Lockheed F-94
| Lockheed F-94 Starfire | |
|---|---|
 Lockheed F-94C "Starfire" of the 354th FIS, 1956 |
|
| Type: | Interceptor |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
April 16, 1949 |
| Commissioning: |
May 1950 |
| Production time: |
1950 to 1954 |
| Number of pieces: |
854 |
The Lockheed F-94 "Starfire" was a single-jet interceptor developed in the 1950s by the US American manufacturer Lockheed .
Development and use
In the fall of 1947, the US Air Force Lockheed and other companies expressed the need for a two-seater all-weather interceptor. In 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic bomb . As a result, programs for various interceptors such as the North American F-86 D "Saber Dog", the Northrop F-89 "Scorpion" and the Lockheed F-94 "Starfire" were accelerated.
To be able to fight approaching bombers successfully, a radar device and a radar observer were required. In order for all of this to fit into the airframe, a prototype of the T-33 jet trainer , a modified F-80, was converted into the first of two YF-94 test machines. An APG-33 radar with a detection range of 32 km and, for reasons of space, only four 12.7 mm machine guns were installed. An Allison J-33-A-33 with 2,722 kp thrust without an afterburner was used as the engine. With a top speed of 966 km / h, the flight performance was satisfactory at best and no better than that of the F-80. The two YF-94s, which flew for the first time on April 16, 1949, initially suffered from engine problems and so the project completion was delayed until December 1949.
The following first series version, the F-94A, was only produced in small numbers; this was a T-33 that was still in the factory. After testing a revised YF-94B, it went into production as the first major series version. Over 25 squadrons in the US and Canada have been equipped with it. In the fall of 1950, some machines were also sent to the Korean War . There they were not allowed to fly over enemy territory, so there were no successes. It was not until January 1953 that the F-94 could also fly missions beyond the front line and they now also shot down MiG-15s . Most of the machines were used by the Air Defense Command on the North American continent. These early versions, while popular with pilots, were apparently just a transitional model.
Two prototypes YF-94C of the final version F-94C "Starfire" followed. This model had an almost completely redesigned fuselage to accommodate the new Pratt & Whitney J48 P-5 engine . This engine was a licensed version of the Rolls-Royce Tay and achieved an output of 2,880 kp thrust without and 3,969 kp with an afterburner. The fuselage had larger air inlets and an enlarged and longer tail section with a swept tail unit. The rear cockpit has also been raised. In addition, new wings with a thinner profile, but still more stable design, were constructed, at the same time permanently mounted wing tip tanks were attached. Now speeds of up to Mach 0.92 were possible.
The armament was completely changed; the machine guns were removed and instead 24 rocket launch tubes were mounted in a circle around the radar in the tip of the nose and twelve launch tubes each in containers on the wings. This allowed unguided 2.75-inch (69.85-mm) FFAR - air-to-air missiles "Mighty Mouse" to be fired. These missiles were fired at a target area the size of a soccer field and crashed any bomber that was there. However, this construction did not prove itself, as the pilot was severely blinded when firing the missiles. In addition, the rocket exhaust gas repeatedly came into the air intakes and caused malfunctions in the engine. So this launch system was shut down and only the 24 launch containers left on the wings.
A total of 854 F-94s of all versions were built.
As early as the mid-1950s, the “Starfire” was pushed into the second row by the F-102 “Delta Dagger”.
losses
The use of the F-94 in Korea began in January 1952. Already in the period from June 26, 1950 to June 30, 1951, 740 hours had been flown as a trial, but no missions. By July 1953 a total of 28 aircraft were lost, nine of which were operational losses. One F-94 was shot down by fighter planes, two went missing, the rest fell victim to accidents. Six crew members were killed and six were missing. A total of 4,694 combat missions were flown, so the loss rate was 0.6%. In addition to the nine operational losses, a total of 242 F-94s were lost to accidents between 1950 and 1959. The aircraft was taken out of service in 1958 and 1959.
Versions
- YF-94
- two converted TF-80C ;
- YF-94A
- Prototype (serial number 49-2497);
- F-94A
- Production version with Allison J33 engine, APG 33 radar and four machine guns, 110 built, put into service from December 1949;
- F-94B
- little changed and improved model with Sperry “Zero Reader” flight control device and “Fletcher” wing tip tanks, 355 built;
- YF-94C
- Prototype, two built (originally YF-97A): Pratt & Whitney J-48 -P-5 engine, air refueling device, redesigned wings, rear wing with sweep and improved avionics. The machine guns were dropped, instead 24 unguided rockets were arranged around the radar, a further 24 could be carried in wing containers;
- F-94C
- Production version of the YF-94C, 387 built;
- F-94D
- single-seat fighter-bomber, not built.
production
Acceptance of the F-94 by the USAF:
| version | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | TOTAL | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YF-94A | 1 | 1 | $ 258,123 | |||||
| F-94A | 108 | 108 | $ 258,123 | |||||
| YF-94B | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| F-94B | 11 | 341 | 4th | 356 | 196,248 USD | |||
| YF-94C | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| F-94C | 2 | 45 | 253 | 84 | 387 | $ 534,073 | ||
| TOTAL | 1 | 121 | 343 | 49 | 253 | 87 | 854 |
Technical data Lockheed F-94C
- Type: two-seat all-weather interceptor
- Dimensions:
- Span 12.93 m
- Length 13.56 m
- Height 4.55 m
- Wing area 31.40 m²
- Dimensions:
- Empty weight 5,761 kg
- Max. Takeoff weight 10,977 kg
- Engine: Turbojet Pratt & Whitney J48-P-5; 2,880 kp without afterburner; 3,969 kp with afterburner
- Power:
- Top speed
- 941 km / h at an altitude of 6,700 m
- 1,030 km / h near the ground
- Climbing speed 40.5 m / s near the ground
- Service ceiling 15,665 m
- Range 1,930 km
- Top speed
- Armament: 24 Mighty Mouse air-to-air missiles (48 with wing cases)
- Crew: two
Web links
- Lockheed F-94A Starfire. In: US Air Force Fact Sheet. National Museum of the United States Air Force , May 5, 2015, accessed July 31, 2020 .
- Lockheed F-94C Starfire. In: US Air Force Fact Sheet. National Museum of the United States Air Force , May 5, 2015, accessed on July 31, 2020 : "The F-94C (originally designated the F-97A) was a fundamental redesign of the F-94B [...]"
Individual evidence
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1953. pp. 28 ff.
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1950 to 1960. Table “USAF Aircraft Gains and Losses”.
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1949. pp. 164 f .; 1951, p. 158; 1952, p. 158; 1953, p. 185 f .; 1954, pp. 70 f .; 1958, p. 83.