Hobby Master F/A-18B Hornet 'NASA' California 2012 (1:72)

F/A-18B Hornet 'NASA' N852NA/BuNo 161217, California 2012 (1:72)

History of the Aircraft:

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.

F/A-18B 161217 c/n 0016 (B003) was the third pre-production two-seat TF-18A built that later became known as F/A-18Bs. F/A-18B 161217 had been assigned to VFA-125 “Rough Raiders” but in 1994 it was assigned to the NASA Dryden Research Center, later known as the Neil Armstrong Research Center. In July 2001 161217 moved to NASA Edwards AFB with the registration of N852NA. 161217 acted as a chase aircraft equipped with cameras that could send live video back to engineers who could watch what was happening in real time.

Aircraft Spec:

Role – Fighter/Attack

Manufactured – 1980 to 1987

Numbers Produced

A – 371 B – 40

Crew

A – 1 B – 2

Dimensions

Length – 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m)

Wingspan – 40 ft 8 in (12.4 m)

Height – 15 ft 4 in (4.66 m)

Weight

Empty – 28,000 lbs (12,700 kg)

Gross – 38,000 lbs (17,240 kg)

Maximum Take-off – 56,000 lb (25,400 kg)

Performance

Engines – 2 X GE F404-GE turbofans producing 10,600 lb.s.t. dry & 15,800 lb.s.t with afterburning per engine

Fuel

Internal – 1,670 U.S. gal (6,322 l)

External – As many as 3 X 330 U.S. gal (1,249 l) drop tanks

Maximum Fuel – 2,660 U.S. gal (10,070 l)

Maximum Speed – Mach 1.8 1,190 mph (1,915 km/h) @ 35,000 ft (10,670 m)

Landing Speed – 150 mph (241.4 km/h)

Combat Ceiling – 50,000 ft (15,240 m)

Maximum Range – 2,875 miles (4,627 km)

ARMAMENT

1 X 20 mm M61A1 cannon in nose

PLUS

Hard Points

4 X under-wing

2 X fuselage corner stations

1 X center-line

2 X wing-tip

To carry AIM-9 Sidewinder Missiles

Or

AIM-7 Sparrow Missiles

Plus

Up to 3 external fuel tanks and other assorted ordnance

Includes

- Diecast model

- Extensive cockpit detail and pilots

- Optional undercarriage (up or down positions)

- Fuel tank

- NASA Branding on the tail

- Display stand

- 1:72 Scale

UK Delivery:

In stock items are usually despatched within 1-2 working days of ordering.