Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series
HA3565F/A-18A Hornet "Cylon 02" BuNo 162416, VFA-127, US Navy, 1995
General Background
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.
The Aircraft
VA-127 was established in 1962 and became VFA-127 on March 1, 1987. In the beginning the unit was known as “Royal Blues”, nicknamed “Batmen” but in 1981 they became “Cylons”. VFA-127 was designated as the Navy aggressor squadron. VFA-127 called NAS Fallon home from October 1, 1987 until March 23, 1996 when they were disestablished. VFA-127 operated the F/A-18A/B Hornet from March 1992 until dissolution in 1996. The excess aircraft were sent to other units or sold to other countries. 162416 was sold to Spain in 1995 and became C.15-75.
