The Swiss have been operating the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet since 1996. Photographs of their pilots spiritedly maneuvering the jets with mountainous terrain for backdrops are striking. When a full demonstration flight is captured in high-definition video with the sound of freedom echoing around the valley between the mountains it is definitely worth a look and a listen- preferably with the volume turned up to 11! This particular video was uploaded by YouTuber Elwyn R and captures the solo display of Swiss Air Force pilot Captain Nicolas Rossier flown during the Breitling Sion Airshow. Nice vapes!
Delivery of 26 single-seat F/A-18Cs and eight dual-seat F/A-18Ds to the Swiss Air Force began in 1996. The deliveries were complete by the end of 1999. Switzerland requested to be included in F/A-18C and F/A-18D Upgrade 25 Program to extend the useful life of their Hornets in 2007. The Upgrade 25 Program consists primarily of significant upgrades to the avionics and the primary mission computer, Raytheon Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) targeting and surveillance pods, and AN/ALR-67v3 ECM equipment. The Swiss Hornet fleet reached the 50,000 flight hour milestone in October of 2008.
