Century range
The Century series is the name of a series of jet-powered fighter aircraft of the US Air Force , all of which are numbered in the hundreds and were developed in the 1950s and 1960s, at the height of the Cold War . In a narrower sense, however, only the F-100 to F-102 and the F-104 to F-106 belong to the Century series.
The series began with the North American F-100 Super Saber , also known as the Hun , a single-seat fighter aircraft . It was the first western jet to break the sound barrier in horizontal flight.
Next up was the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo , which was developed as a long-range, all-weather interceptor.
This was followed by the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger interceptor .
The planned Republic XF-103 was to use a combined turbojet and ramjet engine to fight any attacking Soviet bombers over the North Pole . Only a 1: 1 model was made.
Next came the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter out of and in the air forces of the Bundeswehr was used.
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The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was designed as a nuclear-capable fighter - bomber .
The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was developed as a replacement for the F-102 .
The North American YF-107 lost the tender against the F-105.
The North American XF-108 Rapier should be used together with the North American XB-70 and be a replacement for the unrealized Republic XF-103 , but did not get beyond the model stage either.
F-109 was likely intended for the unrealized Bell D188A supersonic VTOL draft.
The US Air Force used the F-110 as the McDonnell F-4 “Phantom” until 1962 , a type that was to prove itself over the decades as the backbone of some NATO air forces.
literature
- Lou Drendel: Century Series , squadron / signal publications, 1980, ISBN 0-89747-097-4
- David Donald (Ed.): Century Jets - USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War , AIRtime Publishing, 2003, ISBN 1-880588-68-4
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lou Drendel, p. 3
- ↑ Dennis R. Jenkins, Thony Landis: Warbird Tech Series Volume 34, North American, XB-70 Valkyrie . Specialty Press, North Branch, Minnesota, USA (2002). ISBN 1-58007-056-6 , page 12