McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E Super Hornet – VFA-27 “Royal Maces”, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), U.S. Navy, 2017

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA5116: McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18E Super Hornet of VFA-27 “Royal Maces”, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), U.S. Navy, 2017. Production run of only 460 pieces.

Length 10 inches  Wingspan 7.5 inches

The USN VA-27 “Royal Maces” were commissioned on September 1, 1967, originally flying the A-7A Corsair II. VA-27 was disbanded after the Vietnam War but re-established in January 1991 flying the F/A-18A Hornet and renamed VFA-27. In 1994 VFA-27 re-equipped with the F/A-18C Hornet and in 1996 moved to Atsugi Japan. In 2004 VFA27 was upgraded to the F/A-18E Super Hornet and assigned to the USS George Washington. In 2015 VFA-27 was transferred to USS Ronald Reagan and in 2017 marked the 50th Anniversary of VA/VFA-27.

The McDonnell Douglas Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet is a twin-engine multi-role carrier-based aircraft. The “E” variant is single-seater while the “F” variant is a tandem-seat configuration. The E is a much larger, more advanced and more capable variant of the F/A-18C. The Super Hornet variant can carry a larger array of weapons as well as more of them and is capable of returning to the carrier while still carrying unspent munitions. The first flight of the F/A-18E took place in 1995 with delivery to the U.S. Navy starting in 1999.