Documents
United States Legacy Boeing
F/A-18C Hornet
Single-seat carrier-capable multirole fighter that served as the US Navy and Marine Corps' primary strike fighter before the Super Hornet, and remains in front-line service with several export operators. Combines fighter and attack roles in one airframe.
In service since 1987 · 8 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
1,915
km/h
3,300
km range
15,200
m ceiling
7,700
kg payload
0.96
T/W
💲 ≈ $29,000,000, Historical unit flyaway cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Established · 8 operators
In service since 1987. Status: legacy · ~1,480 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$73M – $102M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the F/A-18C Hornet can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 1,915 km/h Stronger than 26% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 1.8 Mach Stronger than 31% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 3,300 km Stronger than 56% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 740 km Stronger than 31% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 15,200 m Stronger than 18% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 0.96 Stronger than 34% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 9 Stronger than 47% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 7,700 kg Stronger than 55% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- ALQ-165 ASPJ / ALQ-126 EW system, chaff, flares
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 17.1 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 11.4 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 4.7 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 10,800 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 16,650 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x General Electric F404-GE-402 afterburning turbofans
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 79 kN Stronger than 20% of fighters
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 6,060 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- AN/APG-73 mechanically scanned array
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- ATFLIR targeting pod (optional)
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Link 16
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $29,000,000 Top 6% of fighters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 1,480 Top 9% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 8 Stronger than 84% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Boeing and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet has a maximum speed of 1,915 km/h.
What is the range of the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet has a maximum range of 3,300 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet can carry up to 7,700 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet weigh? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet has a combat weight of 16,650 kg.
How many crew does the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet require? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet's primary weapon is the 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon.
What engine does the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet use? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet is powered by the 2x General Electric F404-GE-402 afterburning turbofans.
What is the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet used for? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet is a fighter aircraft typically used for multirole combat, air superiority, close air support.
How many countries operate the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet is operated by 8 countries.
How much does the Boeing F/A-18C Hornet cost? +
The Boeing F/A-18C Hornet has an approximate unit cost of 29,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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