Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Watch this military jet go TRANSONIC during AIRE 25 airshow in Spain, forming a visible shockwave cone with water vapour condensation and making use of the F-18's incredible jet performance, featuring a solo flight display that shows the jet's superior maneuverability!

This video has been edited with improved stabilization and color grading for an enhanced viewing experience. With its arsenal of aerobatic maneuvers, precision flying, and a powerful display of nose-pointing authority, the pilot delights the public with one of the longest (if not THE longest) solo flight displays I've ever seen a fighter jet perform... so this show is sure to leave none indifferent! ❤️❤️❤️

Captain Botana from Ejército del Aire's 'Ala 12' squadron (Spanish Air Force) navigates through an extended aerobatic routine with his special livery C.15, bort number #12-50 (C.15 is the spanish designation for the EF-18A Hornet), featuring the iconic black cat of the squadron's emblem on the vertical tails, exploring the entire range of speeds from slow 35-45º high alpha to 1000km/h + transonic flybys, displaying spectacular aerobatics, showing everything from maximum rate turns, square loops, minimum radius loops, loaded rolls, fast rolls, inverted flight, power climbs, and other jaw dropping maneuvers designed to delight all aviation enthusiasts attending the Aire 25 Airshow!

Against the cloudy backdrop of Santiago de la Ribera's skies in the Murcia region, the spanish Hornet carves through the air with precision and power, its thunderous roar resonating as it gracefully maneuvers, leaving trails of vapor and clouds in its wake!

Whether you're an ardent 'Top Gun: Maverick' fan or simply an aviation enthusiast, the breathtaking shots of the EF-18A in action will undoubtedly elicit a reaction!

Aire 25's official site: aire25.es

00:00 - Greetings flyby
00:30 - Hard right turn + high yo-yo
00:58 - Inverted Flight
01:19 - Hard pull up + split S
01:50 - Roll + minimum radius turn
02:35 - Hard pull up + flying away + roll
03:09 - Wide loaded roll + transition to high alpha
04:35 - High alpha flyby
06:00 - Split S + afterburning roll
06:50 - Half cuban 8 + extreme harsh pull up (post stall)
07:40 - Accelerating to transonic speed
08:15 - TRANSONIC FLYBY!!!
08:25 - Vertical climb exit & roll
08:45 - Pilot addresses to the public over radio
09:50 - LOADED ROLL (post stall) + 45º afterburning climb
10:18 - Split S + SQUARE LOOP!!! + 45º rolling climb
11:35 - Split S + minimum radius loop
12:15 - Pilot's goodbye message + rolling salute

The F-18 Hornet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather, carrier-capable, multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft. Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing and Northrop), the F-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

The F/A-18 has excellent aerodynamic characteristics, primarily attributed to its leading edge root extensions, that coupled with a digital fly-by-wire control system, allow the Hornet to remain controllable at high angles of attack. The trapezoidal wing has a 20-degree sweepback on the leading edge and a straight trailing edge. Canted vertical stabilizers are another distinguishing design element, one among several other such elements that enable the Hornet's excellent high angle of attack ability, including oversized horizontal stabilators, oversized trailing-edge flaps that operate as flaperons, large full-length leading-edge slats, and flight control computer programming that boosts the jet's maneuverability.


SPECIFICATIONS

Crew: 1
Length: 17.1 m
Wingspan: 12.3 m
Height: 4.7 m
Wing area: 38 m2
Aspect ratio: 4
Airfoil: root: NACA 65A005 mod.; tip:NACA 65A003.5 mod.
Empty weight: 10433 kg
Gross weight: 16769 kg
MTOW: 23541 kg
Fuel capacity: 4930 kg internally
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F404-GE-402 afterburning turbofan engines, 49 kN thrust each dry, 79 kN with afterburner
Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1915 km/h at 12000 m)
Cruise speed: 1062 km/h
Range: 2017 km
Combat range: 741 km air-air mission
Ferry range: 3334 km
Service ceiling: 15000 m
Rate of climb: 250 m/s
Wing loading: 450 kg/m2
Thrust/weight: 0.96 (1.13 with loaded weight at 50% internal fuel)

More info here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18_Hornet

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