The F/A-18 was designed to be a highly versatile aircraft due to its avionics, cockpit displays, and excellent aerodynamic characteristics, with the ability to carry a wide variety of weapons.

[3] That summer, Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger ordered the Navy to evaluate the competitors in the Air Force's Lightweight Fighter (LWF) program, the General Dynamics YF-16 and Northrop YF-17.

[3] Though the YF-16 won the LWF competition, the Navy was skeptical that an aircraft with one engine and narrow landing gear could be easily or economically adapted to carrier service, and refused to adopt an F-16 derivative.

[3][6] Northrop had partnered with McDonnell Douglas as a secondary contractor on NACF to capitalize on the latter's experience in building carrier aircraft, including the widely used F-4 Phantom II.

For carrier operations, the airframe, undercarriage, and tailhook were strengthened, folding wings and catapult attachments were added, and the landing gear was widened.

Since it was not strengthened for carrier service, it was expected to be lighter and better performing, and a strong competitor to the F-16 Fighting Falcon then being offered to American allies.

Though the aircraft retained a lightened tailhook, the most obvious external difference was the removal of "snags" on the leading edge of the wings and stabilators.

It still retained 71% commonality with the F/A-18 by parts weight, and 90% of the high-value systems, including the avionics, radar, and electronic countermeasure suite, though alternatives were offered.

[21] Canted vertical stabilizers are another distinguishing design element, one among several other such elements that enable the Hornet's excellent high angle of attack ability, including oversized horizontal stabilators, oversized trailing-edge flaps that operate as flaperons, large full-length leading-edge slats, and flight control computer programming that multiplies the movement of each control surface at low speeds and moves the vertical rudders inboard instead of simply left and right.

NASA used the F-18 HARV to demonstrate flight handling characteristics at high angle-of-attack (alpha) of 65–70 degrees using thrust vectoring vanes.

The Hornet was among the first aircraft to heavily use multifunction displays, which at the switch of a button allow a pilot to perform either fighter or attack roles or both.

This "force multiplier" ability gives the operational commander more flexibility to employ tactical aircraft in a fast-changing battle scenario.

[citation needed] McDonnell Douglas rolled out the first F/A-18A on 13 September 1978,[19] in blue-on-white colors marked with "Navy" on the left and "Marines" on the right.

The Blue Angels performed in F/A-18A, B, C, and D models at air shows and other special events across the US and worldwide before transitioning to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in late 2020.

Fox and, Lieutenant Nick Mongilio were in a flight of four Hornets[38][39] when they were sent from USS Saratoga in the Red Sea to bomb airfield H-3 in southwestern Iraq.

[47] On 5 February 1991, F/A-18A bureau number 163096, piloted by Lieutenant Robert Dwyer was lost over the North Persian Gulf after a successful mission to Iraq; he was officially listed as killed in action, body not recovered.

[50] The aircraft briefly went back to sea for routine carrier qualifications in October, but it was retired from active Navy service on 1 February 2019.

[54] Original differences between the Australian and U.S. Navy's standard F/A-18 were the removed nose-wheel tie bar for catapult launch (later re-fitted with a dummy version to remove nose wheel shimmy), addition of a high frequency radio, an Australian fatigue data analysis system, an improved video and voice recorder, and the use of instrument landing system/VHF omnidirectional range instead of the carrier landing system.

[67][68] Many features that made the F/A-18 suitable for naval carrier operations were retained by the Canadian Forces, such as the robust landing gear, the arrestor hook, and wing folding mechanisms.

[67][71] In July 2010 the Canadian government announced plans to replace the remaining CF-18 fleet with 65 F-35 Lightning IIs, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2016.

It included the integration of the new AIM-9X Sidewinder missile together with the JHMCS helmet-mounted sight, new radios, a new IFF interrogator, and a new moving map display.

Then, from 2012 to 2016, the MLU 2 stage was mainly focused at enabling the aircraft to use standoff air-to-ground weapons, including the JDAM, JSOW and JASSM.

[19][101] These fighters were upgraded to F-18A+/B+ standard, close to F/A-18C/D (plus version includes later mission and armament computers, databuses, data-storage set, new wiring, pylon modifications and software, new abilities as AN/AAS-38B NITE Hawk targeting FLIR pods).

[100] On 25 May 1995, while taking part of Operation Deny Flight, Spanish EF-18s armed with laser-guided bombs and supported by US F-16s destroyed an ammunition depot at Pale, a Bosnian Serb stronghold in the outskirts of Sarajevo.

[104] Over Yugoslavia, eight EF-18s, based at Aviano AB, participated in bombing raids in Operation Allied Force in 1999, being among the first planes to strike Yugoslav targets.

The program includes significant upgrades to the avionics and mission computer, 12 ATFLIR surveillance and targeting pods, and 44 sets of AN/ALR-67v3 ECM equipment.

[113][114] The F/A-18C and F/A-18D were considered by the French Navy (Marine Nationale) during the 1980s for deployment on their aircraft carriers Clemenceau and Foch[115] and again in the 1990s for the later nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle,[116] in the event that the Dassault Rafale M was not brought into service when originally planned.

In June 2023, the Financial Review reported that Australia, the United States and Ukraine were negotiating the supply of 41 Australian F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force.

[119] A further update was issued in December 2023, that the U.S. have continued talks with the Australian government and have begun exploring the option of providing aging jets and parts from the Finnish Air Force.

Data from U.S. Navy fact file,[198] F/A-18A/B/C/D NATOPS,[199] Frawley Directory,[200] Great Book[201]General characteristics Performance Armament Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era