McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E Super Hornet – NJ400, VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet, US Navy, NAS Lemoore, CA, 2013

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA5123: McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E Super Hornet NJ400 of VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet, US Navy, NAS Lemoore, CA, 2013. Production run of 700 models.

Length 10 inches Wingspan 7.5 inches

The unit that is now known as VFA-25 “Fist of the Fleet” began in 1943 as VT-17. Over the years they have been known as VA-6B, VA-65, VA-25 and VFA-25 in 1983 when the squadron began training in the new F/A-18A. In 2012 VFA-25 successfully completed a combat deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and returning home to NAS Lemoore they began their transition to the F/A-18E Super Hornet. F/A-18E 166959 was accepted by the USN in 2006 and in 2013 was transferred from VFA-122 to VFA-25 and became NJ/400 CAG aircraft.

Designed as a replacement for the A-4 Skyhawk and the A-7 Corsair II and as a complement to the F-14 Tomcat, the F/A-18 first flew on November 18, 1978. Perhaps best known as the aircraft of the US Navy’s Blue Angels, this carrier-capable, supersonic, all-weather fighter has many roles, including fighter escort, fleet air defense and close air support. The F/A-18 is a versatile aircraft: it can operate from carriers or land bases and a single switch converts it from fighter to strike mode. During Operation Desert Storm, the F/A-18 proved that, on a single mission, one aircraft could serve as both fighter and a bomber.