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![]() Location : Home » Aircraft » CF-18 Hornet |
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When a CF-18 powers up, the thunderous engines shake the ground. The twin engines of this supersonic tactical fighter jet deliver a total of 14,580 kg of thrust and speeds of up to Mach 1.8. The Hornet’s primary roles include air defence, training, tactical support, and air superiority. It has supported missions in both NORAD and NATO. Other roles also include aerobatic demonstration and aerospace test and evaluation.
The CF-18 can carry a Nitehawk pod that incorporates a forward-looking infra-red sensor that allows pilots to see targets at night. It also has a laser designator to guide precision bombing. During OPERATION ALLIED FORCE, the 79-day NATO air campaign in former Yugoslavia from March to June of 1999, Canada committed 18 CF-18s to TASK FORCE AVIANO, flying from Aviano Air Base in northern Italy. CF-18s flew 678 sorties, in the air-to-ground and air-to-air roles using both precision guided munitions and unguided "iron" bombs. With much less than 10% of the aircraft committed to the campaign, Canadian aircraft conducted 10% of the NATO strike sorties during the campaign. At the end of the 79-day campaign, the government of Slobodan Milosevioc withdrew its forces from Kosovo, making OPERATION ALLIED FORCE the only conflict won by air power alone. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Canadian fighter force has been heavily committed to OPERATION NOBLE EAGLE, the NORAD internal air defence mission. Immediately following the attacks, armed CF-18 fighters on air sovereignty alert deployed across Canada to protect Canada and Canadians from threats originating within our own airspace, a task that continues. ![]()
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Last Updated: 2006-05-29 | ![]() |
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