https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-94_Starfire
The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United
States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting
Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, day/night interceptor. The aircraft
reached operational service in May 1950 with Air Defense Command, replacing the
propeller-driven North American F-82 Twin Mustang in the all-weather interceptor
role.
The F-94 was the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and
was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean
War in January 1953. It had a relatively brief operational life, being replaced
in the mid-1950s by the Northrop F-89 Scorpion and North American F-86D Sabre
interceptor aircraft. The last aircraft left active-duty service in 1958 and Air
National Guard service in 1959.
Built to a 1948 USAF specification for a radar-equipped interceptor to replace
the aging F-61 Black Widow and North American F-82 Twin Mustang, it was
specifically designed to counter the threat of the USSR's new Tupolev Tu-4
bombers (reverse-engineered Boeing B-29). The Curtiss-Wright XF-87 Blackhawk had
been designated to be the USAF first jet night fighter, but its performance was
sub par, and Lockheed was asked to design a jet night fighter on a crash program
basis.[2] The F-94 was derived from the TF-80C (later T-33A Shooting Star) which
was a two-seat trainer version of the F-80 Shooting Star. A lengthened nose area
with guns, radar and automatic fire control system was added. Since the
conversion seemed so simple, a contract was awarded to Lockheed in early 1949,
with the first flight on 16 April 1949. The early test YF-94s used 75% of the
parts used in the earlier F-80 and T-33As.
Role
All-weather interceptor
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Lockheed Corporation
First flight
16 April 1949
Introduction
May 1950
Retired
1958 USAF
1959 ANG
Primary users
United States Air Force
Air National Guard
Number built
855
Unit cost
US$196,248 (F-94B)[1]
US$534,073 (F-94C)
Developed from
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
The primary user of the F-94 were the squadrons of Air Defense Command (ADC),
eventually equipping 26 squadrons of interceptors. The first F-94As were
assigned to the 325th Fighter-All Weather Group at McChord AFB and Moses Lake
AFB, Washington.[8] It replaced the propeller-driven F-82F Twin Mustangs that
were in use by its 317th, 318th and 319th squadrons. The F-82s had been pressed
into interceptor service in 1949 after the Soviet Union displayed the Tupolev
Tu-4 strategic bomber, a reversed-engineered version of the B-29 Superfortress,
some of which had landed and were impounded in the Soviet Far East during World
War II. The F-82Fs proved to be an excellent day/night all-weather interceptor,
with long range, but it lacked any logistics support which resulted in a chronic
shortage of parts. The jet-powered F-94As, however, had shorter legs than the
F-82s and relied more on Ground Control Interception Radar (GCI) sites to vector
them to intruding aircraft.
Once the 317th was equipped in the Pacific Northwest, ADC then re-equipped its
52d Fighter-All Weather Group at McGuire AFB, New Jersey[8] which also flew
F-82Fs and provided air defense of the Northeastern United States. However, it
was during this period that Air Defense Command began dispersing its
Fighter-Interceptor squadrons away from their parent groups to individual bases.
During 1950 and 1951, ADC sent F-94As to squadrons of the 56th Fighter Group[8]
in the upper Midwest to replace its obsolete F-47 Thunderbolts, F-51 Mustangs,
as well as F-80 Shooting Star and F-86A Sabre day jet interceptors.
The F-94A and B models were replaced in the active-duty inventory beginning in
mid-1954 by a combination of the Northrop F-89C/D Scorpion and the North
American F-86D Sabre interceptors.[17] They were sent to Air National Guard
units where they replaced North American F-80C Shooting Stars and F-51D/H
Mustangs, which in most cases marked the end of the line for the venerable
Mustang in United States military service.
Specifications (F-94C Starfire)
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 44 ft 6 in (13.6 m)
Wingspan: 42 ft 5 in (12.9 m)
Height: 14 ft 11 in (4.5 m)
Empty weight: 12,708 lb (5,764 kg)
Loaded weight: 18,300 lb (8,300 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 24,184 lb (10,970 kg)
Thrust with afterburner: 8,750 lbf (38.9 kN)
Performance
Maximum speed: 640 mph (556 kn, 1,030 km/h, Mach .84)
Range: 805 mi (700 nmi, 1,300 km) combat
Ferry range: 1,275 mi (1,100 nmi, 2,050 km)
Service ceiling: 51,400 ft (15,670 m)
Rate of climb: 7,980 ft/min (40.5 m/s)
Thrust/weight: 0.48
Armament
Avionics
AN/APG-40 radar
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