January 17, 1991 – the first day of the Gulf War. Four F/A-18 Hornets slice through the scorching air above the Persian Gulf in a tight wall formation. Each aircraft is laden with four Mark 84 2,000-pound bombs. The formation pushes towards its target deep in Iraqi territory.
At 30,000 feet and 30 miles south of their objective, the Hornets fly at maximum speed without afterburner. Suddenly, the voice of an E-2 Hawkeye cuts through the radio: (QUOTE) “Bandits on your nose, 15 miles.”
Iraqi MiG-21s are rapidly closing in on the formation, and the heavy bomb loads have left the F/A-18s vulnerable.
Aboard his Hornet, Lieutenant Commander Mark Fox’s radar picks up one of the approaching MiG-21s. The Iraqi fighter is closing in fast, leaving precious little time for decision-making. Fox engages the Sidewinder missile’s quick-lock acquisition mode. After several tense seconds, he achieves a lock and fires. The Sidewinder streaks away at Mach 2.5, disappearing into the distance. But there’s no immediate indication of a hit – no smoke trail, no explosion.
With the MiG-21 still incoming and the fate of the Sidewinder uncertain, Fox quickly prepares to fire the larger, radar-guided Sparrow missile. The outcome of this split-second engagement could set the tone for the air war to come…
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The f18 will be replaced by the ngad. Wouldn't be surprised if they want more f18s though when they realize it costs a ton to maintain 6th gen aircraft.
This warplane was shot down by the Iraqi Mig-25 during the gulf war. So why would Russia be afraid of it since they had and still have better warplanes like Su-35 and Su-57?
13:20 why is it always anger? Have you ever been in life or death situation? Combat? The other pilot is going to kill you! The Iraq army wanted to kill me during the second gulf war. I wasn't once angry at them. I was defending my friends and myself.
Why should you fire a sidewinder first, then when that missile misses you fire a sparrow…? doesn’t make sense at all😂
41 years and still 'stinging!' "Go Navy!"
F/A-18s get both of the MiG kills in the entire First Persian Gulf conflict while carrying air-to-ground ordinance. Meanwhile, the E-2 couldn't get the F-14s into engagement despite the fact that they were the air cover? That's a lot like home owner waiting on law enforcement in a home invasion: when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
As to Slobodan Milosevich, he was acquitted of all charges in his trial at the Hague. His Bosnian counterpart, on the other hand, was not only convicted, but committed suicide in the court room to deprive the court of its justice.
The F/A-18 E and F models aren't a whole new airframe. It's mostly a 25% upscaled airframe with modifications like a squared intake, more powerful engines, and a next-gen avionics suite.
F-35 twin-engine? This guy must make mistakes on purpose so we would comment 🙂 Also, Boeing didn't acquire McDonald Douglas until 1997. Either way, I love his content.
Huuuuh? "Like the F4, the F14, and the F35 now incorporated twin engines"??? WTF you mean the F22 right? Cuz I havent seen an F35 with twin engines yet.
Just to point out, you claimed a Super Hornet is about 15,000's heavier than a Legacy Hornet. That's with both aircraft loaded to their maximum takeoff weights. The dry weight difference is about 7,000 lbs between the two.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It wasn’t called the F/A18 it was just the F18 when it first came out.
comparing hornets to 30 years older a/c is pathetic…
besides, F/A 18 is kniow to be inferior to Su 27 and higher and all chinese fighters…
that is not my oppinion but expert oppinion…
sorry not sorry
No, the F-35 Lightning II is a single-engine aircraft. It is powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which is a highly advanced and powerful engine designed specifically for this aircraft. The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter developed by Lockheed Martin and comes in three variants:
1. F-35A: Conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL).
2. F-35B: Short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL).
3. F-35C: Carrier-based variant for the U.S. Navy.
Despite having only one engine, the F-35’s design and the performance of the F135 engine make it extremely capable and reliable.
The YF-17 became the F-18 which was further refined into the F/A-18, they are three distinct platforms. Additionally the RAAF already had their hornets in service well before the Gulf War.
don't approve of the F/A-18 Hornet being sold to foreign air forces around the world . . . the naval carrier borne F/A-18E Super Hornet (Block III) multi role all weather interceptor has no business with the world's air forces, be it USAF or any foreign air force for that matter . . . there's something called ethical conscience in the world of sales & marketing . . . and this conscience is more than just any business deal . . . U.S. FMS should restrict F/A-18 sales to navies only, not air force . . .
Still, partial to the TOMCAT
You need to mention that Aussie F18s as well Super hornets and F18g Growlers have been the backbone of Aussie air defence since the 80s. Try mentioning that!
who the hell told dark skies that the F-35 has two engines? That is not correct. not one damn bit. note that the fan in the C variant is a FAN not an ENGINE
So not only is the F-18 team not much much much more powerful than they have 16 it’s not more powerful at all
The ones rooster and maverick flew
The title of this video is comical! Got to love the propaganda! The Mig-21 was designed in the 1950's and ceased production in 1980's. By the time of the Gulf war, the Soviet Union was mostly using Mig-29's, Su-27's amongst other more modern aircraft. The F-18 was designed in the mid 70's and while a very capable aircraft was not the best US aircraft in the 1990's nor was it superior to some of the Russian aircraft of that era as evidenced by an F-18 being shot down by a Mig-25 Foxbat during the Gulf war! Today the F-18 is greatly outmatched by Russia's Mig-31, SU-35's, SU-30's and of course the Su-57's. While the F-22 is a superb aircraft and arguably the most or one of the most capable, there are far too few of them and the much more common F-35's are a jack of all trades, master of none, that have a very problematic history and unreliable track record.