In order to provide more space for internal fuel, the width of the aft fuselage of the Hornet was increased by four inches over that of the YF-17, the engines were canted outwards at the front and the fuselage spine was made significantly wider and taller. However, the Hornet lacks the internal fuel capacity of larger U.S. twin-engine combat aircraft (such as the F-15), due to space economy considerations for carrier operations. To make room for the second seat in Hornet-Bs and Ds, internal fuel capacity was reduced still more by some six percent.
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This makes the F/A-18 particularly reliant on aerial refueling. The single retractable probe and hydraulic jack for the standard probe/drogue inflight connections is positioned in a flush housing on the starboard side of the fuselage just forward of the windshield. During such refueling operations, Hornets can take on an average of (2,500 l).
