The day that the pilot Carlos Sainz flew in a Spanish EF-18B Hornet fighter of the Wing 12

Next year will mark 40 years since the EF-18 Hornet arrived in Spain, where it first served in Wing 15 in Zaragoza.

The pre-flight check and cockpit of a Spanish EF-18BM fighter explained by its pilot
A flight of two Spanish EF-18M fighters and a change of habits with Scorpion helmets

The EF-18 (the Spanish designation for the F/A-18, designated C.15 by the Air Force) is now the fighter aircraft that has been in service the longest in Spain, surpassing the Mirage F1 (38 years), the F-4C Phantom II (this fighter version was in service for 28 years), the Mirage III (22 years), the SF-5A (22 years, the last ones being converted into reconnaissance aircraft) and the Eurofighter (which has been in service for 21 years). The first EF-18s arrived in Spain at 19:00 on 10 July 1986, being assigned to Wing 15, created on 16 December 1985 and based in Zaragoza.

On March 28, 1989, Wing 12 of Torrejón began to receive its first Hornets, which arrived at that unit to replace the F-4Cs (the reconnaissance RF-4Cs remained active until October 2022 in the 123 Squadron). In 2004, the EF-18A (single-seater) and EF-18B (two-seater) of Wing 12 were the first Spanish Hornets to be modernized through an MLU (Mid-Life Update).

The EF-18s have had very illustrious crew members, including King Juan Carlos I and the then Prince of Asturias and current King Felipe VI. On November 2, 1990, Wing 12 saw rally pilot Carlos Sainz fly in one of its EF-18Bs. According to the Revista de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica (Magazine of Aeronautics and Astronautics) of the Spanish Air Force in its December 1990 issue, the flight was carried out in EF-18 12-72 (the CE.15-09, currently assigned to Wing 15 with the number 15-77). Sainz was accompanied by the then Captain Ignacio Bengoechea (today Lieutenant General and father of two fighter pilots, one an EF-18 and the other a Eurofighter).

"The takeoff was tremendous, noisy, exciting. As much as the flight, in which five point nine gees and one point zero six of Mach were reached; and almost as much as touchdown fifty minutes later. The plane was delayed for an indeterminate amount of time from landing until the engines stopped in the parking lot. No doubt to give the newly-trained pilot a break", the aforementioned magazine noted.

After the flight, there was a race between an EF-18 and Sainz’s Toyota Celica, a duel won by the fighter thanks to the tremendous thrust of its two General Electric F404-GE-400 turbofan engines. Today, Fly By Wire Aviation (a YouTube channel that I recommend you subscribe to) has published a video showing images from the early years of the EF-18s of the Wing 12, including that flight by Carlos Sainz in one of these fighters and some images of the race between the plane and the Celica:

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Main photo: Ejército del Aire. The EF-18BM CE.15-09, currently 15-77. This is the aircraft in which Carlos Sainz flew in 1990.