F/A-18C Hornet

The first naval aircraft designed specifically as a multimission strike fighter, proficient in both the air-to-air and air-to-ground arenas, the F/A-18 Hornet entered operational service in 1992. The F/A-18C variant like that on display operated aboard aircraft carriers until 2021. The museum’s aircraft is one of two Hornets that shot down Iraqi MiG-21 Fishbed fighters on the first day of Operation Desert Storm on January 17, 1991. The pilot on that mission was LCDR Mark “MRT” Fox of the VFA-81 Sunliners off USS Saratoga (CV 60). Read More