Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Requested by Luca, Louis and Evan, who I met at the show, here is the second display of the day from the Finnish Air Force McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet, this time flown by Captain Ville Tuomainen, at RAF Fairford, on Sunday of the Royal International Air Tattoo 2025.
You can also see a bit of the pilot's perspective here - https://x.com/FinnishAirForce/status/1947631513895362788
The aircraft is from Hävittäjälentolaivue (HävLLv) 11 (Fighter Squadron 11), based at Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland.
The F-18 Hornet began life as the Northrop YF-17 Cobra which lost the US Air Force's lightweight fighter competition to what would eventually become the ubiquitous F-16. Chosen by the US Navy as a more survivable platform with two engines, the F/A-18A Hornet entered operational service first with the US Marine Corps in 1983. The Hornet is a multi-role combat aircraft capable of conducting various missions from both land and sea. During 1987 the Hornet was upgraded with new weapons, radar and avionics that improved the all-weather combat capability of the aircraft, these aircraft were designated the F/A-18C. The F/A-18C is now affectionately known as the "Legacy Hornet".
Finland originally ordered 64 Hornets (57 C and 7 two-seat D models) in 1992 with deliveries commencing in 1995. All single seat C models were built in Finland and replaced the Saab Draken and MiG-21 with an advanced self-protection jammer. The aircraft have been upgraded throughout their service life and in 2012 received a substantial stand-off air to ground capability. During 2021, Finland chose to replace its Hornet fleet with the F-35A Lightning II.
Most of Finland's Hornet fleet is divided between Lapland Air Command (Fighter Squadron 11) and Karelia Air Command (Fighter Squadron 31) to form the backbone of the Air Force's combat capability. Carrying the military designation HN, they are flown on peacetime training and air policing missions. In a time of crisis, the Hornets are set to execute defensive counter air operations to protect Finland's vital assets, civilian population, and operations conducted by all services against air attacks. The aircraft can also be tasked to support joint operations with long-range stand off weapons.
The wide range of modern weapons the aircraft can carry combined with its sensor suite and data link systems enables beyond and within visual range engagements under all weather and lighting conditions, either by a single aircraft or by packages in seamless cooperation with surface-based air defense units and other air defense assets. In the event of crisis, Hornets can be deployed to operate from dispersed highway strips.
The Finnish Air Force F/A-18 fleet has had an extensive mid-life
upgrade program. The first phase, MLU 1 in 2006–10, maintained and improved its air-to-air capability, with fitment of a helmet-mounted sighting system for better close-range combat capability and the new AIM-9X version of the infra-red guided Sidewinder missile and a new identification friend-or-foe combined interrogator/transponder for easier identification during combat, supplemented by a tactical moving map capability.
MLU 2 in 2012–16, added an air-to-ground mission capability and the associated purchase of short, medium, and long-range bombs and standoff missiles. It also gave an improved version of the radar-guided advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM). Communication and navigation systems were updated and aircraft fitted with the Link 16 tactical information distribution system datalink for combined operations, enabling cooperation between various air defense platforms and command echelons and distribution of information to support network-centric operations.
These upgrades were augmented by new LCD cockpit displays, a new BOL chaff/flare dispenser system, and a global positioning system. MLU 2 also gave software updates and spares for the rest of the service life of the aircraft, structural beefing up, and engine overhauls.
This Video and Audio content is
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight) All Rights Reserved
Requested by Luca, Louis and Evan, who I met at the show, here is the second display of the day from the Finnish Air Force McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet, this time flown by Captain Ville Tuomainen, at RAF Fairford, on Sunday of the Royal International Air Tattoo 2025.
You can also see a bit of the pilot's perspective here - https://x.com/FinnishAirForce/status/1947631513895362788
The aircraft is from Hävittäjälentolaivue (HävLLv) 11 (Fighter Squadron 11), based at Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland.
The F-18 Hornet began life as the Northrop YF-17 Cobra which lost the US Air Force's lightweight fighter competition to what would eventually become the ubiquitous F-16. Chosen by the US Navy as a more survivable platform with two engines, the F/A-18A Hornet entered operational service first with the US Marine Corps in 1983. The Hornet is a multi-role combat aircraft capable of conducting various missions from both land and sea. During 1987 the Hornet was upgraded with new weapons, radar and avionics that improved the all-weather combat capability of the aircraft, these aircraft were designated the F/A-18C. The F/A-18C is now affectionately known as the "Legacy Hornet".
Finland originally ordered 64 Hornets (57 C and 7 two-seat D models) in 1992 with deliveries commencing in 1995. All single seat C models were built in Finland and replaced the Saab Draken and MiG-21 with an advanced self-protection jammer. The aircraft have been upgraded throughout their service life and in 2012 received a substantial stand-off air to ground capability. During 2021, Finland chose to replace its Hornet fleet with the F-35A Lightning II.
Most of Finland's Hornet fleet is divided between Lapland Air Command (Fighter Squadron 11) and Karelia Air Command (Fighter Squadron 31) to form the backbone of the Air Force's combat capability. Carrying the military designation HN, they are flown on peacetime training and air policing missions. In a time of crisis, the Hornets are set to execute defensive counter air operations to protect Finland's vital assets, civilian population, and operations conducted by all services against air attacks. The aircraft can also be tasked to support joint operations with long-range stand off weapons.
The wide range of modern weapons the aircraft can carry combined with its sensor suite and data link systems enables beyond and within visual range engagements under all weather and lighting conditions, either by a single aircraft or by packages in seamless cooperation with surface-based air defense units and other air defense assets. In the event of crisis, Hornets can be deployed to operate from dispersed highway strips.
The Finnish Air Force F/A-18 fleet has had an extensive mid-life
upgrade program. The first phase, MLU 1 in 2006–10, maintained and improved its air-to-air capability, with fitment of a helmet-mounted sighting system for better close-range combat capability and the new AIM-9X version of the infra-red guided Sidewinder missile and a new identification friend-or-foe combined interrogator/transponder for easier identification during combat, supplemented by a tactical moving map capability.
MLU 2 in 2012–16, added an air-to-ground mission capability and the associated purchase of short, medium, and long-range bombs and standoff missiles. It also gave an improved version of the radar-guided advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM). Communication and navigation systems were updated and aircraft fitted with the Link 16 tactical information distribution system datalink for combined operations, enabling cooperation between various air defense platforms and command echelons and distribution of information to support network-centric operations.
These upgrades were augmented by new LCD cockpit displays, a new BOL chaff/flare dispenser system, and a global positioning system. MLU 2 also gave software updates and spares for the rest of the service life of the aircraft, structural beefing up, and engine overhauls.
This Video and Audio content is
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight) All Rights Reserved
