F-18 Readies For RAAF Service

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

Australia’s Air Defence Muscle for the Coming Decades

The introduction into service of the F/A-18 by the RAAF and the phasing out of the Mirage 1110 win represent a watershed In the development of the service. Although the Hornet will certainly lack the ‘top-end’ performance of the obsolescent Mirage, it will provide a quantum leap in terms of multi-role capability and performance in the air superiority and attack roles and it will also bring a much-needed boost in technology to local manufacturing industry.

It is strange to reflect that the RAAF first expressed an interest in a Mirage replacement as far back as 1968, when the favoured contender was the Mirage Ft. At that time the F1 may have been the logical choice for the service, since the RAAF enjoyed a good relationship with Dassault-Breguet, and the F1 (which first flew in December 1966) promised to be a good, sound aircraft with far more operational flexibility than the delta-winged Mirage Ill. Moreover, it was available at a fairly realistic price, enabling a worthwhile number to be bought.

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