Misplaced Pages

#258741

61-460: The McDonnell F3H Demon is a subsonic swept-wing carrier-based jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft Corporation . It was the first swept wing jet fighter and the only single-engined carrier-based fighter the company produced. The Demon was developed during the late 1940s and early 1950s to fulfill a United States Navy requirement for

122-503: A 70° pitch angle. As a dedicated interceptor, the F4D was unsuited to the multi-mission capabilities that became increasingly in demand, thus the type had a relatively short career in both USN and USMC service. In addition to multiple Navy and Marine Corps squadrons, Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve squadrons VF-881, VF-882 and VMF-215 also flew the Skyray. The last operational squadron

183-716: A high-performance swept wing naval fighter to succeed the F2H Banshee . On 7 August 1951, the XF3H-1 performed its maiden flight , flown by test pilot Robert Edholm. The original design for a short-range interceptor was reworked into a heavier medium-range all-weather fighter to counter the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter being encountered during the Korean War ; however, the addition of about 7,000 lb (3,200 kg) of weight negatively impacted

244-567: A larger payload as compared to during VTOL use, while avoiding the complexity of a catapult. The best known example is the Hawker Siddeley Harrier Jump Jet, despite being capable of VTOL take-offs, is usually operated as a STOVL aircraft to increase its fuel and weapons load. STOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier , combining elements of both STOVL and CATOBAR. Aircraft launch under their own power using

305-603: A production standard Skyray having taken place in June 1954. The Skyray was declared ready for fleet introduction in April 1956, permitting its entry to service with both the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) shortly thereafter. The Skyray had a relatively brief service life, during which it never participated in actual combat. Despite this, it was the first carrier -launched aircraft to hold

366-624: A relatively thick wing with no conventional fuselage save for a pod-like cockpit in a forward position. A total of four 20mm cannons extended forward of the leading edge of the wing; alternative armaments consisted of spin-stabilized rockets. The design study had harnessed the designs and research of the German aerodynamicist Alexander Lippisch , who moved to the United States following the end of World War II , and whose work had been examined by several of Douglas's design team. In June 1947,

427-446: A response, beginning development work during 1949. The design team chose to develop an all-new aircraft incorporating a swept wing configuration from the onset rather than adapting a straight wing into a swept wing design as had been done with the competing Grumman F9F Cougar . Roll control was achieved via ailerons augmented by a compact spoiler . Furthermore, both the horizontal and vertical tail surfaces were also swept back. It

488-617: A ski-jump to assist take-off (rather than using a catapult). These are conventional aircraft however and require arresting wires to land on the ship. The Kuznetsov-class aircraft carriers of the Russian Navy and People's Liberation Army Navy operate the Su-33 (Russia) and J-15 (China) as STOBAR aircraft. Others include the Indian Vikramaditya and Vikrant ; both will operate MiG-29Ks . Prior to World War II,

549-552: A temporary measure, the prototype had to be outfitted with an Allison J35 engine instead. The long-term replacement for the J40 on production aircraft was the Pratt & Whitney J57 , a more powerful but considerably larger engine. As the original inlet design was not a good match for the J57, it had to be redesigned. The ensuing delays to the programme led to several other aircraft, such as

610-413: Is generally applied only to fixed-wing aircraft , as naval helicopters are able to operate from a wider variety of ships , including helicopter carriers , destroyers , frigates and container ships. The 1903 advent of fixed-wing aircraft was followed in 1910 by the first flight of an aircraft from the deck of an anchored warship (the United States Navy 's USS  Birmingham ), and in 1912, by

671-487: The Cuban Missile Crisis ) dictated, and where the aircraft might be deployed against surface targets. Furthermore, up to 6,000 pounds of external stores, including fuel tanks , bombs and rocket pods , could be carried. The additional range provided by external fuel tanks was relatively small due to parasitic drag . At a late stage of development, the nose had been tilted downwards by ten degrees to improve

SECTION 10

#1732776588259

732-478: The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk , Republic P-47 Thunderbolt , Supermarine Spitfire , and Hawker Hurricane , were often delivered to overseas air bases by aircraft carrier. They would be loaded onto an aircraft carrier in port by cranes, flown off the carrier at sea near their destination under their own power, and land on a friendly airfield ashore. These were not usually combat missions but in some cases

793-623: The F3H-2N . In service, the J71 proved problematic, providing insufficient power for an aircraft of the Demon's size, while also suffering from frequent flameouts and compressor stalls . During October 1954, the first J71-powered Demon was flown. Another significant problem was the reliability of the in-house developed ejection seat : initial versions were found to be unreliable and were eventually replaced with Martin-Baker ejection seats that were becoming

854-696: The North American F-100 Super Sabre and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 , beating it into operational service. During June 1954, the first flight of a production standard Skyray occurred, after which an intense period of flight testing and remedial design work followed. The aft section needed to be reprofiled to eliminate undesirable buffeting as well as to reduce drag . In September 1955, initial carrier suitability trials were performed onboard USS Ticonderoga . No production aircraft were delivered until early 1956, it

915-691: The sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse , the Battle of Taranto , the Attack on Pearl Harbor and numerous other incidents. Following the war, carrier operations continued to increase in size and importance. The vital importance of aircraft carriers, and therefore carrier-capable aircraft, quickly became apparent at the onset of the war in the Pacific where the US's island hopping campaign meant that being able to conduct air operations at sea far from an airbase

976-450: The 35 F3H-1N aircraft flown with the J40 engine, eight were involved in major accidents. The first production Demons were grounded after the loss of six aircraft and four pilots. Time magazine called the Navy's grounding of all Westinghouse-powered F3H-1 Demons a "fiasco", with 21 unflyable planes that could be used only for Navy ground training at a loss of $ 200 million. One high point of

1037-535: The Crusader were replaced on Forrestal -class and similar supercarriers by the more capable and versatile McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II , which bears a strong family resemblance, as it was conceived as an advanced development of the Demon. The supersonic F-101 Voodoo of the United States Air Force was similar in layout, but was derived from the earlier XF-88 Voodoo , which also influenced

1098-544: The Demon was introduced to operational service. Though the aircraft had insufficient power for supersonic performance and insufficient endurance for its intended general-purpose role, it complemented day fighters such as the Vought F8U Crusader and Grumman F11F Tiger as an all-weather, missile-armed interceptor. The Demon was withdrawn in 1964 and thus did not participate in the Vietnam War . Both it and

1159-469: The Demon's layout. Although the existence of the Soviet Union 's Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter program was unknown to U.S. intelligence at the time, the United States Navy anticipated the appearance of high-performance Soviet jet fighters, and issued requirements for a high-performance swept wing naval fighter on 21 May 1948. McDonnell was one of six aircraft companies that opted to produce

1220-488: The Demon's performance. The Demon was originally designed to be powered by the Westinghouse J40 turbojet engine, which suffered severe problems including low thrust output and poor reliability, and was ultimately abandoned after the matter became politically controversial in 1955. This outcome necessitated another major redesign of the aircraft to accept the alternative Allison J71 powerplant. On 7 March 1956,

1281-985: The F3H was redesignated F-3 . The F3H-2N became the F-3C , the F3H-2M became MF-3B , and the F3H-2 changed to F-3B . During September 1964, the final Demon-equipped squadron, VF-161 'Chargers' , traded their F-3s for F-4 Phantom IIs. Data from The American Fighter General characteristics Performance Armament Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Carrier-based aircraft Such aircraft are designed for many purposes including air-to-air combat , surface attack , anti-submarine warfare (ASW) , search and rescue (SAR) , transport (COD) , weather observation , reconnaissance and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) duties. The term

SECTION 20

#1732776588259

1342-743: The F4D was redesignated as the F-6A Skyray . The F4D (old designation) should not be confused with the F-4D (new designation) – the latter being the "D" variant of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II operated by the USAF. The Skyray was designed exclusively for the high-altitude interception role, with a high rate and angle of climb. It set a new time-to-altitude record, flying from a standing start to 49,221 feet (15,003 m) in two minutes and 36 seconds, all while flying at

1403-516: The J40 was the 1955 setting of an unofficial time-to-climb record, in a Demon, of 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in 71 seconds. However, the J40 program was terminated sometime during 1955. All of the aircraft that the J40 was to power were either canceled or redesigned to use other engines, notably the J57 and the J71 . The F4D Skyray had been designed to accept larger engines in case the J40 did not work out, and

1464-635: The MiG was the North American F-86 Sabre , which was only operated by the United States Air Force . Seeking to better respond to the MiG, the U.S. Navy pushed for the aircraft to be heavily redesigned, reorienting it from the short-range interceptor mission once envisioned towards a medium-range all-weather fighter ; adapting the design necessitated the addition of 7,000 Ibs. of weight to an aircraft that originally weight 22,000 lbs, thus negatively impacting its performance. During March 1951,

1525-461: The Navy desired for such an aircraft to possess a relatively high rate of climb so that it could be launched and rapidly reach its operational altitude. On account of the numerous design changes, the mockup review was delayed by almost one year, taking place in March 1949. One criticism produced at this stage was that the nose-up attitude was greater than had been anticipated, necessitating changes to

1586-509: The Navy issued a contract to Douglas to proceed with preliminary investigation and engineering works on the concept up to the mockup stage. As the design was refined, it was decided to reduce the wing's thickness substantially to increase its high speed capabilities. The twin J34 engine arrangement was also swapped out for a single Westinghouse J40 engine. Only a single hydraulic system was incorporated, thus measures to permit manual reversion in

1647-431: The U.S. Nimitz class , the U.S. Gerald R. Ford -class , and France's Charles de Gaulle . The use of catapults allows an aircraft carrier to launch large fixed-wing aircraft. For example, the U.S. Navy launches its E-2 Hawkeye AEW aircraft and C-2A Greyhound cargo aircraft with catapults. STOVL take-offs are accomplished with " ski-jumps ", instead of a catapult. STOVL use usually allows aircraft to carry

1708-480: The U.S. Navy as follows: CATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier . Under this technique, aircraft are launched using a catapult-assisted take-off and landing on the ship using arresting wires . Although this system is more costly than alternative methods, it provides greater flexibility in carrier operations, since it allows the aircraft to operate with higher payloads. Ships with CATOBAR currently include

1769-432: The ability to intercept and destroy an enemy aircraft at an altitude of 50,000 ft (15,240 m) within five minutes of the alarm being sounded. At the time, Navy planners were particularly concerned by the threat posed to its carrier battle groups by high altitude Soviet bomber aircraft; furthermore, as early jet aircraft were fuel hungry and had limited endurance, to maximise an interceptor aircraft time on station

1830-532: The aircraft was hastily ordered into production for an initial batch of 150 F3H-1N s. This order came prior to even reviewing the mockup, which occurred in July of that year. On 7 August 1951, the prototype performed its maiden flight at the hand of test pilot Robert Edholm. It quickly proved to be relatively easy to fly, fairly maneuverable, and the controls were responsive, yet it was also severely underpowered, particularly impacting high altitude flight. This prototype

1891-450: The aircraft's nose and radome to improve the pilot's external visibility. A more pressing issue would be the J40 engine intended to power the aircraft. Douglas' design team had decided to make accommodations to facilitate the use of other engines as a contingency measure; this approach proved to be quite fortunate as the J40 had a particularly troubled development, being eventually cancelled with no production units ever being delivered. As

McDonnell F3H Demon - Misplaced Pages Continue

1952-733: The aircraft, the F3H-2P , was proposed, but ultimately never built. The Demon was flown as the U.S. Navy's front-line fighter up until 1962, at which point it was succeeded by the newer and faster F-4 Phantom II (which was a development of a proposed "Super Demon", a larger and much heavier version of the F3H). Developed during the Korean War to counter the MiG-15, it did not claim any aerial victories either with missiles or during dogfights, although it flew over Lebanon and Quemoy during 1958. In 1962,

2013-530: The best-known early jet fighters. It was affectionately known as the "Ford" (after the "Four" and "D" of its designation). During 1953, Edward H. Heinemann was awarded the Collier Trophy in recognition of his design work on the F4D. During April 1956, VC-3 became the first squadron to attain operational status with the F4D-1. This unit was later redesignated VFAW-3 and assigned to NORAD , becoming

2074-784: The decks of carriers. Carrier aircraft were used extensively during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Douglas A-4 Skyhawks participated in the first strikes of the Vietnam War in response to attacks against American destroyers in the Tonkin Gulf in August 1964. The A-4's small size and light weight meant a high number could be loaded onto carriers, making them an important resource during the Vietnam war. There are three main types of modern carrier-based aircraft, which are categorised by

2135-608: The end of the decade. The F5D Skylancer was an advanced development of the F4D Skyray that ultimately did not enter service. The Skyray originated within a design study, the D-571-1 , performed by Douglas and funded by the United States Navy (USN). It was a fast-climbing pure interceptor that used a delta wing configuration and powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines, which were equipped with afterburners for bursts of additional acceleration. The D-571-1 had

2196-464: The engine would be a "disappointingly underpowered combination" and requesting a substitute engine be permitted. Instead, the U.S. Navy opted to persist with the J40 engine in the hope that development of a more powerful version, the J40-10, would proceed rapidly; instead, Westinghouse proved unable to smoothly progress on the project and the issue became increasingly politically charged as time went on. Of

2257-416: The event of hydraulic failure were also included. Rockets also became the primary armament, which were housed in pylon-mounted pods underneath the wing. A formal operational requirement was issued by the Navy in 1948, however, according to aviation author Tommy H. Thomason, that the contract would be awarded to Douglas from the onset was an apparently foregone conclusion. Specifics of this requirement included

2318-460: The first flight of an aircraft from the deck of a warship underway (the Royal Navy 's HMS  Hibernia ). Seaplanes and seaplane tender support ships, such as HMS  Engadine , followed. This evolution was well underway by the early 1920s, resulting in ships such as HMS  Argus (1918), Hōshō (1922), USS  Langley (1922), and Béarn (1927). With these developments,

2379-631: The launched aircraft provided air cover for the ship, and the aircraft could not be recovered by the carrier. Some STOL aircraft, such as the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco , have been operated from aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships in this manner more recently, but this is not common practice. Even very large aircraft such as the Lockheed C-130 Hercules have been successfully landed and launched from large aircraft carriers, but

2440-414: The need for specialized aircraft adapted for take-offs and landings from the flight decks of those ships became recognized. The significance of air power grew between the wars, driven by the increased range, carrying power, and effectiveness of carrier-launched aircraft, until it became impossible to disregard its importance during World War II, following the loss of many warships to aircraft, including

2501-563: The only United States Navy fighter squadron in what was predominantly a United States Air Force (USAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) organization. VFAW-3 was permanently based at NAS North Island in San Diego. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) also operated the Skyray. When the Department of Defense adopted a uniform aircraft designation system patterned on the USAF's aircraft designation system during September 1962,

McDonnell F3H Demon - Misplaced Pages Continue

2562-710: The pilot's forward and downward visibility. The windscreen was also changed multiple times with the same aim in mind. Due to the excellent visibility from the cockpit, the Demon earned the nickname "The Chair". Demon pilots were known colloquially as "Demon Drivers" while ground crews who worked on the aircraft were known as "Demon Doctors". The unfavorable power-to-weight ratio gave rise to the less flattering nickname "lead sled", sometimes shortened to "sled". Pilots observed its favourable flying characteristics and high level of stability when being flown at high altitude and during carrier operations, being relatively easy to land under almost any circumstance. A reconnaissance version of

2623-509: The promised thrust or to even run reliably; its performance was a major disappointment, producing only half of the expected power. It also suffered from a restricted flight envelope and frequent compressor stalls . The airframe's use of an uncommon annular air intake, which inherently results in relatively poor pressure recovery, may have also contributed to the performance difficulties. James Smith McDonnell , president of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, personally wrote to Washington, warning that

2684-517: The ship's speed with even the lightest prevailing winds, combined with a low take-off speed allowed early aircraft to gain flying speed in a very short distance. The most extreme version of this was the battleship platforms used during the 1920s when small, World War I-era biplane fighters such as the Sopwith Camel were launched from only a few dozen feet long mounted atop of a battleship 's forward gun turret . Conventional aircraft, such as

2745-507: The speed of sound in level flight and the last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company prior to its merger with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas . Development of the Skyray was started by Douglas during the late 1940s as the D-571-1 design study. It was a delta wing interceptor capable of a high rate of climb as to permit the rapid interception of approaching hostile bombers. Douglas' proposal

2806-492: The standard U.S. Navy seat of choice due to their higher performance at low altitude and better reliability. Despite the problems encountered, the U.S. Navy placed an order for 239 F3H-2 s, the first of which being deployed during March 1956. 519 Demons were constructed before production was terminated during November 1959. It was not the U.S. Navy's first all-weather interceptor with radar (the AN/APG-51 air interception set

2867-481: The time, the J40 was being promoted by Navy officials for its next generation of aircraft, and was to have thrust of over 11,000 lbf (49 kN)—three times that of the engines used on the McDonnell F2H Banshee . Having gained the interest of U.S. Navy officials, McDonnell was issued with a development contract to produce two XF3H-1 prototypes on 30 September 1949, albeit as a fallback measure to

2928-493: The unconventional Douglas F4D Skyray . At this stage of development, it was envisioned as a day fighter. McDonnell named the aircraft Demon shortly thereafter. The unexpected combat debut of the MiG-15 during the Korean War motivated the U.S. Navy to place the Demon as a top priority, having observed the MiG to have considerably outclassed both the Panther and Banshee; the only American fighter then in service that could equal

2989-675: The upper two cannons were often omitted to save weight. Later models, redesignated F3H-2M , were equipped to fire the Raytheon AAM-N-2 Sparrow and later the Sidewinder air-to-air missiles . Deployed aircraft carried both types of missiles, the Sparrow on the inboard rails and the Sidewinder outboard. Cannons were not used in carrier air defense applications, but they were installed and armed when situations (such as

3050-491: The weight of most aircraft allowed them to be launched from aircraft carriers under their own power, but required assistance in stopping. Catapults were installed but were used only when the ship was stationary or adequate wind over the deck could not be arranged by sailing into the wind. Even aircraft as large as the North American B-25 Mitchell were launched in this manner. This was possible because

3111-530: The world's absolute speed record, having attained a top speed of 752.943 mph, (1,211.744 km/h). It also set a new time-to-altitude record, flying from a standing start to 49,221 feet (15,003 m) in two minutes and 36 seconds, all while flying at a 70° pitch angle. The last Skyrays were withdrawn from service in February 1964, although a handful continued to be flown for experimental purposes by National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) up to

SECTION 50

#1732776588259

3172-533: Was VMF(AW)-115 , which flew the Skyray until February 1964. A total of four aircraft were used for experimental purposes by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) (which was later renamed NASA ) until 1969. The F5D Skylancer was derived from the F4D and intended to be a Mach 2 capable successor to the Skyray. Although four prototypes were built and flown, the project was cancelled as being too similar in mission parameters to

3233-425: Was contained both in the wings and the deep fuselage. Leading edge slats were fitted for increased lift during takeoff and landing while the trailing edges comprised mostly elevon control surfaces. Additional pitch trimmers were fitted inboard near the jet exhaust, and were locked upwards on takeoff and landing. It had a relatively unique design for the era, which was a key factor in the Skyray becoming one of

3294-629: Was crucially important. At the onset Japan used 125 Mitsubishi A6M Zeros launched from 6 aircraft carriers to attack the Naval base at Pearl Harbor , with the result of sinking or damaging 21 warships, and destroying 188 aircraft. The war saw the creation of new carrier capable aircraft such as the Vought F4U Corsair , and further variants of the Zero . Often carrier aircraft would have folding wings or wingtips to maximise space conservation on

3355-447: Was declared ready for fleet introduction in April of that year. A total of 419 F4D-1 (later designated F-6 under the unified designation system ) aircraft would be produced prior to the end of production in 1958. The Skyray was a wide delta wing design with long, sharply swept, rounded wings. It was named for its resemblance to the manta ray . The thick wing roots contained the air intakes that fed its single turbojet engine. Fuel

3416-399: Was done with no cargo and little fuel on board the aircraft. [REDACTED] Media related to Carrier-based aircraft at Wikimedia Commons Douglas F4D Skyray The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray ) is an American carrier-based supersonic fighter / interceptor designed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company . It was the first naval fighter to exceed

3477-613: Was eventually powered by the Pratt & Whitney J57 . But no other engine could simply be fitted into the old Demons, necessitating both the wings and fuselage to be redesigned and enlarged. The associated cost and delayed were such that the U.S. Navy considered cancelling development of the Demon as well. The best alternative turned out to be the Allison J71 engine, which was also powered the Douglas B-66 Destroyer . Subsequent F3Hs with this powerplant were designated

3538-492: Was lost during a test flight roughly four months later. The first test flights of the operational design did not occur until January 1953, by which time the conflict in Korea was drawing to a close. The Demon had originally been designed around the ambitious Westinghouse J40 engine, which was to provide enough power to permit the use of just one engine in a number of new aircraft. However, this engine would ultimately fail to produce

3599-408: Was selected by Navy officials to fulfil a formal requirement issued in 1948. The decision to adopt the Westinghouse J40 turbojet engine to power it would lead to considerable difficulties later on as this engine would be cancelled prior to entering production. Aerodynamic issues would also lead to a protracted development cycle, considerable design changes being made even after the maiden flight of

3660-400: Was the company's first swept wing design, and was amongst the first American aircraft to be primarily armed with missiles rather than cannons . The resulting aircraft, which later received the name Demon , emerged as an all-new design. In order to fulfil the U.S. Navy's requirements, McDonnell agreed to power the aircraft with the Westinghouse J40 engine which was then under development. At

3721-586: Was used first on the F2H-4 Banshee). The F3H-2 Demon had the AN/APG-51A, later upgraded to the 51-B version with a tunable magnetron then on to 51-C with better countermeasures in the receiver. It was a relatively straightforward radar arrangement in comparison to that of the Skyray. Furthermore, upgrading this radar proved to be somewhat easy as well. The F3H-2N's standard armament was four 20 mm (.79 in) Colt Mk 12 cannons . In later years,

SECTION 60

#1732776588259
#258741