The F/A-18 "Hornet" is an American combat fighter jet produced by McDonnell-Douglas, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing, designed for carrier operations in the Navy and Marines. It has also been sold to multiple US-aligned nations for use in their own air forces and featured heavily in "Top Gun: Maverick." 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. 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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