The U.S. Navy's final F/A-18C Hornet has officially retired from active duty.
The service announced this month that its last twin-engine, multirole C model made its final flight at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, on Oct. 2. The 31-year-old Hornet's sunset flight included three F/A-18F Super Hornets, marking the Navy's transition, which began decades ago, to the more capable and advanced fighter.
The Hornet, tail number 300, was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA)-106 "Gladiators" at Cecil Field, Florida, for its entire service life. The Navy accepted the aircraft on Oct. 14, 1988; the pilot for its final flight, Lt. Andrew Jalali, was also born that same year, according to a Navy news release.
The F-18 will be stripped of its usable parts, which will be repurposed elsewhere, the service said.
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The Gladiators have transferred more than "50 Hornets to various Navy Reserve and U.S. Marine aviation commands" within the last year, according to the release. VFA-106, the Navy's fleet replacement squadron on the East Coast, trains naval aviators on the F-18.
In February, the Strike Fighter Squadron 34 "Blue Blasters" of NAS Oceana marked their own final Hornet flight -- the last by a deployable squadron.
The Marine Corps, which did not acquire the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, will continue to fly the aircraft until it is replaced by the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. That transition will begin soon and be completed no later than 2032.
-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
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