F-100B "Super Sabre"
The model series between the F-100A and the F-100C, the F-100B, was conceived as a tactical fighter bomber as well as an air superiority day and night fighter. Three prototypes were built, but they were so extensively redesigned that their intended designation was changed to YF-107A before the first example flew on September 10th, 1956. A unique feature of the YF-107A (powered by a J-75-P-11 axial flow gas turbine engine with afterburner) was the engine inlet duct, located on the upper fuselage behind the cockpit canopy, which incorporated a wedge and a two position ramp to ensure optimum propulsion during high speeds. Another unusual feature of the YF-107A configuration was a logistics pod, proposed by North American to increase the aircraft's ground force support capability. According to North American, the YF-107A airframe's pod cavity could also be used to carry a power plant to start transient aircraft. In mid 1966 the Air Force considered the YF-107A as a possible substitute for the troublesome F-105 being developed by the Republic Aviation Corporation and testing of the three prototypes was accelerated. In February 1957, however, the F-107 program was discontinued because, despite recurring slip pages, the Republic F-105 was still significantly ahead of the North American plane from a production standpoint. The three YF-107As were transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for further research in high supersonic speed ranges.
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