F/A-18 Hornet War Thunder Guide

F/A-18A – The Entry-Level Fighter (BR 12.0-12.3)

She kicks off the lineup at the low end, and people rag on her way too much. Sure, the missiles suck – AIM-9L and AIM-7F/M Sparrows all day. Those 9Ls have zero IRCCM, so forget close scraps against anyone half-decent, and the Sparrows? They ditch lock like it’s nothing.

Nobody mentions this, though – the frame handles like a dream. Up at 12.3, half your foes can’t touch your agility, or they’re slugs that can’t match your turns. She holds speed solid through long pulls, and that M61A1 Vulcan? It carves planes apart once you’re lined up.

Key Stats:

• Engine: 2× General Electric F404-GE-400
• Max speed: 1,789 km/h at altitude
• Climb rate: 205 m/s (stock) / 253.5 m/s (spaded)
• Turn time: ~24 seconds

Biggest pain? She’s sluggish against the big dogs. Mach 2.1 looks fine on stats, but you’ll eat dust trying to bug out from real threats. Spotting matters huge – you can’t chase F-14s who just burner away clean.

F/A-18C Early – Premium Powerhouse (BR 12.7)

This premium slots right between the basic A and the endgame C Late. Drop 79.99€ and you snag the jet, 30 days premium, 3,000 Golden Eagles – mods all ready to roll.

Why shell out? AIM-7P Sparrows and AIM-9M Sidewinders. The 9Ms pack IRCCM at last, so you can actually mix it up close without flares ruining your day. Better Sparrows shrug off chaff more, even if they’re no magic bullet.

Bigger deal – the NCTR (Non-Cooperative Target Recognition) system IDs foes way out without leaning on IFF alone. In massive 16v16 brawls, it cuts down on blue-on-blue nonsense and gets you locks faster.

Ground attack ramps up too:

• GBU-12/16/10/24 Paveway II/III laser-guided bombs
• AGM-62A Walleye II ER/DL TV-guided bombs
• AGM-65E/F Mavericks
• AN/AAS-38A targeting pod

That 262% RP multiplier? It shreds the grind to the C Late. Stack it with talismans, and folks wrap the line in a weekend.

F/A-18C Late – Top-Tier King (BR 14.0)

Up here, the Hornet owns the field. Facing Typhoons, Rafales, Su-30s at 14.0 – stuff that should smoke you everywhere. But the C Late fights back with missile spam that tilts matches.

AIM-120B and AIM-120C-5 AMRAAMs flip the script. Load up to 10 AMRAAMs (8 + 2× AIM-9M works better in reality). Bs snap to speed quick inside 20 km. C-5s cut drag and stretch further, killer for BVR past 25 km.

My go-to setup:

• 6× AIM-120B (inner pylons)
• 2× AIM-120C-5 (outer pylons)
• 2× AIM-9M (wingtip rails)
• 1× 330-gallon drop tank (centerline)

Packs 8 active radar shots and IR backups, fuel for 30+ minutes burning hard. B vs C-5? Less about picking one – mix ’em for whatever range hits.

HMD (Helmet-Mounted Display) lets missiles chase your gaze – huge in turns when they think they’re clear of your nose. Pair with 9M IRCCM, and you nail shots that leave ’em scratching heads.

Fresh ground tools:

• JDAM GPS-guided bombs (GBU-38/32/31/64)
• LJDAM laser/GPS hybrid (GBU-54B, GBU-62 ER)
• APKWS II laser-guided rockets (14× AGR-20A/B per pod)
• LITENING II targeting pod (beats the old AN/AAS-38)

GPS drops wreck CAS – lob from 8,000+ meters, no laser babysitting, then jink away. Radar-mark, release, and it nails within 3 meters.

F/A-18E Super Hornet – The New Top Dog (BR 14.3)

Super Hornet? That’s a 90% airframe overhaul under the same old shell. Not some tweak – total rebuild.

What changed:

• New F414-GE-400 engines (9,470 kgf thrust each with afterburner)
• Increased wing area + composite materials = more lift + less weight
• 11 hardpoints (up from 9)
• AN/APG-79 AESA radar (Active Electronically Scanned Array)
• ATFLIR targeting pod with better thermal imaging

AESA radar? Total beast. No antenna wobble like old scans – it juggles multiples, flips air/ground on a dime, laughs off jams, spots stealthy stuff far out.

Max haul? 12× AIM-120s + 2× AIM-9M + tank. 14 missiles total. You won’t fire all before fuel runs dry or you eat dirt, but enemies bail when they see that arsenal.

Catch is – she’s the slowest at 14.3. Lags Typhoons, Rafales, Su-30s flat out. She pulls ahead in climb and accel to Mach 1.4, but speed chases? You’re toast.

Play it vertical – thrust-weight crushes there over raw velocity. Hit 8,000-9,000 meters (dodge contrails), hold energy, let AESA spot first and fire.

BVR (Beyond Visual Range) – The META Playstyle

Top tier? BVR calls the shots. First shot from 30+ km usually seals it – if the missile doesn’t flop on dodges.

Standard BVR sequence:

1. Climb immediately at match start – 15° angle, afterburner, heading 30° off-center from the furball. Don’t climb straight toward enemies; offset your path to avoid head-on jousts with faster opponents.
2. Level off at 8,000-9,000 meters – below 10,000 meters to stay under contrail formation (contrails announce your position to everyone). If your team needs help lower, adjust accordingly, but altitude equals energy equals survival.
3. Enable TWS (Track-While-Scan) mode – locks multiple targets without alerting their RWR (Radar Warning Receiver) until you go to STT (Single Target Track) for missile launch. The Super Hornet’s AESA excels here; older variants need more care with radar mode selection.
4. Fire AMRAAMs at 20-25 km for B variants, 25-30 km for C-5s – launching downward (you’re higher than opponents) gives missiles extra energy. Aim for targets that are:
   • Heading toward you (closure rate increases hit probability)
   • Not notching (flying perpendicular to your radar – defeats Doppler)
   • Not climbing aggressively (climbing targets can defeat pitbull missiles easier)
5. Immediately crank 60-90° after launch – maintain radar lock initially, then break lock once the missile goes pitbull (active homing). This positions you defensively while keeping missile energy high.

Defensive notching: When someone launches at you, turn perpendicular to their radar beam. Your closure rate drops to zero, and Doppler radar loses lock. Combine with chaff (pop 4-6 bursts while notching) and altitude changes. The Hornet bleeds energy in hard notches, so only commit when necessary – unlike the F-15 which can sustain these maneuvers indefinitely.

Dogfighting – Low-Speed Superiority

BVR busts, and you’re in the merge? Hornet turns nasty. Drop to low speed (500-700 km/h) – big surfaces and AoA let you dominate.

Nose pulls 30-40° over the vector – point at ’em while flying elsewhere. Old-school pilots get baited right into your sights.

Dogfight tactics:

Two-circle fight (vertical): Leverage climb. Yo-yo up on overshoot, slow at peak, roll down, dive their line. She stays crisp below 400 km/h where others mush out.

One-circle fight (horizontal): Steer clear vs Typhoons or Rafales – they out-turn sustained. Against bricks like Su-30s or F-15s, win rates at 500-600 km/h corners. Slower? Radius shrinks; faster? Can’t tighten.

Vertical displacement: Tail on you? Skip flat – go up. Burner full, yank vertical, flip at 200 km/h. Thrust-weight hangs you there, nose down while they flail. Snap a 9M mid-weirdness.

Gun kills: M61A1 needs deflection shooting – aim where the opponent will be, not where they are. At convergence (600 meters default), your rounds focus into a tight cone. Burst 0.3-0.5 seconds, observe, correct, burst again. Going full auto wastes ammo and creates dispersion.

Ground Attack – CAS Done Right

Hornets crush mixed battles – spawn separate from F-15E, so you hop in cheap even after Eagles burn SP.

Anti-tank loadout (C Late/Super Hornet):

• 4× AGM-65E Mavericks (laser-guided, longer standoff)
• 2× GBU-12 Paveway II (backup precision)
• 2× AIM-120 (self-defense)
• 2× AIM-9M (emergency IR)
• LITENING II or ATFLIR pod

Mavericks from 8-10 km slant. TV/IR seekers fire-forget on still stuff, laser for movers. Hang above 4,000 meters – dodges most SPAA radars.

Base bombing (all variants):

• 4× GBU-31 JDAM (2,000 lb GPS bombs)
• Drop tank
• 2× AIM-120 minimum

Climb 7,000+ meters, side-angle bases, radar-mark each, ripple JDAMs. One GBU-31 eats ~20% of a base; four clear one or split ’em. GPS means no loiter risk – mark, drop, bolt.

SPAA hunting (Super Hornet):

• 14× APKWS II rockets (laser-guided 70mm)
• ATFLIR pod
• Full air-to-air loadout otherwise

APKWS smartens rockets. Pods hold 14; ripple 2-3. Hits 3-6 km. Nails Tunguskas and Pantsirs thinking they’re hidden.