Rejected Grace
After the debut of Saber in Korea, the company in the West gained a reputation as the “king of fighters”. Aircraft of the closest competitors, such as Lockheecl F-80 Shooting Stare, Republic F-84 Thunderjet, were "squeezed" into the category of fighter-bombers. Moreover, by order fleet the deck version of the Saber, the FJ1 Fury fighter, was mass-produced. In addition to the United States, Sabers were built in Japan, Canada, Italy and Australia, and the total number of vehicles reached almost 8000. They have been used for a long time as part of the Air Force in 30 countries of the world. Consolidating its success, in 1949 the North American began designing its first supersonic fighter, the NAA 180 or Saber-45. It was planned to install a wing with a sweep of 45 °. However, during that period, the Pentagon gave priority to financing to strategic nuclear carrier aircraft. weapons, and the development of destructive programs slowed down significantly. Only at the end of 1951 g on the basis of "Saber-45" completed the development of the project of a new fighter to achieve superiority in the air, designated F-100. In January next year, a contract was signed for its construction. The brilliant reputation of the F-86 prompted the developer to a successful marketing move - the new machine was named Super Saber. 5 May 1953 g experienced aircraft YF-100A ascended to the sky. Already in the first sorties, the speed of sound in horizontal flight was exceeded.
The full-size longing of F-107A fighter-bomber
October 29 was built the first serial fighter F-100A. Thus, the brainchild of "North American" was the first serial supersonic fighter in the world. Soon, on this plane, Frank Everest, a sub-station of the Air Force test center, reached an 1216 km / h speed in flight from the ground. After a number of improvements a year later, 27 September 1954 g, F-100A was officially adopted. However, despite the “cold war”, the interest to the “clean” fighters on the part of the customer has decreased significantly. Even the US defense budget could not pull a few diverse programs. The era of multipurpose aircraft began. In December, 1953 Tactical Aviation Command (Tactical Air Comnnand - TAC) recommended the company to produce a new version of the “Super Saber”, which could, along with the tasks of the interceptor, act as a fighter-bomber, which was embodied in the F-100C modification. This aircraft had six underwing points of the armament suspension and a reinforced wing with fuel tanks. He could carry up to 2270 kg bombs and missiles up to the tactical nuclear bomb Mk.7. On the plane it was possible to install a refueling system in the air of the “hose-cone” type. 20 August 1955 The world speed record in 100 km / h was set on the F-1323C.
Almost all of the first supersonic aircraft of the world entered service through a series of serious flight accidents. Not an exception and "Super Saber". October 12 1954 Mr. North American's chief pilot George Welch died on it. During an exit from a dive with a large overload, simultaneous longitudinal and lateral rocking of the aircraft occurred. As a result, the car collapsed in the air. To solve the problem, they changed the control system for roll and pitch. Moreover, many innovations were made directly on the assembly line, and the already completed fighters were returned for revision. However, the Super Saber went down in history as the US Air Force aircraft with a very high accident rate. One of the factors that contributed to this was a very high landing speed, reaching 330 km / h. The fact is that the plane did not have flaps or landing plates, for which there was no room left on the wing, since Ailerons had to move to the fuselage because of the danger of their reverse.
The F-1274D fighter-bomber, which appeared in 100 g, became the most advanced and massive (released 1956 copy) from the Super Saber. He received advanced electronic equipment and autopilot, as well as a bomb load increased to 3190 kg. To improve its stability, the area of vertical tail has increased by 27%. Significantly modified the wing. Its scope was increased from 11,16 to 11,81 m, and a root influx along the trailing edge made it possible to install flaps. In total, until October, the 1958 G was built 2294 fighter F-100 various options that were used in the world before the beginning of the 1980-ies. Even before the advent of the F-100A, it was obvious that the “race for speed” was far from over. In the USSR, a new MiG-19 fighter was being developed, the design of supersonic bombers began to be worked out. Required a plane that can fly at a speed twice the sound. Naturally, North American tried to make the most of the technical support for the F-100.
_The first F-107A (No. 55-5118) in test flight
The first F-107A during the revision in NASA. April 9, 1958
The first F-107A during NASA. November 6, 1957
In early 1953 the firm received preliminary requirements from the US Air Force for an improved Super Saber. In March 1953, on the basis of the F-100 airframe, projects of two options were prepared: the fighter-interceptor "model NAA 211" or F-100BI, where the letter "I" stood for "Interceptor" (interceptor), and the fighter-bomber "model NAA 212 "Or F-100B. In light of the "current preferences" of the TAS, it was decided to focus on the second option. It was planned to install the same P&W J1,8 engine as on the Super Saber, but with a new nozzle design, on the aircraft, designed for a speed of about 57 M. The nose of the fuselage with a radar was proposed to be structurally similar to the F-86D fighter-interceptor. However, there was a problem with the organization of the supersonic air intake of the engine. Therefore, in June of the same year, the project was again radically redesigned. The F-100B has now received a new, sharp-edged dorsal air intake with an automatically adjustable center wedge, the so-called variable-area inlet duct (VAID) or variable area inlet. The upper location of the air intake and engine air duct made it possible to raise the wing, turning the F-100B into a mid-wing, and to organize in the lower part of the fuselage a zone for semi-submerged placement of special ammunition (tactical nuclear bomb TX-28 or V-28) or an additional 250-gallon (946 l) fuel tank.
The nose part in the form of a flat cone in combination with a lantern with a large glass area provided excellent visibility forward and down, which was very important for a strike aircraft. The lantern cover went up, which did not allow the engine to start until it was closed. The aircraft was equipped with a modified wing of the F-100C fighter, but with a rear influx and flaps. The roll control was carried out using interceptors on the upper and lower wing surfaces. The main landing gear moved to the fuselage. All landing gear was removed against the flight. One of the most interesting innovations applied on the F-100B to improve directional stability is the all-turning (in 3 degrees left and right) vertical tail of the increased area. The XMA-12 integrated weapon control system was installed on the aircraft, and the weight of the bomb load was brought to 4535 kg.
The third F- 107A (No. 55-5120)
1, 1959
F-107A fighter-bomber and its "ancestor" F-100A
In October 1953, a full-size mock-up of a fighter was built, which looked very futuristic by the standards of those years. Around the same time, it was decided to use the latest P&W YJ75-P-11 turbojet engine, which, according to calculations, made it possible to raise the speed limit to 2M. On June 11, 1954, a contract was signed between the developer and the US Air Force for the construction of 33 examples of the F-100B fighter-bomber, of which the first three were intended for flight tests. Confidence of "North American" in victory was such that on July 8 the aircraft received a new designation F-107A without the usual first letter "Y" in such cases, denoting a pre-production aircraft. Promoting his project, the developer tried to offer the fleet aviation its carrier-based version called "Super Fury ”, but to no avail.
Working design F-107A officially launched 1 in May 1955 in 10 September 1956 r test pilot Bob Baker (Bob Baker) for the first time raised the F-107A (head No 55-5118) to the sky from the runway at Edward Air Base. During that dive flight, the 1,03M speed was reached, but then the engine-regulator pump crashed, and it was necessary to make an emergency landing. Due to the increased landing speed (over 360 km / h) caused by hydraulic system failure and flap failure, as well as idle wheel brakes, the mileage was 6700 m and ended on a dirt safety lane where the front landing gear was damaged. The aircraft was quickly restored, and already on October 1 it reached the speed corresponding to 2M. In total, the first stage of testing was performed 30 flights. In the second stage from 3 December 1956 to 15, February 1957 employed the second prototype (head number 55-5119), which performed the 32 flight. Then this aircraft was used to practice the use of weapons. According to the pilots, piloting the F-107 compared to the F-100 was nicer. To perform the third stage of testing, the third and, as it turned out, the last F-107A (head N ° 55-5120) was built. It tested the work of the air intake in different flight modes. In the meantime, the first prototype conducted a series of tests for rate of climb, during which the aircraft exceeded the speed of sound during the climb.
North American wasn’t the only developer fighting to win. The Republic firm, which also had vast experience in creating fighters, came out with an initiative proposal back in 1952 and signed a contract with TAS for the design and construction of 199 aircraft (soon this number was cut to 37 pieces), created to replace the F- fighter-bombers. 84F Thunderstreak. The new aircraft was supposed to deliver tactical nuclear weapons and conventional aerial bombs at supersonic speed, in all weather conditions. In October 1953, a full-size model of the fighter was built, which was named YF-105 and, in the spirit of the company's traditions, its own name Thunderchief. In the final form, the task was formulated in December 1953, together with a contract for the supply of an even smaller number of pre-production aircraft - 15 pieces. It was planned to build two copies of the YF-105A for preliminary flight tests, three prototypes of the RF-105B reconnaissance aircraft (later renamed JF-105B), and the remaining 10 in the F-105B variant for military tests. Since the required P&W J75 engine was not yet ready, the YF-105A was built in a preliminary configuration with the "old" P&W J57 engine. It was supposed to introduce a new power plant only from the third prototype.
The second F-107A (No. 55-5119) is taking off
F-105 fighter-bomber is a successful competitor for F-107A aircraft
The first flight of the YF-105A took place on October 22 1955 g - almost a year before the competitor. Naturally, he lost practically all articles to the F-107A, with the exception of the presence of an internal bomb bay and the newest M-61 Vulkan super-gun, which made it possible to do with one tool instead of four. The F-105B was already more or less equal to its competitor, and the F-105D was a truly full-fledged tactical strike aircraft. But this version of YF-105 "Thunderchief" appeared only in 1959 g, two years after the end of the competition. In the summer of 1957, the US Air Force leadership delivered its final verdict. The victory was won by YF-105 "Thunderchief", then replicated in 923 copies. So far, the debate about why it happened has not abated. In the case of the F-107A, the problems of the initial test period are noted. But who did not have them? They also recall the emergency reputation of Super Saber, however, YF-105 Thunderchief was not a gift at first. Most likely, the Pentagon has made a political choice. At that time, the company "Republic" had no other programs in development, whereas "North American" was fully loaded. At the same time, the first workings began on the XB-70 supersonic strategic bomber, the A-5 Vigilante supersonic carrier-based nuclear weapon, as well as a number of other programs. Thus, the military just wanted to keep the "Republic", and the F-105 became for her a "lifeline."
Probably, the Americans did not lose. During the war in Indochina, the F-105 earned the love of the crews and demonstrated a very high survivability for a single-engine aircraft. And although the combat and operational losses of the “Thunderchiefs” in that war amounted to 397 machines (almost 45% of the number released), they fulfilled about 75% of all the bombardment tasks decided by the US Air Force. And what is the fate of the hero of our story? It turned out that the F-107A was the last fighter in the history of "North American". After a lost competition, the construction of all other aircraft was canceled. The prototype F-107A (head N ° 55-5119) has been tested for some time on the use of weapons, incl. and special ammunition, dumping which worked up to speed 2M. The two remaining “hundred sevenths” were transferred to NACA (from 1958 g - NASA), where they served for research purposes to work out a supersonic air intake (which later came in handy for the XB-70 program) and a full-turning keel (implemented on Vigilante). 1 September 1959 g aircraft number 55-5120 crashed on takeoff and no longer flew. It was used for training fire brigades. The remaining airplanes were later transferred to the museums: the 18 board (heading no. 55-5118) - to the air museum in Pima at Shepard airbase, and 19 –th (heading 55-5119) - to the air force museum at the Wright-Patterson airbase. There they can be seen now.
Instrument panel ofF-107A aircraft
Performance characteristics of the Ultra Saber F-107А
Crew 1
Wingspan, m 11.15
Length, m 18.45
Height, m 5.89
Wing area, m2 35.00
Weight, kg
- empty self-made 10295
- maximum takeoff 18840
Engine 1 TRDDF Pratt & Whitney J75-P-9
Thrust, kgf
- maximum 1 x 7500
- at the afterburner 1 x 11113
The maximum speed, km / h 2336
Cruising speed, km / h 965 (M = 2.2)
Practical range, km 3885
Rate of climb, m / min 12180
Practical ceiling, m 16220
Armament: four guns of caliber 20 mm, installed in pairs on the sides of the front of the fuselage, and underwing locks with a total carrying capacity of 4500 kg: 180x 70-mm NUR and 1810 kg of bombs.
Information