Spanish Air Force McDonnell Douglas EF-18 (F/A-18) Hornet ? 12th Wing, Torrejón

Of the total of 1,480 F/A-18 Hornets built, the vast majority were delivered to the United States Navy and the Marine Corps. Export sales accounted for only a small percentage of total production. Three European countries ordered several examples of this highly manoeuvrable multi-role fighter and continue to operate them to this day: Finland, Switzerland and Spain. The Spanish Air Force brought 60 single-seat F-18As into service between 1985 and 1990 and supplemented these in the late 1990s with 24 aircraft decommissioned by the US Navy. These have been continuously modernised and are used both as all-weather interceptors and for ground attack missions. In Spain, the EF-18 ? as it is known internationally (where the ?E? stands for ?España?) ? is locally designated as the C.15 (the ?C? stands for ?Caza?, meaning fighter aircraft). The emblem of the 12th Squadron, which is stationed in Torrejón outside Madrid, features a cat ? a common nickname for people from Madrid (?gatos?). The unit?s motto, ?No le busques los tres pies al gato? (?Don?t look for the cat?s three paws?), is a quote from Miguel de Cervantes? novel *Don Quixote*, meaning that one should not overthink situations. The motto symbolises the unit?s pragmatic and direct approach to combat.

A scale model, faithful to the original, for adult collectors.