North American YF-107

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YF-107

Type	Fighter-bomber
Manufacturer	North American Aviation
Maiden flight	1956-09-10
Retired	1957-11-25
Status	Prototype only
Primary user	NACA
Number built	3
Unit cost	US$105.8 million for the program^[1]
Developed from	F-100 Super Sabre

The YF-107 was North American Aviation's entry for a tactical fighter-bomber design competition. A radically updated version of the company's earlier F-100 Super Sabre, the YF-107 incorporated many innovations.

1 History
2 Production and testing
3 Survivors
4 Names
5 Specifications (YF-107A)
6 References
7 External links
8 Related content

[edit] History

The YF-107A was originally designed as a tactical fighter-bomber version of the F-100, and was entered into a competition sponsored by the Air Force. Originally designated the F-100B, the aircraft featured a recessed weapons bay under the fuselage, as well as an all-moving vertical fin and a control system which permitted the plane to roll at supersonic speeds. The aircraft's most distinguishing feature is its Variable Area Inlet Duct, mounted in an unconventional position directly above and just behind the cockpit, which automatically controlled the amount of air fed to the jet engine. The air intake was located overhead and behind to prevent it from interfering with the aircraft's weapon's control and guidance radar. The implications this had for the survivability of the pilot during ejection were troubling.

Extensive design changes resulted in its redesignation from F-100B to YF-107A before the first prototype flew.

[edit] Production and testing

On Sept. 10, 1956, the first YF-107A (s/n 55-5118) made its initial flight, attaining Mach 1.03. The aircraft first achieved Mach 2 in tests on Nov. 3, 1956. The second F-107A (s/n 55-5119) made its first flight was on Nov. 28, 1956. It was used for weapons testing with both conventional and atomic bombs. Three YF-107As were built as prototypes and were test flown extensively, but the aircraft did not go into production, the Republic F-105 having been selected as the standard fighter-bomber for the Tactical Air Command. In late 1957 prototype #1 and #3 were leased to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) for high-speed flight research, while aircraft #2 (s/n 55-5119) was flown to the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio on November 25, 1957.

[edit] Survivors

Aircraft #1 (s/n 55-5118) is currently on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Aircraft #2 (s/n 55-5119) is on display in the experimental aircraft hangar at the United States Air Force Museum.

[edit] Names

The YF-107 was never given an official name, but was often referred to as the "Ultra Sabre" by North American Aircraft, and as the "Man Eater" by its flight crews, in reference to the position of the air intake directly above the cockpit.