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2OCU unveils special scheme as it starts last year of Hornet ops

written by australianaviation.com.au | January 9, 2019

A21-116 wearing its latest Tiger scheme to commemorate 2OCU’s final year of F/A-18 Hornet operations. (Defence)

The RAAF’s No 2 Operational Conversion Unit (2OCU) has unveiled a special paint scheme on one of its F/A-18Bs to commemorate its final year of classic Hornet operations.

The aircraft, A21-116, was rolled out on January 8 at RAAF Amberley where it was painted. The design features 2OCU’s distinctive black on orange tiger stripes on the aircraft’s upper forward fuselage, spine and on the inside of the vertical fins, and a 2OCU tiger head on black background on the outside of the fins.

photo – Defence

2OCU was the RAAF’s first F/A-18A/B ‘classic’ Hornet unit, taking delivery of its first aircraft, A21-101, at the US Navy’s NAS Lemoore in California in 1984. That aircraft and A21-102 were delivered to Australia in April 1985 after completing a non-stop 14-hour ferry flight from Lemoore to RAAF Williamtown, a flight that to this day is still the longest non-stop Hornet flight.

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The unit is expected to relinquish its F/A-18s in December at the completion of the RAAF’s final classic Hornet operational conversion course (OPCON), after which it will be re-established at Luke AFB in Arizona to take delivery of its first F-35A Lightning IIs.

2OCU is the scheduled to return to Williamtown with its F-35As in late 2020, in time for the RAAF to declare an initial operational capability (IOC) with the new aircraft.

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Comments (3)

  • Allan

    says:

    Appropriate scheme for the final year. I hope all of Oz get a chance to see it at some stage.

  • Hogesone

    says:

    Any chance it will go to the 2019 NATO Tiger Meet?

  • Richard

    says:

    Love this scheme, well done 2 OCU!

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