C/D conversions

Anyone know if there are any known cases of F/A-18Cs being converted to Ds or vice versa?

Anyone know if there are any known cases of F/A-18Cs being converted to Ds or vice versa?

Frankenhornet (HN-468) was an F/A-18D that used Parts from a C to repair after a mid-air collision.

That's interesting.

Has a C/D conversion ever been done in the US Navy or Marines?

As far as the US Navy goes, I'd say doubtful. You've got your RAG squadrons (replacement air group) also known as FRS (Fleet replinishmentt squadrons). The west coast it was VFA-125, and in the East VFA-106. Their roles were to replenish the fleet with qualified hornet pilots. A secondary role was to supply a squadron with a jet if one was needed. An example is, a squadron plants a jet in the ground. The FRS would be tasked with providing a similar lot / age jet with the one that was lost. The FRS squadrons maintain a ton of jets, of all lots and ages, not to mention A-D models. With the surplus of jets they maintained there would be no need to convert one. Not to mention the US navy never developed the D as a combat capable aircraft. Back when I was in the navy our sister squadron lost a jet to a mishap right before deployment. The FRS transferred them one that had been used as an aggressor in a previous lifetime. They deployed with 11 gray jets, and one in a desert camo scheme because there was no time to paint it the same as the rest.

I speak in past tense because VFA-125 now trains JSF pilots. I have no idea what 106 is up to nowadays.

Frankenhornet (HN-468) was an F/A-18D that used Parts from a C to repair after a mid-air collision.

To be precise, it used the aft fuselage of Finnish F-18C, HN-413, that survived mid-air collision, and the forward fuselage of Canadian CF-18B, the background of which I don't know. So, it was a combination of B model and C model to make up a D model.

The resulting "Frankenhornet" HN-468 was destroyed when its stabilator servo supposedly malfunctioned during an attempted recovery from a tailslide that was a part of the post-modification test flights. Reportedly, the servo malfunction at a critical moment was pure coincidence, and had nothing to do with the modification.

Hornet's fuselage is made of two major sections, which split the airplane right where the vortex splitters are located over the aft part of the LEX. Actually, these little fins are only attached from their forward end, to the front part of the fuselage... there are a couple of 'stories' about why it is so. :)

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I speak in past tense because VFA-125 now trains JSF pilots. I have no idea what 106 is up to nowadays.

125 was decommissioned while I was stationed there. It merged with 122 and it became the same type of squadron as 106, super and legacy. The two 35 RAGs are 101and now the recommissioned 125.

Slightly off-topic but related question: if an aircraft is converted from one variant to another, is its construction number changed?

e.g. F/A-18C BuNo 165407's construction number is 1448/C464.

VFA-106 "Gladiators" is still the east coast RAG out of Oceana.

VFA-122 "Eagles" is the west coast RAG out of Lemoor.

Both contribute Rhinos to the US Navy TacDemo.