posted on Jul, 11 2005 @ 03:43 AM
Great post. Some good information there. I'm not sure what the C/D Hornet is, but the pilots have all told me that 45 minutes to an hour is the
longest they can go without refueling. Not sure what that comes to in fuel fractions though.
Not sure what this would translate to, but here are a few figures for the A/B and C/D Hornets
F/A-18A/B
Fuel: 1670 US gallons internal. A total of three external 330 US gallon drop tanks can be carried, raising total fuel to 2660 US gallons.
F/A-18C/D
Fuel: 1670 US gallons internal. A total of three external 330 US gallon drop tanks can be carried, raising total fuel to 2660 US gallons.
For the F/A-18E/F for comparison
By enlarging the wing area and adding a fuselage plug, 3000 pounds of additional internal fuel can be carried, which is 33 percent more than the
capacity of the standard Hornet. A fleet air defense F/A-18E/F carrying four AMRAAMS, two AIM-9s and external tanks would be able to loiter on station
for 71 minutes at a distance of 400 nautical miles from its carrier, as opposed to only 58 minutes for the F-14D.