FYI: If you look up this morning and wonder if those are two fighter jets circling the NYC sky, you're right!
The NYPD said, "On Thursday, August 28 at approximately 9:30 AM , and weather permitting, two F/A - 18 Hornets will conduct a flyover at an altitude of 2500 feet. The aircrafts will travel from JFK Airport over the Atlantic Ocean through the Verrazano Narrows and over the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge. The flyover will then be conducted in reverse route back to JFK Airport." Clearly, this is for an "America, Fuck Yeah!" video—but we appreciate the warning unlike that other flyover for this photo op.
According to the Navy, "The F/A-18 Hornet, an all-weather aircraft, is used as an attack aircraft as well as a fighter. In its fighter mode, the F/A-18 is used primarily as a fighter escort and for fleet air defense; in its attack mode, it is used for force projection, interdiction and close and deep air support."
Here are some videos from the Navy—including one of the F/A 18 striking Iraq:
