Hornet

From its inception, the navy's F/A-18 Hornet was one of the most controversial weapons systems ever built. It also revolutionized airplane design in important ways. In this fascinating account, Orr Kelly traces the Hornet from its origin in response to the Russian Backfire bomber to its use in the 1986 Libyan raid and the latest modifications.
The plane that would become America's state-of-the-art strike-fighter faced vehement opposition from cost-conscious legislators who wanted a cheap wrap-around fighter that could be mass-produced for use by the navy, marines, and air force. It was also opposed by powerful factions within the navy who perceived it as a threat to the F-14 Tomcat. Kelly describes how the project succeeded despite heavy odds because a few dedicated men stuck to their guns and made it happen.
We enter the high-performance world of navy fighter jocks, where nerves of steel, hair-trigger responses, and the leading edge of technology separate the victors from the dead. A brief but masterful account of the whole history of naval aviation provides the context to understand how the Hornet extends the performance envelope. In order for pilots to play both the fighter and the attack roles under modern conditions, a completely new concept was required. "Information on demand" replaced the myriad gauges in the cockpit. Pilots learned to do things they had never done before. Performing maneuvers like the "Hornet high pop," the plane has become a formidable weapon in the navy's arsenal.
Separate chapters describe the flight control systems, the GE F-404 engine, and the airframe. How design flaws and developmental problems were overcome is a fascinating tale that often rises to high drama and always testifies to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of American engineers.


by Orr Kelly
Published by Airlife 1991 1st edition. 231pp illustrated, index, appendix, bibliography. 16x24 mint, including d/j.






Note:
"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.

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