Hobby Master 1/72 HA3524 McDonnell Douglas F/A-18D Hornet No. 441, 9 Squadron, Kuwait Air Force, 1990s
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic twin engine all-weather night fighter and attack aircraft. The F/A-18s first flew in November 1978 and the first production flight on April 12, 1980. The first 380 aircraft were F/A-18As and in September 1987 production switched to the F/A-18C. Variants A and C are single-seat aircraft while B and D are tandem- seats. The Hornet can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases with the capability of in flight refueling. A total of 1,480 A-D variants were built.
9 Squadron Kuwait Air Force is stationed at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base along with 25 Squadron. As of 2008 these squadrons are equipped with approximately 28 McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Cs and 8 D variants. The D aircraft were produced in 1991 – 1992, KAFD001 – KAFD008 with numbers 441 through 448. After the liberation of Kuwait from Iragi forces the Kuwait AF flew missions over Iraq as part of Operation Southern Watch and have participated in several military exercises with other Gulf air forces.