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 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.
F/A-18A Hornet A21-26 was delivered to the RAAF on March 31, 1988 and became the first aircraft to be assigned to 75 Squadron. The aircraft first flew with 75 Squadron in April and in September 1988 both 75 Squadron and A21-26 arrived at RAAF Tindal. In 2005 the aircraft received a special paint scheme to mark the 20th Anniversary of Hornet operations with the RAAF and was first shown at the Avalon Airshow that year. Over its service time; A21-26 spent time with 3SQN, 75SQN, 77SQN, 2OCU and ARDU.