| 1976
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Tactical Fighter Project Office established to identify replacement for Mirage IIIO under the Next Tactical Fighter (NTF) program.
The Commonwealth of Australia establishes the Tactical Fighter Project Office to identify a replacement for the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) fleet of Mirage IIIOs. In November of that year, a Request for Proposal for the Next Tactical Fighter (NTF) is released, with 11 responses received.
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| Mar 1977 |
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Six candidates short-listed as contenders for the NTF, including the F/A-18A.
The Commonwealth announces a shortlist of six aircraft for the Mirage replacement - the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet, General Dynamics F-16, the Dassault Mirage 2000, the Panavia Tornado and the Northrop F-18L.
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| Nov 1978 |
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NTF shortlist reduced to four – F/A-18A, F-18L, F-16 and Mirage 2000.
The Commonwealth reduces the list of contenders to four, eliminating the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the Panavia Tornado.
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| 18 Nov 1978 |
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First flight of F/A-18 Hornet, St. Louis, USA.
The first F/A-18 Hornet makes its maiden flight over St Louis, Missouri, the home of McDonnell Douglas.
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| Nov 1979 |
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NTF competitors reduced to F/A-18 and F-16.
The candidate list for the replacement of the Mirage IIIO is reduced to two – the General Dynamics F-16 and the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet.
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| Sep 1980 |
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MoU signed between Australia and US for Australian production of winning NTF design
The Commonwealth signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Government for the procurement and co-production of either the F/A-18 or the F-16, depending on which aircraft was selected .
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| 20 Oct 1981 |
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F/A-18 announced as winner of NTF competition for Australia
Australia’s then Defence Minister, Sir James Killen, announces that the F/A-18 Hornet will replace the Mirage IIIO as Australia’s new front-line tactical fighter. The contract is for 75 Hornets – 57 single seat A models (designated A21-1 to A21-57) and 18 two seat B models (A21-101 to A21-118). The Hornet is selected over the F-16 due to its multi-role avionics, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile capability, and twin-engined safety.
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| 17 Mar1983 |
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F/A-18 Hornet production for USN and USMC authorised in US
Casper Weinberger, US Defence Secretary, formally authorises the production of the F/A-18 Hornet for the attack role for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Australia’s purchase of the aircraft was conditional on this authorisation.
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| 6 Jun 1984 |
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First Hornets arrive in Australia in kit form
The third and fourth Australian Hornets off the production line, A21-103 and A21-104, arrive at Avalon Airport. The jets, which were assembled at the McDonnell Douglas facilities in St Louis, Missouri, were disassembled and transported aboard a USAF C-5 Galaxy to Avalon for reassembly by the Government Aircraft Factories (GAF).
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| 13 Aug 1984 |
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First Australian Hornet flies in St. Louis, US
The first Australian Hornet, A21-101, makes its inaugural flight over St Louis, Missouri, where the aircraft was built.
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| 29 Oct1984 |
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First two Hornet’s handed over to RAAF in St Louis
Aircraft A21-101 and A21-102, built at the McDonnell Douglas factories in St Louis, Missouri, are officially handed over to the RAAF .
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| 16 Nov 1984 |
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First Australian built Hornet rolled out at Avalon, Victoria.
Aircraft A21-103, considered the first Australian-built Hornet, is formally rolled out at a ceremony at Avalon in front of dignitaries including Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
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| 28 Nov 1984 |
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First Australian built Hornet engine completed by CAC.
The first F404 engine to be built in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (which merged with Hawker de Havilland in 1986 to become Hawker de Havilland Victoria) is delivered.
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| 26 Feb 1985 |
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First flight of first Australian built Hornet at Avalon
Aircraft A21-103 is the first Hornet to fly in Australia. It was flown by McDonnell Douglas test pilot, Rudi Haug, at Avalon. On this flight, A21-103 reached a speed of Mach 1.6 at 40,000ft.
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| 4 May 1985 |
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Handover of first Australian built Hornet to RAAF
Aircraft A21-103 is formally handed over to the RAAF at a ceremony at Avalon .
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| 17 May 1985 |
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First two Australian Hornet’s arrive at RAAF Base Williamtown, following epic ferry flight.
The first two Australian Hornets, A21-101 and A21-102, leave US Naval Air Station Lemoore, California for RAAF Base Williamtown, NSW. The 12,640km flight took 15 hours and each aircraft required 13 refuels from a United States Air Force KC-10 tanker. More than 45,540kg of fuel was used during the flight. The flight, named Operation Coronet, broke international aviation records for being the longest flight by a military compact aircraft.
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| 31 Dec 1985 |
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Hornet deliveries made throughout the year: 1 A model and 7 B models.
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| 29 Aug 1986 |
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3SQN receives its first two Hornet’s.
Hornets A21-8 and A21-9 are delivered to the RAAF’s first operational Hornet unit, No 3 Squadron at Williamtown.
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| 31 Dec 1986 |
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Hornet deliveries made throughout the year: 12 A models .
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| 31 Dec 1987 |
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Hornet deliveries made throughout the year: seven A models and seven B models.
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| 15 Dec 1988 |
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Last two-seat Hornet delivered to RAAF
The last two-seat B model Hornet, A21-118, is delivered to the RAAF.
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| 31 Dec 1988 |
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Hornet deliveries made throughout the year: 21 A models.
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8 Feb 1989 |
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Last Mirage IIIO retires
The last RAAF Mirage A3-101 is flown from Edinburgh to Woomera.
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| 31 Dec 1989 |
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Hornet deliveries made throughout the year: 12 A models.
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| 16 May 1990 |
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Final Australian Hornet delivered to RAAF. The final Hornet, A21-57, is handed over to the RAAF at a ceremony at RAAF Base Fairbairn in Canberra, on time and on budget. A21-57 was one of four Hornets delivered in 1990.
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| 17 Aug 1998 |
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Hornet Upgrade Program (HUG) launched.
Australia's Minister for Defence, Ian MacLachlan, announces that the RAAF will upgrade its Hornet fleet. The work will proceed under Project Air 5376, more commonly known as the Hornet Upgrade (HUG) Program, and is the fleet’s first major upgrade since it entered RAAF service. This upgrade will see the F/A-18A/B Hornets given an avionics configuration equivalent to the C/D-models. Boeing is the prime contractor for the program.
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| Apr 2000 |
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HUG Phase 1 commences at Williamtown.
HUG Phase 1 commences at RAAF Base Williamtown, with the first two aircraft commencing modifications. Phase 1 included enhancements to the mission computers and navigation systems, the incorporation of a secure voice radio, and software upgrades to allow the employment of advanced air-to-air weapons.
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| Nov2000 |
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First two HUG Phase 1 aircraft delivered to RAAF
The RAAF takes delivery of the first two Hornets to be upgraded under Phase 1 of the HUG.
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| 9 Nov 2001 |
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77SQN deploys four aircraft to Diego Garcia to support of coalition operations in Afghanistan.
Four Hornets from No. 77 Squadron are deployed to the island of Diego Garcia in support of coalition efforts in Afghanistan in the war against terror.
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| Mar 2002 |
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HUG Phase 2.1 commences at Boeing Aerospace Support Centre (BASC) Williamtown The first Hornet enters Phase 2.1 of the HUG, conducted at the Boeing Aerospace Support Centre (BASC) Williamtown. The upgrade includes the installation of new APG-73 radars, advanced software, a Combined Interrogator and Transponder system, and secure communications equipment.
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| Jun 2002 |
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Final HUG Phase 1 aircraft returned to RAAF
The final F/A-18 modified under HUG Phase 1 is accepted by the RAAF.
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| Feb 2003 |
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75SQN deploys 14 Hornets to Middle East for Operation Falconer, Australia’s contribution to the war in Iraq
No. 75 Squadron deploys 14 Hornets to the Middle East in support of Operation Falconer, Australia’s contribution to the war in Iraq. This operation was the first time that Australian fighter aircraft had been tasked to conduct offensive operations against another force since the Korean War. This was only possible due to the interoperability enhancements obtained under HUG Phases 1 and 2.1.
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| Aug 2003 |
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HUG Phase 2.1 is completed
HUG Phase 2.1 is completed at BASC Williamtown .
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| Jul 2004 |
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First two aircraft to be upgraded to HUG2.2 standard are received in US
The first two Hornets to undergo modifications for HUG Phase 2.2 arrive at the BASC at Cecil Field, Florida. Capability upgrades under Phase 2.2 include advanced systems such as Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS); Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS); Tactical Aircraft Moving Map Capability (TAMMAC); and new Countermeasures Dispensing Systems (CMDS).
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| 18 Jan 2005 |
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Initial HUG2.2 upgrades are completed, and returned to RAAF for testing in US
At a ceremony at the BASC in Cecil Field, Florida, Boeing returns to the RAAF the first two Hornets to undergo HUG Phase 2.2 modifications. Aircraft begin Verification and Validation testing in US.
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