North American F-107
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) |
| F-107 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Fighter-bomber |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
| Maiden flight | 10 September 1956 |
| Retired | 25 November 1957 |
| Status | Did not enter mass-production |
| Primary users | United States Air Force NACA |
| Number built | 3 |
| Program cost | US$105.8 million[1] |
| Developed from | F-100 Super Sabre |
The North American F-107, nicknamed "Ultra Sabre", was North American Aviation's entry for a United States Air Force tactical fighter-bomber design competition of the 1950s. The F-107 incorporated many innovations and radical design features, and was based on the F-100 Super Sabre. The competition was eventually won by the F-105 Thunderchief, and the F-107 prototypes ended their lives as test aircraft.
Contents |
[edit] Design and development
The F-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 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 moved from the chin position (an arrangement later adopted for the F-16) to the unusual dorsal location as the USAF had required the carriage of an underbelly semi-conformal nuclear weapon. The original chin intake caused a shockwave that interferred in launching this weapon. The implications this had for the survivability of the pilot during ejection were troubling. It also severely limited view to the rear, although this was not considered terribly important for a bomber aircraft, notable during an era when it was assumed air combat would be via missile exchanges outside visual range.
Extensive design changes resulted in its redesignation from F-100B to F-107A before the first prototype flew.
[edit] Designation and names
 |
This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (April 2008) |
The F-107 was never given an official name, but was sometimes informally called the "Ultra Sabre," referring to North American's earlier fighter designs, the F-86 Sabre and the F-100 Super Sabre. The flight crews referred to it as the "Man Eater," in reference to the position of the air intake directly above the cockpit.
The designation "F-107A" was the only one assigned to the aircraft,[2] though "YF-107A" is often used in publications.[3][4]
[edit] Operational history
The first F-107A (s/n 55-5118) made its initial flight on 10 September 1956, attaining Mach 1.03. The aircraft first achieved Mach 2 in tests on 3 November 1956. The second F-107A (s/n 55-5119) made its first flight was on 28 November 1956. It was used for weapons testing with both conventional and atomic bombs. Three F-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 on 25 November 1957 to the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. Aircraft #3 (s/n 55-5120) was damaged during take-off in September 1959. Ultimately it was used for fire fighting training and was destroyed in the early 60s.
[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 National Museum of the United States Air Force.
[edit] Specifications (F-107A)
Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 61 ft 10 in (18.85 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 7 in (11.15 m)
- Height: 19 ft 8 in (5.89 m)
- Wing area: 376 ft² (35 m²)
- Empty weight: 22,696 lb (10,295 kg)
- Loaded weight: 39,755 lb (18,033 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 41,537 lb (18,841 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney YJ75-P-9 turbojet, 24,500 lbf (109 kN)
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 2+
- Range: 2,428 mi (2,109 nm, 3,885 km)
- Service ceiling 53,200 ft (16,220 m)
- Rate of climb: 39,900 ft/min (203 m/s)
- Wing loading: 106 lb/ft² (516 kg/m²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.62
Armament
- Bombs: 10,000 lb (4,500 kg)
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Knaack, Marcelle Size. Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume 1 Post-World War II Fighters 1945-1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1978. ISBN 0-912799-59-5.
- ^ Designation-Systems.net Original USAF MDS Document
- ^ Baugher
- ^ Donald, David, ed. Century Jets. Norwalk, Connecticut: AIRtime Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-880588-68-4.
[edit] Bibliography
- Baugher, Joe. North American F-100B/YF-107. North American F-100B/F-107 Access date: 13 December 2007.
- "F-107A: The Ultimate Sabre DVD." Georgetown, Texas: Flightline rocket.aero, 2005.
- Jones, Lloyd S.U.S. Fighters: Army Air-Force 1925 to 1980s. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1975. ISBN 0-8168-9201-6.
- Simone, William J. North American F-107A. Simi Valley, California: Ginter Publishing, 2002. ISBN 0-942612-98-1.
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
