The F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet are a family of McDonnell Douglas and later Boeing built aircraft designed for carrier operations in the Navy and Marines. It entered service in the United States on January 7th, 1983, and although earlier models have been retired from US Navy service, the aircraft continues service with a modernized "Super Hornet" variant.

It has also been sold to multiple US-aligned nations for use in their own air forces and the Super Hornet was featured heavily in "Top Gun: Maverick."

Both single- and two-seat variants exist, with though the design has varied over time, beginning as a single-seat fighter, then in 1987, the D-variant (designated F/A-18D) was given a second seat. The "Super Hornet" (referring to F/A-18E and F) entered production in 1995 after McDonnell-Douglas redesigned the fighter while maintaining the original name and designation, making upgrades to the engine, avionics, and a 25% larger airframe.

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