Hobby Master HA5130 | F/A-18F "Topgun 50th Anniversary Scheme" 165796 NAWDC, US Navy

General Background:

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 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, a big savings in dollars. The first F/A-18E flight was in 1995 and began delivery to the USN in 1999.

The Aircraft:

The filming of “TOPGUN: Maverick” in 2019 coincided with the 50th Anniversary of Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) at NAS Fallon, NV. Due to production delays and Covid the movie wasn’t released until 2022. During the filming 3 F/A-18s were used for various scenes with two aircraft wearing the same numbers 00 and pilot’s name under the cockpit. Altogether there were three aircraft used during the filming, two F/A-18Es (165636 first and then 165667) and one F/A-18F (165796) with the latter one used to film with Tom Cruise in the backseat.

McDonnell Douglas original designer, merged with Boeing 1997
F/A-18E Super Hornet
Crew - F/A-18E x 1 / F/A-18F x 2
Role – Multi-role attack and fighter
Performance
Powerplants – 2 x F414-GE-400 turbofans
Thrust (Static) – 22,000 lbs (9,977kg) per engine
Ceiling – 50,000 ft +
Speed – Mach 1.8 +
Weight – Maximum Gross Take-off 66,000 lbs (29,932 kg)
Dimensions
Length – 60.3 ft (18.5 m)
Height – 16 ft (4.87 m)
Wingspan – 44.9 ft (13.68 m)
Armament
1 x M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon (internal)
Possible External Payload
AIM 9 Sidewinder
AIM 7 Sparrow
AIM-120 AMRAAM Harpoon
HARM Shrike SLAM SLAM-ER
Walleye Maverick JSOW (Joint-Stand-Off Weapon)
JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions)
An assortment of bombs, mines and rockets