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The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft. Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was used by the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

History[]

During the War of 1996, the F/A-18C single-seat variant was used by the VMFA-314 "Black Knights" during their assault on a City Destroyer in Los Angeles. The Black Knights were severely defeated in a one-sided dogfight by the aliens' Attackers in which nearly all the Hornets, along with their pilots, are destroyed.

F/A-18s later participated in the more successful July 4th counteroffensive during a battle over Area 51.

Gallery[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • All the F/A-18s depicted in the film were either models, digital creations or full-scale wooden mockups.
  • Initially, the YF-22 was planned to be the main fighter jets in Independence Day. This later changed to the F/A-18 after the U.S. military dropped their support to the film's production.[1]
  • Steven Hiller's F/A-18 is shown to have a drogue parachute, which Hiller deploys to block the pursuing Harvester attacker pilot's view. In reality, the F/A-18, being designed for carrier operation, does not actually possess such a parachute, instead relying on an arrestor hook for carrier landings and a dorsal airbrake when landing on a runway.
  • F/A-18s are depicted with the IAF Stars of David in the "Iraqi Desert" scene. In real life, the Israeli Air Force does not operate F/A-18s. The F-16 Fighting Falcon or F-15 Eagle would have been a more accurate choice.
  • In one scene set in Area 51, a Hornet is seen with 'AIR FORCE' on its side; the U.S. Air Force does not operate F/A-18s, and actual U.S.A.F. fighter aircraft do not have these words written on the side of the aircraft.
    • The F/A-18 Hornets featured in the film The Rock have the same markings. This is because both films used the same full-sized cockpit mock-up for closeup shots.
  • The missile-firing shots from the Hornets are miniature missiles that were attached to the F/A-18 models and launched using Estes model rocket engines. Other shots were achieved in-camera with large-scale fighter wing models shot on a smoke-blown stage. Wider shots then incorporated digital smoke trails.
    • Additionally, F/A-18 Hornets can carry more than just four missiles, having a total of nine hardpoints including two wingtip rails, four under-wing hardpoints, and three under-fuselage hardpoints. In total, depending on choice of missiles, the aircraft can carry up to twelve, making the Hornets in the film severely underarmed. The hardpoints suitably wired for heavy missiles, such as the AGM-84 Harpoon, however are indeed just four.

References[]

  1. The Making of Independence Day by Rachel Aberly & Volker Engel Aug. 1996, p. 111.

External links[]

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