AVIATION - MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-18ID92900064
On the obverse an image of an F/A-18 Hornet is reproduced in color. At the top, the legend F/A-18 HORNET. At the bottom, the legend ESPAÑA and the year of minting 2020 appear. The motifs and legends are surrounded by geometric figures symbolizing the shapes of the clouds.
On the reverse (common to all the pieces), the image of a two-bladed propeller is reproduced; above, the legend HISTORY OF AVIATION; below the central image, the value of the 1.5 EURO coin and the mint mark. Outside the central circle, the images of two turbines are reproduced, separated from each other by lines.
| Series | History of Aviation |
| Year | 2020 |
| Colour | Yes |
| Diameter (mm) | 33 |
| Face Value (Euro) | 1.5 |
| Metal | Cupronickel |
| Weight (g) | 15 |
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F/A 18A & B HORNET
The F/A-18 was, and continues to be in its different versions, the standard all-purpose fighter jet of the fight and attack squadrons of the United States Navy and US Marine Corps as well as of the air forces of Australia, Canada, Finland, Kuwait, Switzerland, Ma- laysia and Spain.
Spain acquired them as a result of a painstakingly thorough programme denominated Fu- ture Fight and Attack Aircraft (FACA) for selecting a model that would replace the various fighter jets in the Air Force combat units in the early 1980s and thus for standardizing the fleet in this speciality insofar as possible.
Although the experts recommended purchasing 144 units from the manufacturer, ultima- tely half that figure was acquired: 60 single-seat EF-18As and 12 two-seat dual-control EF-18Bs. The first six (all of them two-seaters) arrived in Zaragoza in July 1986 and cons- tituted the first planes of Wing 15, which was completed in successive deliveries that also augmented the material of Wing 12 of Torrejón. In Spain both versions are denominated
C.15 and CE.15 respectively.
At a later date, between 1995 and 2000 24 additional F/A-18As were acquired, surplus units from the United States Navy and Marine Corps, which went to the 462 Squadron of Wing 46 in Gando.
CHARACTERISTICS
Length: 17.07 m
Wingspan: 12.31 m
Height: 4.66 m
Maximum take-off weight: 23,451 kg
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 1,915 km/h
Operating range: 740 km
Maximum range: 3,700 km, with supplementary tanks and without external loads
ENGINES
Two double-flow General Electric F404-GE-400 jet engines with 7,265 kg maximum thrust with afterburner each one.
ARMAMENT
One 20-mm M61A1 cannon and nine external load hardpoints (six in the wings and three in under-fuselage), with capacity for a maximum of 7,500 kg.