2003 Iraq War

F/A-18 Hornet in the 2003 Iraq War

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Legacy Hornets were used in Operation Iraqi Freedom for carrier-based combat operations, close air support, pre-strike missions, and later close-air-support and ISR sorties over Iraq.

Weapon profileF/A-18 Hornet (Tactical)
SideUnited States and coalition forcesRoleFire SupportReconnaissance & SurveillanceTargeting Support
F/A-18 Hornet (Tactical), Carrier-capable multirole strike fighter, Aircraft & UAVs - 2003 Iraq War
Image source: F/A-18C Hornet carrier launch photo

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
VFA-113 F/A-18 Hornets from USS Abraham Lincoln conducted combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.

Sources: VFA-113 Enters Iraqi Airspace, VFA-113 AMRAAM Loading

A VFA-113 F/A-18 Hornet entered Iraqi airspace on March 28, 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sources: VFA-113 Enters Iraqi Airspace

Legacy Hornet squadrons supported Operation Iraqi Freedom with close air support and pre-strike missions.

Sources: Legacy Hornet Air Dominance

USS Harry S. Truman and Carrier Air Wing 3 used F/A-18C aircraft in close-air-support and ISR missions over Iraq in 2005.

Sources: F/A-18C Hornet over Iraq

Timeline

F/A-18 Hornet (Tactical) In 2003 Iraq War

  1. VFA-113 F/A-18C prepared for OIF combat missions

    U.S. Navy imagery showed VFA-113 ordnancemen loading an AIM-120 AMRAAM onto an F/A-18C Hornet aboard USS Abraham Lincoln while Lincoln and Carrier Air Wing 14 were conducting Operation Iraqi Freedom combat missions.

    Sources: VFA-113 AMRAAM Loading

  2. VFA-113 Hornet entered Iraqi airspace

    A U.S. Navy image record identified a VFA-113 pilot entering Iraqi airspace in an F/A-18 Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

    Sources: VFA-113 Enters Iraqi Airspace

  3. Truman air wing Hornets supported CAS and ISR over Iraq

    DVIDS described USS Harry S. Truman and Carrier Air Wing 3 as providing close air support and conducting ISR missions over Iraq while an F/A-18C Hornet was maintained in the carrier's hangar bay.

    Sources: F/A-18C Hornet over Iraq

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The F/A-18 Hornet is directly documented in the 2003 Iraq War through U.S. Navy and Department of Defense records from Operation Iraqi Freedom. A March 28, 2003 U.S. Navy image record identifies a VFA-113 pilot entering Iraqi airspace in an F/A-18 Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln with Carrier Air Wing 14 while conducting combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

NAVAIR's 45th-anniversary account of the Legacy Hornet says Cmdr. Tim Tuschinski flew the type for 15 years and supported missions in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where his squadron provided close air support for troops under fire and completed pre-strike missions. DVIDS separately documents USS Harry S. Truman and Carrier Air Wing 3 F/A-18C operations over Iraq in 2005, describing close-air-support and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Sources: VFA-113 Enters Iraqi Airspace, Legacy Hornet Air Dominance, F/A-18C Hornet over Iraq

Timeline

On March 23, 2003, Navy imagery showed VFA-113 ordnancemen loading an AIM-120 AMRAAM onto an F/A-18C Hornet aboard USS Abraham Lincoln while Lincoln and Carrier Air Wing 14 were deployed on combat missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Five days later, another Navy image record placed a VFA-113 F/A-18 Hornet entering Iraqi airspace during those operations.

By January and February 2005, F/A-18C Hornets remained part of the Iraq air campaign from USS Harry S. Truman. DVIDS records an F/A-18C in Truman's hangar bay and states that Truman and Carrier Air Wing 3 were providing close air support and conducting ISR missions over Iraq while underway in the Persian Gulf.

Sources: VFA-113 AMRAAM Loading, VFA-113 Enters Iraqi Airspace, F/A-18C Hornet over Iraq

Narrative

The documented Hornet use in this record belongs to the United States and coalition side of the 2003 Iraq War. The clearest early-war evidence comes from VFA-113, the Stingers, embarked aboard USS Abraham Lincoln with Carrier Air Wing 14. Navy image captions place the squadron's F/A-18 and F/A-18C aircraft in Operation Iraqi Freedom combat operations in March 2003, including an Iraqi-airspace mission and flight-deck ordnance loading in the Arabian Gulf.

The supported mission set was not limited to one strike profile. NAVAIR describes Legacy Hornet use in Iraq as close air support for troops under fire and pre-strike missions that prepared ground operations. DVIDS adds a later carrier-air-wing example from 2005, when USS Harry S. Truman and Carrier Air Wing 3 were using F/A-18C aircraft in close-air-support and ISR missions over Iraq.

These sources establish fielded and operational use of the Legacy Hornet in the Iraq theater, but they do not give a complete sortie count or full munition inventory for every Hornet squadron in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The record therefore treats the documented roles as carrier-based combat operations, close air support, pre-strike support, and ISR rather than a comprehensive account of every Hornet mission flown in the war.

Sources: VFA-113 Enters Iraqi Airspace, VFA-113 AMRAAM Loading, Legacy Hornet Air Dominance, F/A-18C Hornet over Iraq

Images

Conflict Context

A VFA-113 pilot in an F/A-18 Hornet entering Iraqi airspace during Operation Iraqi Freedom
A VFA-113 F/A-18 Hornet pilot entered Iraqi airspace from USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 28, 2003.

Sources: VFA-113 Enters Iraqi Airspace

VFA-113 ordnancemen loading an AIM-120 AMRAAM onto an F/A-18C Hornet aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
VFA-113 ordnancemen loaded an AIM-120 AMRAAM onto an F/A-18C Hornet aboard USS Abraham Lincoln while the ship and Carrier Air Wing 14 conducted Operation Iraqi Freedom combat missions.

Sources: VFA-113 AMRAAM Loading

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Sources