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The Navy’s Light Fighter
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, replicated here in the C variant, is the primary U.S. Naval fighter in active service. The Navy wanted to replace the aging A-4 Skyhawks and A-7 Corsair IIs, as well as the legendary F-4 Phantom II, with a single multi-role light fighter. The Hornet entered service in 1983, and first saw action in 1986 over Libya. Since then, it has proven a reliable and versatile fighter which has been upgraded to modernity, with the most significant upgrades being the introduction of the F/A-18E Super Hornet, and the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft.
Details
- Type: SPH
- Class: aircraft
- Part Count: 400
- Pure Stock
- KSP: 1.10.0
About the Replica
This replica was conceived when I was looking up at a F/A-18 from underneath and noticed that there is actually a hole in the strakes. Just in front of the wing itself, there is a path for air to flow up from between the fuselage and the intake over the top surface of the wing.
This piqued my interest, and with some research and insight, I found that this was a boundary layer diverter. These are important because there is a layer of air around the aircraft which is moving much slower and is much more turbulent known as the boundary layer (it’s slowed down by friction with the aircraft skin). The goal of the intake is to have smooth flow entering the turbines of the engine (organized flow means that more energy can be imparted to the flow, making the engine more efficient), and if the boundary layer is ingested, this lowers thrust, engine performance, and engine life.
More about the Boundary Layer
The clear solution is to prevent the boundary layer from entering the inlet somehow. The easiest way (while still allowing intakes up against the fuselage) is to have a splitter plate physically divide the flow so that only the smooth free-stream
flow enters the inlet. This development was pioneered in the 1960s, with the F-4 Phantom II, and is found on the F/A-18 as well (it’s represented by the airbrakes in front of the intake on this replica)
The final piece of this puzzle is answering the question of what happens to the boundary layer after it’s been split?
, and the answer is that the flow is split again, with one half directed downwards, and the other directed upwards. On aircraft like the F-15 Eagle, this split happens in front of the wing, but on the Hornet, the air has no place to go. Therefore, the designers of the aircraft added the holes in the strakes to allow the airflow to escape over the top of the wing.
On the replica
I am currently studying to become an aerospace engineer, so the process of exploring why a seemingly mundane detail made its way onto this highly engineered aircraft is fascinating to me (and I hope that I made it seem interesting to you as well), so naturally, I wanted to include it in my own replica.
I took a lot of time getting this replica as close as I could, to do this plane justice. The performance is fantastic as well; six panthers give it enough punch, and all moving elevators make it extremely maneuverable. Plus, it’s got a couple secret goodies like a tailhook and refueling probe, and details like sensor bulges, pitot tubes, and antennae.
I can honestly say that this has joined the halls of my best craft yet
, as I continuously improve my craft.
Cheers, and happy
flying!
V 1.1 Collector’s Series
Update History
V 1.1 - 7.4.2020. Major update bringing craft to 1.10 standard
Lean version - (this one)
- made craft design more efficient overall, reducing unnecessary parts to allow more detail
- cleaned up aft fuselage
- did some overlays to make profile more accurate
- added more antennae bulges and greebles
Collector Series - (other version)
https://kerbalx.com/servo/FA-18C-Collectors-Edition
- all changes from lean version
- added decals using the flag function, VFA-147 insignia
- added a drop tank
I also realized that this is a F/A-18C (-Ds were two-seaters). I’m not changing it because it breaks links
