诺斯罗普代表团于 1988 年 9 月来到巴黎，支持其 40+ F18(FN) 代表法国海军。它是由 CV Robert Feuilloy（1988-1989 年海军总部负责核航母计划的官员）在福煦号上拍摄的航母停靠在土伦，并参观了舰上的航空基础设施。
来自法国海军和诺斯罗普的专家和工程师得出的结论是，航母只需要进行一些小改动（当时价值相当于一架 F-18），主要涉及弹射器和喷气偏导器。此外，电梯与大黄蜂完全兼容。1989 年 8 月，两架美国海军 F/A-18C 大黄蜂（VI 舰队）计划在Foch (R99) 上进行兼容性测试。

因为政府放弃了该计划。法国海军大黄蜂计划的失败部分得到了三重决定的补偿：将 F-8E 十字军战士升级到 F-8P（P 代表 Prolongé）标准，将第一批阵风战机分配给海军而不是空军，最后重新调整该计划的预算平衡以支持海军。租赁或购买 20 多架新飞机或二手飞机本来可以让海军等待 ACM。然而，这一选择遭到了国家制造商达索航空的批评，它拒绝看到海军采取这样的行动，因为这会危及自己飞机阵风的未来。时任达索负责技术事务、研究与合作的副总裁 Bruno Revellin-Falcoz 提出了这个问题：你怎么能要求法国制造商开发高性能作战飞机，同时考虑购买外国飞机无法满足要求？”。

然而，法国国防部长让-皮埃尔·舍维内芒 (Jean-Pierre Chevènement) 表示，他正在等待“收集到所有条件，然后在适当的时候做出必须符合法国利益的决定”。海军中将 Yves Goupil 和 Guirec Doniol 曾明确表示，他们希望 F-18 在阵风 M 到来之前成为填补空白的产品，而不是像他们被指责的那样，成为阵风 M 的纯粹而简单的替代品。
海军还确认大黄蜂只是权宜之计，并坚持要求的飞机数量很少；12 到 15 架二手 F-18

The " tricolor " Hornet : the F-18(FN)
A first try in the late 70's
Northrop and McDonnell-Douglas' project was found very interesting by the French Air Force and Navy, which were seeking to replace the interceptors in their squadrons.
The Air Force was already studying the Mirage 2000 (first flight on March 11th 1978) and the big Mirage 4000 (still on the drawing board, but similar in performance to the F-14 Tomcat) as a replacement for the ageing Mirage IIIC, but decided to try the American YF-17/18 Hornet. As for the Navy, it was replacing its Etendard IVM with Super Etendards, but needed an aircraft capable of fulfilling theCrusader's (in service since 1964) fleet defence mission, but also capable of strike missions to support the Super Etendards and replace the final Etendard IVMs. Some 40 aircraft were required. That was the situation Northrop was facing when it contacted the Air Force, which was supposed to send two pilots from the BPM (Bureau des Programmes de Matériel/ equipment supplying bureau) to the USA. Yet since the aircraft was a carrier-born fighter, Northrop was put into contact with the Navy, not the Air Force.

The embassy's deputy naval attaché in Washington, Michel Debray (14.F squadron CO from March 1970 to September 1971; in post in Washington since 1976) took things in hand.
Northrop shared the production, but also the financing, with McDonnell-Douglas, according to the version produced: for a carrier-born airframe Northrop received 40% of the financing and of the work; but for a land-based airframe it received 60% of the share. This explains why Saint-Louis based McDonnell-Douglas never insisted on exporting the plane, since the US Navy's huge order was more than it had ever dreamt of! On the contrary, Northrop was moving heaven and earth to sell it's land-based version of the plane, the F-18L (L for land) Cobra, the only solution to make money. These test flights were planned for June 28th 1978 at the huge Edwards test bed in California. The airframe was the YF-17, transformed into an YF-18L Cobra. Four flights were programmed: two per pilot, the first one to test performances (climb rate, maximum Mach speed, low speed) and the second one to test flight characteristics (combat, aerobatics…).

The main differences with the production F-18 were the wing shape; similar to that of the F-5, its lighter weight; because of the absence of weapons (except for two mock wingtip sidewinders)and avionics, and its engines; GE YJ101s instead of F404s. The French pilots were stunned by the plane's features and by its unbelievable manoeuvrability; the engines were so powerful that on touchdown you had to quickly shut one engine off, instead of what the brakes would overheat trying to slow the plane down. Vice-admiral Debary (ret.) comments : the flights went perfectly, and we had a chase F-5, flown by Hank Chouteau, Northrop chief test pilot. I had the satisfaction of really impressing him during a flight when I saw him coming from 4 o'clock. I said to myself "now's the time to see what the plane is really worth", and broke him up, full AB and stick to the stomach…until I found myself in his 6 o'clock incredibly easily. It was great to hear him ask where I was, and to tell him "in your 6 o'clock, in firing position" ! Picture of the F-18L seen in flight with Commander Michel Debray at controls, shot by the wingman, Hank Chouteau, Northrop Test Pilot Team chief from his F5. (©VA Michel Debray)During the course of this flight while performing a loop without the afterburners and without pulling too hard, I found myself in a touchy situation at the top of the loop but with my speed decreasing fast, down to 60 knots (very slow for this kind of plane).

Faced with the urgent need to replace the ageing F-8E Crusader, and with the delays of the Rafale M program which would only be available in 1996 (Ndlr: actually, the Rafale Ms are today only being delivered one at a time and squadron 12.F is not yet fully operational), the French Navy considered the lease or purchase of Mc Donnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, already available and in service with the US Navy and US Marine Corps since 1981. Vue d'artiste d'un F/A-18 Hornet aux couleurs françaisesThe French Navy openly pronounced itself. "Only the F/A-18 would be able, as soon as 1993, to give carrier aviation defence strong capabilities, that today are decreasing every day"(interview of vice-admiral Goupil, Navy chief-of-staff, to Cols Bleus magazine in 1989). It is also hard to believe "that the purchase of several second-hand aircraft would endanger a new program of at least 400 planes". A Northrop delegation came to Paris in September 1988, to back its offer of 40+ F-18(FN)

剩下的关于法国FA18C的内容可见 失之交臂的悍将 以前讲过就不过多赘述了

法国与A4

准确的说是A4M