COBI F/A-18C Hornet Swiss Air Force Set 5819

COBI's F/A-18C Hornet Swiss Air Force is a 1:48 model built from 540 blocks, 36 cm long, under Boeing licence in Swiss markings. The landing gear folds, the wheels rotate, a full weapons load hangs under the wings, and the cockpit takes a pilot figure. A brick display stand and a nameplate are included. All markings are printed.

Switzerland built its own Hornets

Thirty-four aircraft were ordered in 1992 — 26 single-seat C and 8 two-seat D. Exactly two of them were built in the United States.

The other thirty-two were assembled at RUAG's works in Emmen, from kits of parts shipped from America. That was a condition of the purchase, and it is how Switzerland has bought combat aircraft for decades: the Mirage IIIS in the 1960s was assembled in the same factory under the same principle.

The reasoning is not about cost — licence assembly of a small run is more expensive, not less. It is about being able to maintain, repair and overhaul the aircraft without depending on anyone else. A neutral country that cannot service its own air force has a neutrality that lasts exactly as long as the supplier's goodwill.

The same thinking produced the D-3801 version of the Morane-Saulnier in the 1940s and keeps Swiss F-5s flying today.

It replaced the Mirage

The Hornet took over from the Mirage IIIS, and Switzerland has since put its fleet through an upgrade programme intended to keep the aircraft flying into the 2030s — bridging the gap until the F-35s arrive.

In the COBI range

Set 5827 is the Mirage IIIS this aircraft replaced, assembled in the same Swiss factory. Set 5857 is the F-5E in Patrouille Suisse colours. Sets 5805 and 5805A are the larger F/A-18E Super Hornet.

Specifications

Pieces: 540 · Figures: 1 pilot · Scale: 1:48 · Licensed by Boeing · Display stand and nameplate
Model dimensions: 36 × 30 × 11 cm (14.2 × 11.8 × 4.3 in)