with a small number of aircraft. In 1943, the squadron flew to Kairouan, Tunisia, and from there, it conducted operations against Italy and Sicily, returning to the UK in November of the same year. In December, they were re-equipped with Handley Page Halifaxes and flew their first mission with these aircraft in February 1944. Their final operation took place on April 25th, 1945, when they bombed gun batteries on the tiny Frisian island of Wangerooge. Following the end of the war in Europe, in May 1945, 425 Squadron re-equipped again, this time with Avro Lancaster Mk X's. In June, they flew back to Canada to prepare for their role in Tiger Force for the continuing war against Japan. The use of atomic bombs precluded the need for Tiger Force, and 425 was disbanded on September 5th, 1945, at RCAF Station Debert, less than three weeks after the Japanese surrender.

The squadron was reformed at RCAF Station St Hubert in October 1954, flying CF-100 Canucks as an all-weather fighter squadron. After re-equipping with the CF-101 Voodoo, 425 became the RCAF Operational Training Unit for this aircraft type at RCAF Station Namao in late 1961 before transferring to its current base at Bagotville, Quebec, and becoming a front-line squadron a few months later. From 1982, the Canadian Forces started to acquire CF-18 Hornets; 425 received them in 1985 and still flies them today. In 2005, 433 Squadron was merged into 425 Squadron. In 2008, the squadron was awarded its first battle honour since the Second World War for its part in Operation Allied Force.