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The F/A-18F Super Hornet is a carrier-based multirole aircraft. It is the two-seater variant of the F/A-18E Super Hornet.

It debuted in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation and sporadically appeared in subsequent games. It made its most recent appearance in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

History[]

Strangereal[]

In 2014, the IUN-PKF's Mobius Squadron utilized the aircraft against a resurgent Free Erusea.[1]

In 2015, numerous Super Hornets were deployed during the Emmeria-Estovakia War by the Estovakian Navy, Republic of Emmeria Navy and Republic of Emmeria Air Force;[2] Emmeria's Avalanche Squadron were notable users of the aircraft.[3] In 2016, during the first cruise missile attack on Gracemeria, an Estovakian F/A-18F ace, Vaslav Reynek, callsign "Dama", was tasked by rebellious Estovakian officers[4] to report on the to Gracemeria damage caused by the Chandelier,[5] however, he was ultimately shot down by Talisman in battle.[6]

Super Hornets continued to be fielded in the Lighthouse War by the Osean Maritime Defense Force as well as the Erusean Air Force.[7][8] During an Osean operation over the Waiapolo Mountains an Erusean F/A-18F ace, First Lieutenant Hans Weber, callsign "Spider", engaged the Osean Spare Squadron, but was shot down by Trigger. Erusea also developed autonomous drone F/A-18Fs which were used for deception and as escorts.[9][10] In addition to the F/A-18F units operated by the OMDF and Erusea, Spare Squadron member Full Band used a refurbished F/A-18F as his personal aircraft.[11]

On June 30, 2020, at the Redmill Air Force Base ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the end of the Belkan War, the Osean Air Defense Force displayed an ADFX-01 Morgan. A select few photographers were given permission to ride in an F/A-18F Super Hornet to fly alongside and take photographs of the experimental aircraft.[12] Also showcased at the ceremony, were Super Hornets belonging to the Emmerian Navy's Avalanche Squadron and the IUN-PKF's Mobius Squadron.[13]

Assault Horizon universe[]

F/A-18F Super Hornets were used by Warwolf Squadron when they fought against Big Bear Squadron who had defected to the New Russian Federation.[14]

Infinity universe[]

The F/A-18F was one of the many aircraft designs sold to Wernher and Noah Enterprises for their Advanced Automated Aviation Plant. This model of aircraft was very popular during Operation Eternal Liberation, being used by both the USEA Federation and the United Nations Forces extensively in almost all theaters.[15]

Game Analysis[]

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown[]

"A versatile carrier-based fighter capable of providing support for aircraft, ground forces, and ships. With better maneuverability at medium speeds than high-speed fighters, it is effective in air raids. Nicknamed "Super Hornet," the craft is an improved F-Type."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Main Game: The F/A-18F is available on the Aircraft Tree and costs 285,000 MRP. It requires purchasing the F-14D Super Tomcat.
VR Mode: Available at the start of the game.

Statistics

FA-18F AC7 Statistics

Weapons

  • GUN x2400 ( on Easy/Normal)
  • MSL x98
  • QAAM x10
  • LASM x16 (30,000 MRP) (VR: Complete 1 mission with the F/A-18F)
  • EML x22 (30,000 MRP) (VR: Complete 2 missions with the F/A-18F)
  • FLR x4

Part Slots

BODY: 36
ARMS: 36
MISC: 36

Named Pilots

Skins

  1. Osea: Air Superiority Light Grey
  2. Erusea: Three-tone sky blue and grey "Aggressor" camouflage(Unlocked by earning the "All for the Glory" medal: Earn the MVP in Team Death Match.)
  3. Special: Three-tone mid/dark blue pixel camouflage. Livery of the United States Navy VFA-137 “Kestrels”
  4. Mage: Osea skin with Mage Squadron markings
  5. Spare: Osea skin with Spare Squadron markings
  6. Strider: Osea skin with Strider Squadron markings
  7. Full Band: Spare skin with Full Band's markings
  8. Jolly Rogers: Livery of the United States Navy VFA-103 "Jolly Rogers"
  9. Red Devils: Livery of the United States Marine Corps VMFA-232 "Red Devils"
  10. Grun: Grun Team livery
  11. General Resource: F/A-18I Hornet ADV livery (acquire the "Cutting-edge Aircraft Series Set" DLC)

Gallery

Ace Combat Infinity[]

"Whether it's air-to-air or air-to-ground, this carrier-based fighter is capable of handling a wide variety of missions. An easy-to-handle aircraft that boasts stable maneuverability at any speed. Equipped with long-range attack weapons, it's well-suited for preemptive attacks. Nicknamed the "Super Hornet"."
Hangar
Lv. Cst Price GUN MSL 4AAM LASM SAAM SP MO ST AA AG DF
1 575 93,600 413 108 10 E E+ D D E+ E
2 614 14,400 454 110 14 E+ D D+ D+ D E
3 653 20,880 495 114 18 D D D+ D+ D E+
4 692 38,160 536 118 22 10 D+ D+ D+ D+ D+ D
5 731 64,800 578 122 26 12 D+ D+ C C D+ D+
6 770 158,400[a] 619 126 30 14 C C C C D+ C
7 809 78,000 660 130 32 15 15 C C C C+ C C+
8 848 151,200 702 134 34 16 16 C+ C+ C+ C+ C B
9 887 345,600 743 138 36 17 17 C+ C+ C+ C+ C B+
10 926 788,400 785 142 38 18 18 B B C+ B C A
11 973 1,752,000 826 146 40 19 19 B B+ B B C+ A+
12 1020 1,284,000 867 150 42 20 20 B+ B+ B B C+ S
13 1067 2,328,000 909 154 44 21 21 A A B+ B+ B S
14 1114 3,216,000 950 158 46 22 22 A+ A+ A B+ B S+
15 1161 4,320,000 992 162 50 24 24 A+ S A A B+ S+
16 1221 6,048,000 1030 164 52 25 25 S S A A B+ S+
17 1280 6,912,000 1069 166 54 26 26 S+ S+ A+ A A S+
18 1339 7,776,000 1107 168 56 27 27 S+ S+ A+ A+ A S+
19 1398 9,936,000 1146 170 58 28 28 S+ S+ A+ A+ A S+
20 1457 12,528,000 1185 172 62 30 30 S+ S+ S S A+ S++
Part Slots
At Lv.1, this aircraft carried 26 BODY, 26 ARMS, and 26 MISC part slots. See Tuning § Slot Expansion for further information.
Nicknames
Upgrading this aircraft to these levels unlocked the respective nicknames for use at any time.
  • Lv.3: Shining Needle
  • Lv.10: Watch The Angles
  • Lv.15: Surfing Cavalry
  • Lv.20: Single Horned Rhino of the Deep

Skins

  • Default: White body
  • Event Skin #01: Assault Horizon Color 2; two-tone gray camouflage with yellow tail wing tips based on the F/A-18B Hornets of VFC-12
  • "Grun" Skin: Grun Squadron livery
  • Event Skin #02: Black and white splinter camouflage. Based on the F/A-18A+ Hornets of VFC-12.
  • Event Skin #03: JASDF-styled ocean camouflage
  • Event Skin #04: Zone of Endless red

Gallery

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon[]

"Whether it's air-to-air or air-to-ground, this carrier-based fighter is capable of handling a wide variety of missions. An easy-to-handle aircraft that boasts stable maneuverability at any speed. Equipped with long-range attack weapons, it's well-suited for preemptive attacks. Nicknamed the "Super Hornet"."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Complete "Red Moon". Available at start of "Spooky".

Statistics

Special Weapons

SAAM
LAGM
ECM

Colors

Color 1: Gray body with black vertical tails.
Color 2: Two-tone gray camouflage.
Color 3: F-18 HARV livery.
Red Devils (DLC)
Jolly Rogers (DLC)

Gallery

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation[]

"The F/A-18F achieves superb handling while maintaining nearly flawless stability. The combined payload capacity of air-to-ground and air-to-air SP weapons and missiles promise increased battle performance. With the capability to quickly adjust to the conditions of virtually any battlefield, the F/A-18F is a true multirole aircraft."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Complete "Siege on Silvat". Costs $76,000.

Statistics

Weapons

MSSL x140
SAAM x18
SOD x15
XAGM x32
ECMP x20

Colors

Named Pilots

Gallery

Trivia[]

  • In Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, the F/A-18F's Color 3's trim color is a special shade of gold that is not otherwise available in the color palette. If the player makes a new skin based on Color 3 and changes the gold trim, they cannot restore it without making a new custom skin.
  • The initial images of the F/A-18F in Ace Combat 7 showed the words "NAVY" and "USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT" on the fuselage. These markings were later removed, as evidenced in the VR Demo and 2016 trailer.
  • The F/A-18F in Ace Combat 7 is a mix between the Block 1 and Block 2 variants. While it features the 5-stack ECS pipes above the engines, a distinguishing feature of the later Super Hornet airframes, the 3D model of the WSO seat is of the Block 1 variant (lacks the 8x10" big-screen MPCD). Judging by the early screenshots, it is certain that the new ECS pipes are a later addition to the original 3D model modeled after the Block 1.

Footnotes[]

  1. Players could use one Nonstandard Upgrade Request Form instead of credits for the Lv.6 upgrade.

References[]

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