F-100 Super Sabre
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| North American F-100 Super Sabre | ||
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 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 lbf dry 16,000 lbf 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). A related control problem that stemmed from handling characteristics associated with the swept-back wing as the aircraft approached stall speed led to a situation known as the Sabre dance in which the pilot was unable to get the plane back into the flight envelope despite applying full power, usually with disastrous results.
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
| Related content | |
|---|---|
| Related development | F-86 Sabre |
| Similar aircraft | MiG-19 - English Electric Lightning - Dassault Super Mystère |
| Designation series | F-97 - F-98 - F-99 - F-100 - F-101 - F-102 - F-103 |
| Related lists | List of military aircraft of the United States - List of fighter aircraft |
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