Naval Academy football uniforms spend homage to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

USS INTREPID, HUDSON RIVER, NEW YORK — At very first look, the Naval Academy’s pink, white and blue 2021 Military-Navy game uniforms appear to be mostly Independence Day-inspired. They sport a navy blue track record with a white star on each shoulder, sandwiched amongst crimson and white stripes, as an ode to the Navy’s standard military services aviation symbol, or roundel.

The inspiration for the cadets’ uniforms this calendar year isn’t merely patriotic hues — it’s the Navy’s legendary F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jet.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet — hand-painted on each and every player’s helmet — has been the spine of Navy tactical aviation functions considering that it entered operational use in 1999, replacing the F-14 Tomcat.

The Super Hornets are capable of aerial reconnaissance, aerial refueling, close air assist, working day and evening precision attacks, fighter escort and defense suppression. The Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Group, upgraded to F/A-18E’s, the one-seater model, and F’s, the two-seater, prior to the 2021 present time.

The aircraft’s forerunner, the F/A-18 Hornet, was the nation’s very first all-climate fighter/assault aircraft, intended for common near air assist operations. The F/A-18 Hornet was very first employed operationally in 1983 by the Marine Corps, with the Navy adopting the now legendary fighter jet a 12 months afterwards in 1984. The last Navy F/A-18 Hornet flew operationally for the last time from NAS Oceana on Oct. 2, 2019.

Hornets have been flown by Navy strike fighter squadrons, Navy and Maritime Corps Reserve squadrons and by the Blue Angels and are continue to flown by Maritime Corps fighter attack squadrons.

The fighter jets proved them selves all through Procedure Desert Storm, not only even though staying successfully employed to shoot down enemy fighters, but to also carry out bombing strikes in the exact same mission.

The jets had been recognised to get direct hits from floor-to-air missiles and even now be equipped to fly yet again the up coming day immediately after being repaired, according to the formal Navy web site.

They have also been crucial throughout the Worldwide War on Terror, owning been applied in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

When there are numerous Naval and Maritime Corps units that fly Hornets and Tremendous Hornets, the Strike Fighter Wing from the U.S. Atlantic Fleet is featured on this year’s jerseys. The wing, primarily based out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Seaside, Virginia, encompasses far more than 16 operational fighter squadrons.

On average, every single squadron is made up of 10-12 Tremendous Hornet aircraft, all-around 20 officers and practically 200 enlisted aviators.

The usa has a fleet of 11 nuclear-powered plane carriers that can deploy a lot more than 40 Tremendous Hornets at a time, and according to the Navy, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet will stay at the forefront of aviation functions until finally its prepared sunset in 2030.

Take note: Travel lodging for Military Navy Recreation coverage were offered by USAA, a armed service-centered insurance coverage firm.