Hornets To Canada

[winston]

I've seen a media advice from the Canadians that the handover of the first 2 RAAF Hornets to the RCAF will be on 17 February at Cold Lake, Canada. Representatives from the RAAF will be there for the occasion. The sales agreement is for 18 Hornets, plus up to 7 for spares.

Any idea of the serials of these 2?

My understanding is that the Canadians have reserved two blocks for their serials:

F/A-18A – 188001 to 188099
F/A-18B – 188101 to 188199

I've been told the new RCAF serials will use the RAAF serials as the last, last two, or last three digits as applicable. For example A21-1 would become 188001, A21-50 would become 188050, and A21-111 would become 188111.

Thanks

[winston]

I've since been let know that the 2 Hornets handed over yesterday were A21-53 and A21-55. Their new serials are 188053 and 188055 respectively.

There is an article from the Ottawa Citizen https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/def...-are-the-photos




This post has been edited by winston on Feb 18 2019, 09:45 AM

[Luig]

Oz Aviation has a story also: http://australianaviation.com.au/2019/02/c...lassic-hornets/

"...two F/A-18A single-seat classic Hornets, RAAF tail numbers A21-53 and A21-55, arrived at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in Alberta on February 16, following their deployment to Exercise Red Flag 19-1 in Nevada...."

Official F/A-18 Hornet Hand Over at Cold Lake Canada 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMkERR4Ptw4

[Martin Edwards]

Jeez aren't some of the Canadians having a sook.
You would think we were selling them used Mirages!

[Martin Edwards]

Photos and videos here

[Martin Edwards]

The first Hornet A3-53 now wears Canadian colours as 188053
A freshen up of the paint including a fake canopy
The second of the Hornets, A3-55 is parked in background
Photo via Canadian Forces Instagram

Attached Image

[Brendan Cowan]

I'm actually quite surprised at how quickly this has happened.

[GregHyde]

From July Combat Aircraft

LAST EX-RAAF INTERIM FIGHTERS ARRIVE IN CANADA[B]

ARRIVING AT Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, Quebec, on April 29 were the last of 18 former Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18A/B Hornets that will enter operational service with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Referred to by the RCAF as Interim Fighters, the Hornets will be updated to Canadian standards before entering service.

The Canadian government announced its intention to pursue the purchase of supplemental F/A-18 aircraft from Australia on December 13, 2017. The two
governments subsequently signed an agreement permitting Canada to purchase 18 flyable and up to seven non-flyable aircraft, the latter as spare parts and training aids.

The initial pair of Hornets arrived at 4 Wing/CFB Cold Lake, Alberta, on February 16, 2019, following participation in a Red Flag Exercise at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

The jets were formally transferred by the government of Australia to Canada five days later. The RCAF carried out the first flight of one of the Interim Fighter aircraft on May 22, 2019 and declared initial operational capability on June 28
that year. From November 17, 2019, the remaining 16 Interim Fighters were delivered to the L3Harris Technologies facility at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport.

The operational aircraft comprise 12 single-seat F/A-18As and six two-seat F/A-18Bs. The aircraft will supplement Canada’s existing 76 Hornets and
will allow the fleet to remain in service until 2032.