(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Air Force Museum: Some Cold War era fighters (photo diary) [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-07-07

The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio displays several Cold War era fighter planes.

According to the Museum:

The Cold War dominated the second half of the 20th century. This confrontation grew out of the clash between the ideologies of the Western democracies led by the United States -- and the communist nations led by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The ever-present threat of nuclear weapons made this period the most dangerous one in world history, but the diligent efforts of the men and women of the U.S. Air Force helped bring this conflict to a peaceful end.

North American F-82B Twin Mustang

According to the Museum:

The F-82 was the last propeller-driven fighter acquired in quantity by the U.S. Air Force. It appears to be two P-51 Mustang fuselages on one wing, but in reality it was a totally new design. The Twin Mustang carried a pilot and co-pilot/navigator to reduce fatigue on long-range bomber escort missions. Production deliveries did not begin until early 1946, too late for World War II. After WWII, Air Defense Command flew radar-equipped F-82Gs as replacements for the P-61 night fighter. During the Korean War, Japan-based F-82Gs were among the first USAF aircraft to operate over Korea. On June 27, 1950, all-weather F-82Gs shot down the first three North Korean airplanes destroyed by U.S. forces.



Of a total of 273 F-82s produced, 20 were F-82Bs. The F-82B on display, Betty-Jo, flew from Hawaii to New York on Feb. 27-28, 1947, a distance of 5,051 miles, the longest non-stop flight ever made by a propeller-driven fighter.

This aircraft has a top speed of 482 mph, a cruising speed of 280 mph, a range of 2,200 miles, and a ceiling of 39,000 feet.

Avro CF-100 Mk.4A Canuck

According to the Museum:

The all-weather CF-100 was the only Canadian-designed and Canadian-built fighter to go into large-scale production. Powered by two Canadian-designed Orenda jet engines, the CF-100 entered service with the 445 Squadron in 1953. In 1957 the two-seat CF-100 became an integral part of the newly formed U.S.-Canadian North American Air Defense (NORAD) system.



Side-by-side with USAF units, nine Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-100 squadrons helped protect the continent from potential Soviet bomber attack across the North Pole. Although RCAF fighter squadrons phased out the CF-100 in 1961-1962, it continued to serve as an electronic warfare aircraft well into the 1970s.

This aircraft has a top speed of 640 mph, a range of 2,000 miles, and a ceiling of 45,000 feet.

Lockheed F-94C Starfire

According to the museum:

The F-94 series all-weather interceptors were developed from the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The prototype F-94 first flew on July 1, 1949. The Starfire was subsequently produced in the A, B and C series. The F-94C (originally designated the F-97A) was a fundamental redesign of the F-94B and made its first flight on Jan. 18, 1950. Improvements in the F-94C included a higher thrust engine, single point refueling, a redesigned wing, a sweptback horizontal stabilizer, upgraded fire-control and navigation systems, and later, mid-wing rocket pods. Twenty-four rockets were carried in the nose in a ring around the radome, shielded by retractable doors, with an additional 24 in the wing pods, if installed. The F-94C carried no guns. Starfires were employed in the air defense of the continental United States in the 1950s. In the F-94A form, they served as the first all-jet, all-weather interceptor for the Air Defense Command. The last F-94Cs were withdrawn from USAF service in 1959.

This aircraft has a top speed of 640 mph, a cruising speed of 476 mph, a range of 1,275 miles, and a ceiling of 51,800 feet.

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak

According to the Museum:

Evolved from the straight-wing F-84, the F-84F prototype first flew in June 1950. Deliveries began in 1954, with most of the aircraft going to the Tactical Air Command as a ground support fighter bomber. Republic built 2,112 F-84Fs while General Motors fabricated 599 more. Of these, 1,301 were delivered to NATO air forces. Production of a reconnaissance version, the RF-84F, totaled 715 aircraft, including 386 for allied countries. To accommodate cameras in the nose, Republic moved the RF-84F's air intakes to the wing roots.



Through the late 1950s, the U.S. Air Force replaced its F-84Fs with supersonic F-100s, and the Thunderstreaks went to Air National Guard units. However, some F-84Fs temporarily returned to USAF service in the early 1960s due to the Berlin crisis.

This aircraft has a top speed of 685 mph, and a range of 1,900 miles.

Convair F-102A Delta Dagger

According to the Museum:

The primary mission of the F-102 was to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft. It was the world's first supersonic all-weather jet interceptor and the USAF's first operational delta-wing aircraft. The F-102 made its initial flight on Oct. 24, 1953, and became operational with the Air Defense Command in 1956. At the peak of deployment in the late 1950s, F-102s equipped more than 25 ADC squadrons. Convair built 1,000 F-102s, 889 of which were F-102As. The USAF also bought 111 TF-102As as combat trainers with side-by-side seating. In a wartime situation, after electronic equipment on board the F-102 had located the enemy aircraft, the F-102's radar would guide it into position for attack. At the proper moment, the electronic fire control system would automatically fire the F-102's air-to-air rockets and missiles.

This aircraft has a top speed of 810 mph, a cruising speed of 600 mph, a range of 1,000 miles, and a ceiling of 55,000 feet.

More airplanes

Air Force Museum: Cold War bombers (photo diary)

Air Force Museum: Cold War Boeing airplanes (photo diary)

Air Force Museum: Some Cold War era airplanes (photo diary)

Air Force Museum: Thunderchief (photo diary)

McChord Air Museum: Delta Dagger and Delta Dart (photo diary)

Museum of Flight: Naval aircraft (photo diary)

Museum of Flight: Jet fighters of the 1960s (photo diary)

Evergreen Aviation: Jet Planes (photo diary)

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/7/2179432/-Air-Force-Museum-Some-Cold-War-era-fighters-photo-diary

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.