The Hornet Story (Story series)

From failed Air Force fighter to the Navy's "universal soldier," this history chronicles the evolution of the Hornet. Built to replace both the A-7 Corsair II light attack aircraft and the F-4 Phantom II fighter in Navy service, the F/A-18 evolved from Northrop's YF-17 in the late 1970s. Production aircraft reached the Navy in May 1980, with the Marine Corps receiving Hornets two years later. More than 800 examples would eventually be built for American service, with a further 500 aircraft being sold to seven export customers. Earning its battle spurs in April 1986 flying strike missions against Libya from U.S. carriers in the Mediterranean, the Hornet would subsequently participate in Operation Desert Storm five years later and the various "policing" operations in Iraq and the Balkans that followed. Still very much in frontline use with the Navy and Marine Corps today, the "legacy" Hornet, as all non-Super Hornet variants have been dubbed, provides the backbone for carrier-based naval aviation.