| North American F-100 Super Sabre |
F-100 Super Sabre
|
| Description |
| Role |
interceptor fighter, fighter-bomber |
| Crew |
1 |
| First Flight |
25 May 1953
|
| Entered Service |
1954
|
| Manufacturer |
North American Aviation
|
| Dimensions |
| Length |
50 ft |
15.2 m |
| Wingspan |
38 ft 9 in |
11.8 m |
| Height |
16 ft 2.75 in |
4.9 m |
| Wing area |
400 ft² |
37.2 m² |
| Weights |
| Empty |
21,000 lb |
9,500 kg |
| Loaded |
28,847 lb |
13,084 kg |
| Maximum takeoff |
34,832 lb |
15,800 kg |
| Powerplant |
| Engine |
Pratt & Whitney J57-P-21/21A turbojet
|
| Thrust |
10,200 lb dry
16,000 lb afterburner |
45 kN dry
71 kN afterburner |
| Performance |
| Maximum speed |
864 mph |
1,390 km/h |
| Combat range |
1995 miles |
3,210 km |
| Ferry range |
miles |
km |
| Service ceiling |
50,000 ft |
15,000 m |
| Rate of climb |
19,000 ft/min |
5,800 m/min |
| Wing loading |
72.1 lb/ft² |
351.7 kg/m² |
| Thrust/Weight |
0.55:1 |
| Avionics |
| Gun tracking radar |
AN/APR-25(v) |
| Radar warning receiver |
AN/APR-26(v) |
| Automatic pilot |
Minneapolis-Honeywell MB-3 |
| Low-altitude bombing system |
AN/AJB-1B |
| Armament |
| Guns |
4 × 20 mm M39 cannon
|
| Bombs |
Mk 7 , Mk 28, Mk 43, Mk 57, or Mk 61 nuclear weapons
Up to 7040 lb (3,190 kg) of conventional bombs
|
| Missiles |
4 × AIM-9 Sidewinder
GAM-83 Bullpup
|
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a jet fighter aircraft that served with the USAF from 1954 to 1971 and with the ANG until 1979. It was the successor to the F-86 Sabre, the first of the century series of US jet fighters, and the first US fighter capable of supersonic speed in level flight.
Development work began in 1949 for a supersonic interceptor, and prototype construction started in 1951, when the company won a contract for 110 aircraft. The first YF-100 prototype flew on May 25, 1953 with a Pratt & Whitney J57 engine, it broke the sound-barrier on its first flight. The YF-100 set a world speed record in October 1953 at 754.99 mph (1,215 km/h). The first aircraft, the F-100A, were delivered in late 1953, and became operational from September 1954. Despite the testing, there were a number of operational crashes that grounded the aircraft from November 1954 until February 1955 when the problem (stability) was identified and solved (larger control surfaces).
The F-100A was followed by the F-100B (which was redesignated F-107A), the F-100C (1954, 476 built) and the F-100D (1956, 1,274 built) fighter-bombers, with increased wing area, fin and rudder size, six underwing hardpoints, and improved electronics. The F-100D was an unforgiving aircraft, with over 500 lost in accidents by USAF pilots. The final production variant was the F-100F tandem trainer (339 built), first flown in 1956. It was stretched by 3 m to accommodate the second crew.
The Super Sabre, especially the F-100D was widely used in the Vietnam War, but was progressively replaced from 1966 by the F-4 and the F-105. The aircraft served in Vietnam until 1971.
External links
