Australia's F/A-18 Hornet fighter is better than F-16 in terms of capabilities - Defense Express editor-in-chief Katkov

Defense Express editor-in-chief Oleh Katkov said this on Espreso TV. 

“For Australia, the transfer of these aircraft, now we are talking about 41 units, is extremely important, it is a huge number of aircraft that can be transferred by one country only with the consent of the US for re-export. F/A-18 Hornets are deck-based aircraft. They are better than the F-16 in terms of capabilities and combat effectiveness. Moreover, this aircraft was designed for extremely harsh operating conditions for deck aircraft. Despite the fact that these machines were produced in the late 80s, they have been constantly modernized,” Katkov said.

According to the expert, this fighter is already capable of performing all combat missions.

“They have integrated AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and a modern digital radar station. They can strike with JASSM cruise missiles, use Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and high-precision bombs. These machines have already been decommissioned and are in storage. Australia was planning to either sell them to a private company or put them in museums and saw them up,” he summarized.

• According to media reports, the United States, Australia, and Ukraine are discussing the possibility of transferring 41 F/A-18 aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.