F-100D "Super Sabre"
The F-100D benefitted from a number of improvements, including increased wing and vertical tail area, additional electronic equipment, autopilot, provision for "Buddy" tanker refueling equipment, two 450 gallon air refuelable external tanks, and inboard landing flaps.
TAC's request for a more sophisticated fighter bomber led to an Air Force study of a third configuration in the 100 series: the F-100D. In contrast to the F-100A and F-100C, the F-100D would serve primarily as a fighter bomber and only secondarily as a day fighter. Six F-100Cs were modified to test the possibility of arming the F-100D with infrared missiles. Some of the prototyped F-100Cs were equipped with the Hughes GAR-1B infrared seeker models of the air launched Falcon missiles; others, with the GAR-8 (later redesignated AIM-9B) Sidewinders being developed by Philco and General Electric. Testing of the two combinations resulted in the September 1956 selection of the Sidewinder to increase the F-100D's potency in the intercept role.
One hundred and thirteen F-100Ds were accepted from the Inglewood factory in FY 56, 576 in FY 57, 166 in FY 58, 75 in FY 59, and 10 in FY 60. Two F-100Ds, built in Columbus, were accepted in FY 56, 212 in FY 57, and 120 in FY 58. Many were deployed in Vietnam, where they flew missions until the early 70s.
F-100F
This was a training version of the F-100D. It included a tandem two seat cockpit with dual controls, and only had two of the F-100D's four built in 20mm M-39 guns. The decision to build this variant stemmed from the alarming rate of F-100 flying accidents which indicated the urgent need of a twoplace supersonic trainer to replace the Air Force's standard jet trainer, the 7 year old T-33, a variant of the Lockheed P-80 "Shooting Star," first developed in the latter part of World War II.
A total of 339 F-100Fs were accepted, and were used until 1972.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
