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

• http://www.f-100.org