| [p]RAAF F/A-18A (Early), RAAF F/A-18A (Late) and pre-order for the CF-188A: A trio of Jet Fighters for Britain at Rank VIII[/p] | [/tr]
[p]At a glance:[/p]
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Vehicle History
[p align="justify"]In the 1970s Canada, like many other countries, faced a choice of where to go with the modernisation of its jet fighter fleet. Operating 3 aging types with the, CF-101, CF-104 and CF-116 (F-5), a drastic upgrade and streamline was needed for the Royal Canadian Air Force to defend its skies and operate across its vast, often cold, territory. Canada considered many options, like the Tornado, Mirage F.1 and the American roster of F-14, F-15, F-16 and the F-18. While the F-14 came very close, geopolitics and cost lead to the F/A-18 being selected as the winner in 1980. Its characteristics already met the needs of Canadian operations, having a durable undercarriage for rough landings, twin engines for extra reliability and a suitable range for the vastness of its operational coverage, the carrier-borne routes of the Hornet perfectly suited the Canadian requirements.[/p][p align="justify"] [/p][p align="justify"]Canadian Hornets feature several modifications both internally and externally, such as lights and other bespoke changes. CF-188s have taken part in operations in the Gulf Wars, Yugoslavia, NATO Peacekeeping and even most recently, operations in the Middle East. Life extension programs have upgraded and will continue to keep the Hornet in Canadian service until a replacement can be procured. [/p][p align="justify"] [/p][p align="justify"]Australia, with a much similar mission to Canada, needed to modernise its fleet of Mirage III fighters. With considerations as far back as 1968 on the future fighter of the Royal Australian Air Force, it was not until the 1980s that the Hornet would ultimately come through as the candidate to replace them after assessing many of the same aircraft that Canada did. After allowing its preferred options in the F-16 and F-18 to mature somewhat, the decision was ultimately made to go with the F/A-18 as it became. Domestic assembly would take place in Australia, with Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) and Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) both participating in production and assembly. Hornets began to enter RAAF service in 1985, and have since been upgraded several times with the Hornet Upgrade Program (HUG), introducing new weaponry, systems, structural reworks and hardware improvements. [/p][p][/p]| [p]Pre-order - CF-188A Pack[/p] | [/tr]
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| [p]To get to the Gaijin Store through Steam, go to the in-game hangar > Shop > Online Store.[/p][p]79.99 This pack includes:[/p]
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