The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New Fighter Aircraft Project competition to replace the CF-104 Starfighter, CF-101 Voodoo and the CF-116 Freedom Fighter. Deliveries of the CF-18 to the Canadian Armed Forces began in 1982. CF-18s have supported North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) air sovereignty patrols and participated in combat during the Gulf War in 1991, the Kosovo War in the late 1990s, and as part of the Canadian contribution to the international Libyan no-fly zone in 2011. CF-18s were also part of the Canadian contribution to the military intervention against ISIL, Operation Impact. A procurement process to replace the CF-18 with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II has been ongoing since 1997.
Development
New Fighter Aircraft program
In 1977, the Canadian government identified the need to replace the NATO-assigned CF-104 Starfighter, the NORAD-assigned CF-101 Voodoo and the CF-116 Freedom Fighter (although the decision was later made to keep the CF-116). Subsequently, the government proceeded with the New Fighter Aircraft (NFA) competition, with a purchase budget of around to purchase 130–150 of the winner of the competition. Candidates included the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, Panavia Tornado, Dassault Mirage F1 (later replaced by the Mirage 2000), plus the products of the American Lightweight Fighter (LWF) competition, the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F/A-18 Hornet, and a de-navalized version of the Hornet, the Northrop F-18L. The government stressed that the winner of the competition be a proven off-the-shelf design and provide substantial industrial benefits as part of the order.
By 1978, the New Fighter Aircraft competitors were short-listed to just three aircraft types: the F-16 and the two F-18 offerings. The F-14, F-15, and the Tornado were rejected due to their high purchase price, while Dassault dropped out of the competition. The F-18L combined the systems and twin-engine layout of the F-18 that Air Command favored with a lighter land-based equipment setup that significantly improved performance. Northrop, the primary contractor for the F-18L version, had not built the aircraft by the time of the NFA program, waiting on successful contracts before doing so. While Northrop offered the best industrial offset package, it would only "pay off" if other F-18L orders were forthcoming, something the Department of National Defence (DND) was not willing to bet on."F/A-18 Aircraft Sales to Canada, Australia, and Spain: A Case Study of Offsets." The Office of Management and Budget via disam.dsca.mil, 16 April 1990. Retrieved: 8 June 2010.
The F-14 almost entered Canadian service through the backdoor due to the Iranian Revolution. In the aftermath of the revolution, the United States cut off all military supplies to Iran, which meant that the Iranians' new fleet of F-14s would potentially be rendered unflyable due to a lack of spares. The Canadians offered to purchase them at a steeply discounted price. Negotiations ended before a deal was reached as it was revealed that Canadian involvement was crucial in the smuggling of American embassy personnel out of the new Islamic Republic.Ng, Allan. "The CF18 Hornet fighter aircraft – In Detail (Part 3)." sfu.ca, November 2003. Retrieved: 14 March 2010.
In 1980, the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet was declared the winner of the New Fighter Aircraft competition. The order included 98 single-seat variants and 40 dual-seat variants, for a total of 138 purchased, plus 20 options (which were not exercised). The F/A-18 Hornet was then dubbed the CF-188. Outside official military documents, the aircraft are referred to as CF-18 Hornets.Baugher, Joe. "CF-18 For Canada." joebaugher.com, 21 June 2005. Retrieved: 8 June 2010. Reasons for the selection listed by the Canadian Forces were many of its requested features were included for the U.S. Navy; two engines for reliability (considered essential for conducting Arctic sovereignty and over-the-water patrols), an excellent radar set, while being considerably more affordable than the F-14 and the F-15. The CF-18 was procured from 1982 to 1988, at a total capital cost of $4 billion in 1982 dollars."Dogfight: Comparing the F-35 and CF-18 fighter jets." National Post, 16 July 2010.
CF-18 design changes
The original CF-18 as delivered is largely identical to the F/A-18A and B models. A total of 138 CF-18s, consisting of 98 single-seat and 40 dual-seat models, were delivered."Auditing the Upgrades to the CF-18 Fighter Aircraft (Part 1)." casr.ca, December 2004. Retrieved: 8 June 2010.Ng, Allan. "The CF18 Incremental Modernization Program – In Detail 'Not Your Father’s Hornet – the CF18 Incremental Modernization Program'." casr.ca, December 2003. Retrieved: 8 June 2010. Many features that made the F/A-18 suitable for naval carrier operations were retained by the Canadian Forces, such as the robust landing gear, the arrestor hook, and wing folding mechanisms.
The most visible difference between a CF-18 and a U.S. F-18 is the 0.6-megacandela night identification light. This spotlight is mounted in the gun loading door on the port side of the aircraft. Some CF-18s have the light temporarily removed, but the window is always in place. Also, the underside of the CF-18 features a painted "false canopy".Ng, Allan. "The CF18 Hornet fighter aircraft – In Detail (Part 4)." Canadian Defence Procurement, November 2003. Retrieved: 16 December 2012.
Upgrades In 1994, engineers worked on a system that collected biomedical data from the passenger in the back seat of the aircraft. The need to upgrade the CF-18 was demonstrated during the Gulf War deployment and during the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict as advances in technology had rendered some of the avionics on board the CF-18 obsolete and incompatible with NATO allies. In 2000, CF-18 upgrades became possible when the government increased the defence budget.Ng, Allan. "The CF18 Incremental Modernization Program – In Detail (part 1)." CASR, December 2003. Retrieved: 14 March 2010."Canadian military to get more." Flight International, 7 March 2000.
In 2001, the Incremental Modernization Project (IMP) was initiated. The project was broken into two phases over a period of eight years and was designed to improve air-to-air and air-to-ground combat capabilities, upgrade sensors and the defensive suite, and replace the datalinks and communications systems on board the CF-18 from the old F/A-18A and F/A-18B standard to the current F/A-18C and D standard. Boeing (merged with McDonnell Douglas), the primary contractor, and L-3 Communications the primary subcontractor, was issued a contract for the modernization project starting in 2002. A total of 80 CF-18s, consisting of 62 single-seat and 18 dual-seat models were selected from the fleet for the upgrade program. The project is supposed to extend the life of the CF-18 until around 2017 to 2020.
Incremental Modernization Project Phase I Replacement of the AN/APG-65 radar with the new AN/APG-73 radar, which has triple the processing speed and memory capacity, while also incorporating Terrain Following and Terrain Avoidance modes for low level ground attack missions. Furthermore, the new AN/APG-73 radar is also capable of guiding the modern AIM-120 AMRAAM medium range missile. Addition of the AN/APX-111 Combined Interrogator and Transponder, otherwise known as an IFF (Identification Friend or Foe). The new IFF brings the CF-18 up to current NATO standards for combat identification. Replacement of the radios with the new AN/ARC-210, RT-1556/ARC VHF/UHF Radio. This radio, capable of line-of-sight communications on VHF/UHF frequencies as well as HAVE QUICK, HAVE QUICK II, and SINCGARS waveforms resolved the issues of compatibility with allied forces, and are more resistant to jamming. Replacement of the mission computers with the General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems AN/AYK-14 XN-8 mission computer with increased memory and processing capabilities. Replacement of the Stores Management System with the Smiths Aerospace AN/AYQ-9 Stores Management System. This makes the CF-18 more compatible with the latest of precision guided munitions (PGMs) and furthermore adds the MIL-STD-1760 interface for use of the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile and the JDAM family of GPS-guided bombs. Installation of a Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) capability, enhancing the CF-18's navigational capabilities.
Within the same time frame, other non-IMP upgrades include: Installation of a new infrared sensor pod. Replacement of the old cathode-ray tube cockpit instrument panels with new flat paneled, full colour LCD displays from Litton Systems Canada (now L-3 Es Canada).Cook, Kathleen. "Boeing Awarded Contract with Canada to Update Displays on F/A-18s." boeing.com, 26 July 2002. Retrieved: 5 June 2010. Addition of a new night vision imaging system. Purchase of the AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range missiles and other advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. Application of a landing gear "get well" program to reduce corrosion and improve gear retraction. Replacement of the existing CF-18 flight simulators with the Advanced Distributed Combat Training System.
The first completed "Phase I" CF-18 was delivered to the Canadian Forces on time in May 2003.Collier-Jennings, Faith, et al. "Boeing Delivers First CF-18 Aircraft from Modernization Project." boeing.com, 14 May 2003. Retrieved: 5 June 2010. Final delivery of all "Phase I" CF-18s was done at a ceremony on 31 August 2006 at L-3 Communications in Mirabel, Quebec.Frost, Patricia and Dianna Ramirez. "Boeing Completes First Phase of CF-18 Aircraft Modernization Project." Boeing, 31 August 2006. Retrieved: 14 March 2010.
Incremental Modernization Project Phase II
Phase II of the CF-18 Incremental Modernization Project was awarded to Boeing on 22 February 2005. It consists of the following upgrades: Addition of a Link 16 data net system to the aircraft, enhancing interoperability with major NATO allies. Integration of the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System from Boeing, BAE Systems, DRDC and L-3 Communications MAS."CF-18 Aircraft Crewstation Demonstrator System Upgrade." DRDC, 6 January 2003. Retrieved: 14 March 2010."Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS)." Boeing. Retrieved: 14 March 2010.Deaton, Tim and Pat Frost. "Backgrounder: Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS)." Boeing, August 2008. Retrieved: 8 June 2010. Addition of a crash survivable flight data recorder. Upgrade of the electronic warfare suite.
Within the same time frame, other upgrades unrelated to the IMP phases include the following. A fuselage Centre Barrel Replacement Project (for 40 of the upgraded aircraft) An Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation System An Integrated Electronic Warfare Support Station An Electronic Warfare Test Equipment Project