F/A-18C
Contents
The F/A-18C Hornet is a twin-engine, multi-role, carrier-capable combat jet. It was designed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and Northrop in the 1970's, and is the only jet in the US inventory to carry both the Fight and Attack designation (the "F/A" part of the name). The Hornet is a supersonic capable jet, able to reach speeds of Mach 1.8. The Hornet modeled in DCS represents an "off-the-line" US Navy Lot 20 jet, with the OFP-13C software upgrades. It is equipped with the F404-GE-402 enhanced performance engines (which is the more powerful engine that replaced the original F404-GE-400's). The F/A-18C/D served as the baseline for the Boeing F/A-18E/F/G Super Hornets. The Hornet is capable of carrying a wide array of both precision and dumb bombs, A/G and A/A Missiles, rockets, and is supplemented with a 20-mm cannon mounted in the nose.
The Hornet entered service in 1978, and first saw combat in 1986 over the skies of Libia with numerous Hornets preforming SEAD strikes and strike missions. The Hornet again saw action during the Gulf War of 1991, as there were 106 in theater with the Navy, along with a further 84 USMC that were shore-based. It was during the Gulf War that the Hornet was credited with it's first Air-to-Air kills (both aircraft were MiG-21's, shot-down by AIM-9's and AIM-7's). Notably, the aircraft credited with the kills went on to resume their strike mission and dropped their 4 Mk-84's (2,000lb bombs), living up to their multi-role moniker. The Hornet took it's first combat losses in the Gulf War as well, in total 10 Hornets received battle damage, which included 3 losses (2 to ground fire, and one very likely to an Iraqi MiG-25). All told, Hornets flew a total of 4,551 sorties during the Gulf War.
Since the Gulf War, the Hornet has been a vital piece of the Navy/USMC inventory, and has seen action in every conflict or operation since then. While it is still in active service with the USMC (and will remain until the early 2030s), in April 2018 the US Navy retired the F/A-18C from combat roles.
Required DCS World Version
Please note that you need to be on the open beta version of the game to fly the Hornet.
If you don't have the game installed already you can get the open beta from here
If you already have the release version installed, it's much faster to switch to the open beta using the DCS World updater as it will only change the files needed, keeping all the ones that don't need to change.
Switching to the Open Beta
- Open File Explorer and navigate to your DCS World install
- Hold LShift + Right click on bin folder and press "Open command prompt here"
- Type or paste
DCS_updater.exe update @openbeta
Switching to Open Beta on Steam
- Open steam and navigate your DCS in your library
- Right click DCS and pick Properties
- Click the betas tab and then from the drop down select Open Beta
- Steam will now patch your game once you close the dialog box
Once the update is finished, you should be able to install the Hornet via the Module Manager in game.
SimpleRadio Update
The latest version of SimpleRadio has been updated to work with the Hornet.
DCS F/A-18C Manual Waypoints Quick Guide by RedKite
Weapons
Placeholder
Countermeasures
DCS F/A-18C Hornet Countermeasures Tutorial by RedKite
Ground Radar
Not yet implemented
IFF (Identification Friend or Foe)
Not yet implemented
Manuals
I Read the Manual So You Don't Have To By MustardCosaNostra
Wags' Tutorial Videos
Preflight, Startup, Taxi, and Takeoff
AIM-7 Sparrow Air-to-Air Missile
Weapon List
https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3285514&postcount=13
HOTAS Configs
SkillSawTheSecond's HOTAS setup
Carrier Lights Tutorial
FAQ
Click to expand ->
Q: I cant use Afterburners when taking off
A:The Hornet uses WOW (Weight on Wheels) to prevent unintentional use of the afterburners. You can manually override this system by pulling the finger lifts on the HOTAS and advancing the throttle.
Q: How does IFF work?!
A:Currently only a basic version for the hornet is implimented. After locking your target, putting them in the center of the HUD will give you either a diamond or a square. Square targets are friendly, and diamond targets are not responding to IFF.
