F/A-18F Question

I've looked at a bunch of photo's and I can't seem to come to a consensus.

In this photo it's the same color as the rest of the aircraft:

Chris

That's the 'cherriest' F-18 I've ever seen. Must have just been rolled out of the factory. At first, I thought it was a super scale model.

It leaves the factory the same color as the rest of the jet, however, some squadrons have been painting around it, or possibly painting it. It is actually an antenna cover and as such probably shouldn't be painted...however there are special paints for doing so.

But the bottom line is that on a fresh jet, it is the same color as the rest of the aircraft.

Tricks of the light, or dirt build up. It leaves the factory the same color as the rest of the aircraft. VFA-122s jets are the first and oldest out there, so they're a bit "aged".