Everything about F-94 Starfire totally explained
The
Lockheed F-94 was the
United States Air Force's first operational
jet-powered all-weather
interceptor aircraft. It was a development of the two seater
T-33 Shooting Star trainer aircraft.
Design and development
Built to a
1948 USAF specification for a radar equipped interceptor to replace the aging
Northrop 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. The F-94 was derived from the TF-80C (later
T-33 Shooting Star) which was a two-seat trainer version of the
F-80 Shooting Star, with guns, radar and automatic fire control system added.
The fire control system was the
Hughes E-1, which incorporated an
AN/APG-33 radar (derived from the
AN/APG-3 which directed the
Convair B-36's tail guns) and a
Sperry A-1C computing
gunsight. The TF-80C fuselage was lengthened to hold the electronics and radar. Since the conversion seemed so simple, a contract was awarded to Lockheed in early
1949, with the first flight on
16 April 1949.
The added weight of the electronic equipment soon dictated that a more powerful engine be fitted, the afterburning
Allison J33-A-33 replacing the regular J-33. The F-94 was to be the first US production jet with an
afterburner. The combination of the new, larger engine and the electronics gear reduced the internal fuel capacity; removable tip tanks were added to compensate.
The initial model was the
F-94A. Its armament was four .50 cal (12.7 mm)
M2 Browning machine guns mounted in the fuselage with the muzzles exiting just behind the
radome. Two 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs could also be carried, giving the aircraft a secondary
fighter bomber role. One hundred and nine were produced. The subsequent
F-94B, which entered service in January
1951, had upgraded and more reliable electronics and engines, as well as a new
ILS. Three hundred and fifty-six of these were built.
The
F-94C Starfire was significantly modified from the early F-94 variants; in fact, it was initially designated
F-97, but it was decided to treat it as just a new version of F-94. Initially, USAF interest was lukewarm, so Lockheed funded development themselves. To improve performance, a totally new wing was fitted, much thinner than the previous one. The J33 engine was replaced by a more powerful
Pratt & Whitney J48, a license-built version of the afterburning
Rolls-Royce Tay. The fire control system was upgraded to the new
Hughes E-5 with AN/APG-40 radar in a much larger nose. The guns were removed, replaced with an all-rocket armament mounted in a ring around the nose radome.
The F-94C was the only variant to be officially named
Starfire. With time, the entire F-94 family has adopted the name.
An
F-94D model was proposed as a
fighter bomber, with bombs and rockets under the wings. A single prototype was built, but the model wasn't accepted for production. The prototype was later used as a testbed for the
M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon subsequently used on the
F-104 Starfighter and many others.
Operational history
A detachment was sent to
Korea, where it saw some combat in the
Korean War, shooting down four enemy fighters. Another detachment was the 59th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, (all-weather, night-fighter interceptor,) which was sent to
Goose Bay, Labrador in November, 1952 and placed under the control of NEAC (
North East Air Command.) One flight from the 59th FIS was kept at
Thule Airbase to back up the
DEW-Line (Distant Early Warning radar sites on Greenland.)
There is a Chinese report stating that an F-94 was brought down over North Korea after being illuminated by search lights for more than a minute.
The F-94B remained in USAF service through
1954 before being transferred to the
Air National Guard. In ANG service, some were modified with a pod under each wing for two additional .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns, bringing the total to eight.
The first production F-94C aircraft were delivered in July
1951, 387 examples being delivered before May
1954. The largest problem discovered in service was that the nose-mounted rockets, while effective, blinded the crew with their smoke and fire. Mid-wing fuel and rocket pods were added, each holding 12 rockets. Most of the time, the nose rockets were not installed, and the mid-wing pod rockets were the sole armament.
The F-94C was retired from USAF service in
1959, as newer and more capable interceptors entered service. Air National Guard units retired their F-94s a year later.
Variants
YF-94 » TF-80Cs converted into YF-94 prototypes, two built.
;F-94A » Initial production version, 110 built.
YF-94B » One F-94A modified with new flight director, modified hydraulic systems and two enlarged wingtip tanks.
;F-94B » Production model based on YF-94B, 357 built.
YF-94C » F-94Bs modified with Pratt and Whitney J48 engine, leading edge rocket pods and swept tailplane, originally designated YF-97A, two modified.
;F-94C » Production version of the YF-94C with longer nose, rocket and gun armament removed and provision for underfuselage JATO rockets, originally designated F-97A, 387 built.
EF-94C » Test aircraft for proposed reconnaissance variant
;YF-94D » Prototype single-seat close support fighter version based on the F-94C, one built.
F-94D » Production version of the YF-94D, 112 on order cancelled, none built.
YF-97A » Original designation of the YF-94C.
;F-97A » Original designation of the F-94C.
Operators
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