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North American F-100 Super Sabre



The F-100 began life as a company funded project to improve on the basic F-86 Sabre design. The program didn't receive any military interest until the F-86 was pitted against the Russian MiG-15 in the skies over Korea.
      Early Korean War experience made it evident that the Communist Bloc had brought themselves close to their western enemies in fighter design. The U.S. Air Force, not content with this, awarded North American Aviation a contract to produce two YF-100A prototypes and an F-100A production version in Nov. 1951. Thus was born the first of the century series fighters.
      The Super Sabre became the first fighter to attain level flight supersonic speed, doing so during its maiden flight Oct. 29, 1953. The F-100 became operational in Sept. 1954.
      The F-100 had originally been designed as an air superiority fighter, but the "A" model was the only pure air superiority version. The "B" model was an all weather fighter. As the Air Force began to realize the F-84 fighter-bomber fleets were showing signs of senility, the logical choice was to modify the F-100. Thus was born the F-100C. The "D" model was the definitive version with 1,274 examples eventually produced. It had improvements in both aerodynamics and weapons delivery, capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
      The F-100 is best remembered for the years it spent on the United States Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team.
      This F-100 was delivered to the Air Force Sept. 14, 1955 and served with the 450th Fighter Day Group and the 322nd Fighter Day Group, Foster AFB, Texas, from September 1955 until June 1958. It was later retired in January 1975.
General characteristics F-100D
Primary function Fighter
Contractor North American Aviation
Power plant Pratt & Whitney J-57-P-21A turbojet with afterburner
Thrust 16,000 lb 71,17 kN
Wingspan 38.75 ft 11,81 m
Length 50.03 ft 15,25 m
Height 16.24 ft 4,95 m
Max. speed 864 mph (Mach 1,3) 1 390 km/h
Initial climb rate 19,029 ft/min 5 800 m/min
Ceiling 50,033 ft 15 250 m
Range normal 534 miles 860 km
max. 1,995 miles 3 210 km
Max. takeoff weight 34,833 lb 15 800 kg
Armament 4x cannon 20mm Pontiac M-39; 6 underwing hard points for bombs, rockets, external fuel tanks, nuclear bomb Mk-28 or Mk-43/57/61 (up to 3,190 kg); later version 4x AIM-9 Sidewinder.


Jirka Wagner

 

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