The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) F/A-18 program commemorated the first flight of the Hornet aircraft flown 25 years ago Nov. 20. Alumni members of the "Hornets Nest" gathered at NAVAIR Patuxent River for a day of memories and celebration.

“The last 25 years of flight by F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets have established an unmatched record of performance, survivability, reliability, maintainability and affordability for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and our foreign partners,” said NAVAIR F/A-18 Program Manager Capt. B.D. Gaddis. “The men and women who have designed, developed, produced, enhanced, maintained and flown these remarkable aircraft can be very proud. They have set the chinning bar pretty high. But I'm convinced that the next 25 years will be even better."

Naval Aviation was forever changed 25 years ago when Jack Krings, test pilot for then-McDonnell Douglas Corporation, had the honor of taking the new fighter on a 50-minute flight from St. Louis over Southern Illinois.

Joining the celebration as a featured speaker, Krings commented, “At the end of the day, flying is what it is all about, and fortunately for naval aviation, that is what Patuxent River is all about. Flight test is more progress than process here; the test culture is very good...don’t ever let it change.”

Currently, 897 F/A-18 A,B,C,D,E and Fs are in service in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The program is also inching closer to commencing System Design and Demonstration (SD&D) on the G variant as a replacement for the EA-6B Prowler. Collectively, in the United States and seven international countries, the F/A-18 has surpassed more than 5 million flight hours.

The future of the F/A-18 is very bright. With upgrades and modification programs ongoing on the A/B and C/D models, the rolling out of more E/Fs every week and the development of the G, the aircraft is due to be a mainstay of aviation for many years to come.

Commenting on the future of the program, Rear Adm. Gib Godwin, program executive officer for tactical aircraft, said, “The F/A-18 is truly a great aircraft, and it still has another 25 years of potential still on the drawing board.”

FMI: www.news.navy.mil/local/navair