The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic twin engine all-weather night fighter and attack aircraft. The F/A-18s first flew in November 1978 and the first production flight on April 12, 1980. The first 380 aircraft were F/A-18As and in September 1987 production switched to the F/A-18C. Variants A and C are single-seat aircraft while B and D are tandem-seats. The Hornet can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases with the capability of in flight refueling. A total of 1,480 A-D variants were built.
On October 28, 2016 an important celebration was held by the RAAF at base Williamtown, NSW. It was the Centenary of the RAAF 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Squadrons that were formed in 1916. One of the special paint schemes for this historic event was completed for the 3rd Squadron aircraft F/A-18A A21-27. The paint scheme commemorates the 3rd Squadron 2nd highest scoring ACE’s P-40E Kittyhawk that wore desert camo scheme. Wing Commander R. Bobby Gibbes was twice the 3rd Squadron CO and had 10 victories, DSO, DFC and Bar.
