North American F-107

F-107
F-107
General information
Type	Fighter-bomber
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	North American Aviation
Status	Canceled
Primary users	United States Air Force NACA
Number built	3
History
First flight	10 September 1956
Retired	25 November 1957
Developed from	North American F-100 Super Sabre

The North American F-107 is North American Aviation's entry in a United States Air Force tactical fighter-bomber design competition of the 1950s, based on the F-100 Super Sabre. It incorporated many innovations and radical design features, notably the over-fuselage air intakes. The competition was eventually won by the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, and two of the three F-107 prototypes ended their lives as test aircraft. One is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and a second at Pima Air and Space Museum.

Design and development

In June 1953, North American initiated an in-house study of advanced F-100 designs, leading to proposed interceptor (NAA 211: F-100BI denoting "interceptor") and fighter-bomber (NAA 212: F-100B) variants.^[1] Concentrating on the F-100B, the preliminary engineering and design work focused on a tactical fighter-bomber configuration, featuring a recessed weapons bay under the fuselage and provision for six hardpoints underneath the wings. Single-point refueling capability was provided while a retractable tailskid was installed.^[2] An all-moving vertical fin and an automated flight control system were incorporated which permitted the aircraft to roll at supersonic speeds using spoilers.^[3] The flight control system was upgraded by the addition of pitch and yaw dampers.^[2]

A side-view of North American F-107A #2 *55-5119* at the NMUSAF.

The aircraft's most distinguishing feature is its dorsal-mounted variable-area inlet duct (VAID). While the VAID was at the time a system unique to the F-107A, it is now considered to be an early form of variable geometry intake ramp which automatically controlled the amount of air fed to the jet engine.^[4] Although the preliminary design of the air intake was originally located in a chin position under the fuselage like the Vought F-8 Crusader, the air intake was eventually mounted in an unconventional position directly above and just behind the cockpit.^[5] The VAID system proved to be very efficient and NAA used the design concept on their A-5 Vigilante, XB-70 Valkyrie and XF-108 Rapier designs.^[6]

The air intake was in the unusual dorsal location as the Air Force had required the carriage of an underbelly semi-conformal nuclear weapon. The intake also severely limited rear visibility. Nonetheless, this was not considered very important for a tactical fighter-bomber aircraft at that time, and furthermore it was assumed that air combat would be via guided missile exchanges outside visual range.^[7]

The first F-107A *55-5118* with its vertically sliding canopy in open position.

In an emergency, the ejection seat was designed to blast directly through the non-jettisoning canopy and bring the pilot swiftly clear of the air intakes. In non-emergency operation, the canopy opened by sliding vertically upwards via guide mechanism, rather than the typical arrangement of a hinged or horizontally sliding canopy.^[8]

A two-seat version of the F-107 was proposed by North American, which seated both crewmembers under a single canopy in an extended forward fuselage, but none were built.^[9]

In August 1954, a contract was signed for three prototypes along with a pre-production order for six additional airframes.^[5]

Designation and names

Extensive design changes resulted in its redesignation from F-100B to F-107A before the first prototype flew. The F-107 was never given an official name, but was sometimes informally called the "Super Super Sabre"^[10] referring to North American's earlier fighter design, the F-100 Super Sabre.^[11] The designation "F-107A" was the only one assigned to the aircraft,^[11]^[12] though "YF-107A" is often used in publications.^[2]^[13] The aircraft is also informally called the "Ultra Sabre".^[14]

Operational history

The first F-107A (serial number 55-5118) with North American's chief test pilot Bob Baker at the controls, made its initial flight on 10 September 1956, attaining Mach 1.03.^[15] After the successful test flight, the brakechute did not deploy, which resulted in a "hot" landing with the nose gear strut breaking.^[15] The aircraft first achieved Mach 2 in tests on 3 November 1956.

It was joined by the second F-107A (55-5119), which made its first flight on 28 November 1956. It was used for weapons testing with both conventional and atomic bombs.^[16] The last prototype, (55-5120) had its maiden flight on 10 December 1956. At the conclusion of the F-107A's successful test program, the Tactical Air Command decided to hold a fly-off competition between the F-107A and the Republic F-105 which was designed to same mission requirements and used the same engine. Although the competition was close, the F-105 was selected as the new standard TAC tactical fighter. The three F-107A prototypes were relegated to test flying and the pre-production order was cancelled.^[17]

In late 1957, prototypes #1 (55-5118) and #3 (55-5120) were leased to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) for high-speed flight research. Aircraft #1 is now in the collection of the Pima Air & Space Museum. In September 1959, with Scott Crossfield at the controls, aircraft #3 was damaged during an aborted takeoff. The aircraft was not repaired and, ultimately, used for fire fighting training and was destroyed in the early 1960s.^[18] (55-5120 was also noted to be stored in poor condition in the Tallmantz collection at Orange County Airport California in September 1970.)^{[citation needed]}

Prototype #2 (55-5119) was not used by NACA and flown on 25 November 1957 to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.^[19]

Variants

NA-212: North American design or charge number.
F-100B: Original military designation for the NA-212, not used
F-107A: Military designation for nine prototype NA-212s ordered, only three built.
FJ-5: Proposal by North American in July 1955 for a navalised F-107 powered by a General Electric J79 turbojet; a proposal was made to build a prototype with the wing of a FJ-4 Fury. Not taken up.^[20]

Aircraft on display

55-5118 – Pima Air and Space Museum, adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona.^[21]
55-5119 –On display in the Research and Development gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio.^[19]

Specifications (F-107A)

Data from Simone and Pace.^[22]^[23]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Length: 61 ft 10 in (18.85 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 7 in (11.15 m)
Height: 19 ft 8 in (5.89 m)
Wing area: 376 sq ft (35 m²)
Empty weight: 22,696 lb (10,295 kg)
Gross weight: 39,755 lb (18,033 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 41,537 lb (18,841 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney YJ75-P-9 turbojet, 24,500 lbf (109 kN) thrust

Performance

Maximum speed: 1,295 mph (2,084 km/h, 1,125 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 2
Range: 2,428 mi (3,885 km, 2,109 nmi)
Service ceiling: 53,200 ft (16,220 m)
Rate of climb: 39,900 ft/min (203 m/s)
Wing loading: 106 lb/sq ft (516 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.62

Armament

Guns: 4x 20 mm Pontiac M39 cannon OR 1x 20 mm, 6 barrel M61 Vulcan autocannon
Bombs: 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) on 5 hardpoints; 2 under each wing, 1 semi-recessed ordnance station under fuselage centerline. Wide variety of ordnance, including tactical nuclear weapons

References

Citations

^ Pace 1986, p. 39.
^ ^a ^b ^c Baugher, Joe. "North American F-100B/F-107." USAF Fighters, 27 November 1999. Retrieved: 10 July 2011.
^ Simone 2002, pp. 25–30.
^ Simone 2002, pp. 32–35.
^ ^a ^b Jones 1975, p. 268.
^ Simone 2002, p. 35.
^ Pace 1986, pp. 24, 26, 30.
^ "Was This Strange Jet the Best Fighter the U.S. Air Force Never Bought?". HistoryNet. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
^ Jenkins/Landis 1975, p. 178.
^ Pace 1986, p. 42.
^ ^a ^b Simone 2002, p. 2.
^ "Designation-Systems.net Original USAF MDS Document" (PDF).
^ Donald 2003, p. 23.
^ Weeks, John A. III. "YF-107A — The Ultra Sabre Survivors." Aviation History And Aircraft Photography, 2009. Retrieved: 31 March 2009.
^ ^a ^b Angelucci and Bowers 1987, p. 356.
^ Pace 1986, pp. 24, 26.
^ Pace 1986, p. 33.
^ Simone 2002, p. 127.
^ ^a ^b "NORTH AMERICAN F-107A" National Museum of the USAF. Retrieved: 16 July 2017.
^ Friedman, Norman (2016). Fighters Over the Fleet: Naval Air Defence from Biplanes to the Cold War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591146162. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
^ "YF-107A Ultra Sabre/55-5118." Archived 2013-01-07 at the Wayback Machine Pima Air and Space Museum. Retrieved: 10 May 2013.
^ Simone 2002, pp. 128–129.
^ Pace 2016, pp. 203–207. The Big Book of X-Bombers and X-fighters: USAF Jet-Powered Experimental Aircraft and their Propulsion Systems. ISBN 978-0-7603-4950-2

Bibliography

Angelucci, Enzo and Peter Bowers. The American Fighter: the Definite Guide to American Fighter Aircraft from 1917 to the Present. New York: Orion Books, 1987. ISBN 0-517-56588-9.
Donald, David, ed. Century Jets. Norwalk, Connecticut, USA: AIRtime Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-880588-68-4.
"F-107A: The Ultimate Sabre DVD." Georgetown, Texas: Flightline rocket.aero, 2005.
Jenkins, Dennis R. and Tony R. Landis. Experimental & Prototype U.S. Air Force Jet Fighters. North Branch, Minnesota, USA: Specialty Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-58007-111-6.
Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Fighters: Army Air-Force 1925 to 1980s. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1975. ISBN 0-8168-9201-6.
Knaack, Marcelle Size. Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume 1 Post-World War II Fighters 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1978. ISBN 0-912799-59-5.
Pace, Steve. "Supersonic Cavaliers." Airpower, Volume 16, no. 6, November 1986.
Simone, William J. North American F-107A. Simi Valley, California: Ginter Publishing, 2002. ISBN 0-942612-98-1.
United States Air Force Museum Guidebook. Wright-Patterson AFC, Ohio: Air Force Association, 1975 edition.

External links

[1] Pace 1986, p. 39.

[Baugher_1999-2] Baugher, Joe. "North American F-100B/F-107." USAF Fighters, 27 November 1999. Retrieved: 10 July 2011.

[3] Simone 2002, pp. 25–30.

[4] Simone 2002, pp. 32–35.

[Jones_p._268-5] Jones 1975, p. 268.

[6] Simone 2002, p. 35.

[7] Pace 1986, pp. 24, 26, 30.

[8] "Was This Strange Jet the Best Fighter the U.S. Air Force Never Bought?". HistoryNet. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2023-05-10.

[Jenkins/Landis_p._178-9] Jenkins/Landis 1975, p. 178.

[10] Pace 1986, p. 42.

[Simone_p._2-11] Simone 2002, p. 2.

[12] "Designation-Systems.net Original USAF MDS Document" (PDF).

[Century_Jets-13] Donald 2003, p. 23.

[johnweeks.com-14] Weeks, John A. III. "YF-107A — The Ultra Sabre Survivors." Aviation History And Aircraft Photography, 2009. Retrieved: 31 March 2009.

[Angelucci_and_Bowers_p._356-15] Angelucci and Bowers 1987, p. 356.

[16] Pace 1986, pp. 24, 26.

[17] Pace 1986, p. 33.

[18] Simone 2002, p. 127.

[nm-19] "NORTH AMERICAN F-107A" National Museum of the USAF. Retrieved: 16 July 2017.

[20] Friedman, Norman (2016). Fighters Over the Fleet: Naval Air Defence from Biplanes to the Cold War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591146162. Retrieved 12 December 2024.

[21] "YF-107A Ultra Sabre/55-5118." Archived 2013-01-07 at the Wayback Machine Pima Air and Space Museum. Retrieved: 10 May 2013.

[22] Simone 2002, pp. 128–129.

[23] Pace 2016, pp. 203–207. The Big Book of X-Bombers and X-fighters: USAF Jet-Powered Experimental Aircraft and their Propulsion Systems. ISBN 978-0-7603-4950-2

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v t e United States Air Force system numbers
100–199	100 101 P 102 103 104 105 106¹ 107 A-1 A-2 108¹ 109¹ 110 111¹ 112 113¹ 114¹ 115¹ 116¹ 117 L M 118 A L P 119 C/F E L T Y 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127¹ 128 129 130 131 132 A B 133 134¹ 135 136¹ 137¹ 138 139 140 141¹ 142 143–197¹ 198 199 B C D Y
200–299	200 201 A/L B/W E 202 203¹ 204 205 206 207¹ 208 209¹ 210 211¹ 212 213 214 215¹ 216 217 218 219¹ 220 221 222 A G 223¹ 224 225¹ 226 227–238¹ 239 240–278¹ 279 280–298¹ 299
300–399	300 301¹ 302 303 304¹ 305¹ 306 A/L B 307 308 309 310¹ 311¹ 312¹ 313¹ 314 315 A-1 A-2 316 317 318¹ 319 320¹ 321 322¹ 323 324 L M/N 325 326 327 E 328 E 329 F 330¹ 331¹ 332¹ 333¹ 334¹ 335 336 337 338–379¹ 380 A/B/E/F/N P 381–397¹ 398 399 A B
400–499	400 B/C/N E G/H M 401 402 403¹ 404 405 B C D 406¹ 407 408¹ 409¹ 410 E L 411 E L 412 413 414 L M 415 416 L M (I) M (II) P Q 417 418 L M 419¹ 420 L/W 421¹ 422 423 424 425 426 L M 427 L M 428 A L 429 430 431 G (I) G (II) 432 433 434 435 A L 436 437 438 439 440 441 A D L 442 443 444¹ 445 L M 446 447 448¹ 449¹ 450 451 D L 452 453 454¹ 455 456 457¹ 458 459 460 L 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 L (I) L (II) 472 473 474 L N 475¹ 476 E 477 478 A T 479¹ 480 481 L 482 E L M/Z 483 484 L M N 485 L Z 486 487 488 489 490 L M 491¹ 492 493 494 495 L (I) L (II) 496 497 A L (I) L 498 A C D E L 499 A C D
500–599	500 501–519¹ 520 521–529¹ 530 531–541¹ 542 543–549¹ 550 A E 551–559¹ 560 A F 561–569¹ 570 571–579¹ 580 A E 581–589¹ 590 591 592 593–599¹
600–699	600 601 A L 602 A L 603 A L 604 605 606 607 608¹ 609 610¹ 611¹ 612¹ 613¹ 614 615¹ 616 617¹ 618 619¹ 620 621 A/B (I) B (II) 622 623 624 625 626¹ 627 628¹ 629¹ 630¹ 631¹ 632 633 634 A B 635 636¹ 637¹ 638 639 640 641 642 643 644¹ 645¹ 646¹ 647¹ 648 A D P 649 A B C D E F L P 650 651 652 653¹ 654¹ 655 A (I) A (II) P 656 657¹ 658¹ 659¹ 660 661 662¹ 663¹ 664 665 A (I) A (II) 666 A C/P 667 668 669¹ 670 671¹ 672 A M/P 673¹ 674 675 676¹ 677¹ 678¹ 679 680 681 D E 682¹ 683 A J V 684¹ 685 686 687 J P 688¹ 689¹ 690 691 C X Z 692¹ 693 694¹ 695 A B C L N P Q R S (I) S (II) 696¹ 697¹ 698¹ 699¹
700–799	700–735¹ 736 737¹ 738¹ 739¹ 740¹ 741 742 743 744¹ 745 746–753¹ 754 755–799¹
800–899	800¹ 801¹ 802 L (I) L (II) 803¹ 804¹ 805¹ 806 807 808–816¹ 817 818¹ 819¹ 820¹ 821¹ 822¹ 823 824–831¹ 832 833¹ 834 835–845¹ 846 847–899¹
900–999	900–951¹ 952 853¹ 854¹ 855¹ 956 957–967¹ 968
¹ Unknown or not assigned

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