When did the USN officially designate the McDonnell Douglas/Northrop F-18 and A-18 into the F/A-18A/B Hornet?

[Pioneer]

G'day all

You wouldn't believe it, I'm at a BBQ, the conversation of Australia's tired and surplus F/A-18's has come up. The topic and the conversation has turned to whether in reality the workload of multi-role combination for a pilot equates to a 'Jack of all trades, master of none.'
I've brought up the fact that in it's original specification for the Hornet called for F-18 and A-18 derivatives to meet two seperate roles.
Now naturally, as I'm at a BBQ, I don't have my copy of James P. Stevenson's 'The Pentagon Paradox: The Development of the F-18 Hornet' with me, but does anyone know a date when the USN combined the F-18 and A-18 into the F/A-18 please?


Regards
Pioneer

 

[BlackBat242]

It was when the avionics manufacturers pointed out that there new radars were capable of having multiple air-air and air-ground modes in one set of small enough size to fit in the Hornet's airframe, along with the rest of the needed avionics.

It appears to have been in 1976, as in 1975 the Navy was still planning for F-18s & A-18s, and by March 1977 the Navy had announced there would be a single variant.

 

[Pioneer]

It was when the avionics manufacturers pointed out that there new radars were capable of having multiple air-air and air-ground modes in one set of small enough size to fit in the Hornet's airframe, along with the rest of the needed avionics.

It appears to have been in 1976, as in 1975 the Navy was still planning for F-18s & A-18s, and by March 1977 the Navy had announced there would be a single variant.

Thanks for that BlackBat242 .
It was an interesting conversation we were having and I'll forward this on to the relevant parties involved!

Regards
Pioneer