The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an American multi-role fighter aircraft, initially designed to be flown aboard US Navy aircraft carriers. It entered service in the early 1980s, and to date more than 1,500 have been built and exported to a dozen countries. It is the second most used fighter aircraft in the world in 2012.

In 1993, the Swiss government completed negotiations for the purchase of 34 F/A-18 fighter aircraft (24 single-seat F/A-18Cs and 8 two-seat F/A-18Ds) from the U.S. government as part of a foreign military sale. They will likely be replaced within the next decade by a new fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

Cover photo credit : Agata Weksej