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 (Ed. Note: The following article originally appeared in the February 1950 issue of Naval Aviation NEWS)
Waging a war is not simply a matter of shooting down the enemy's aircraft; it's a question of not shooting down your own, as well.
During the Sicily campaign, our ground forces' AA batteries blasted a large number of our transport planes loaded with troops. In the Pacific many a Navy fighter or bomber was shot out of the skies because our ship gunners did not recognize his plane as a friendly type. You can't learn recognition of planes in a couple of days¾it's much easier to keep abreast as you go along, so Naval Aviation NEWS presents herewith a compilation of current U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft. Take a good close look at all of them.
All but one are jets. You don't get long to decide whether a jet fighter coming at you is friend or foe, so recognition has to be faster and more accurate than ever before.
A unique coincidence was noted in compiling this list of fighters—those which had received odd numbers for some time failed to make the grade while the even numbered planes appeared to stick. It goes back as far as the XF-75 or the Bell XP-77, a small blunt-nosed propellered fighter, or the Northrop XP-79, a flying-wing fighter.
The next odd numbered fighter was the XP-81, a propellered plane by Vultee with turbojet and turboprop engines. Like the Navy's FR-1, it never quite made the grade. Next in the odd-number line was the XF-83, a Bell twin-jet, then the XF-85, McDonnell's little flying beetle that hooked onto the B-29 bomb bay, followed by Curtiss' four-jet XF-87.
In the meantime, the F-80, F-82, F-84, F-86, and F-88 all got out of the "X" stage and are flying today. There are some F-89s flying, the Northrop Scorpion, so the "hoodoo" of the odd-numbers apparently was broken with it.
An outstanding feature of the new Air Force planes in the air today is the wide variation in shapes and sizes, from the true delta wing of the Consolidated XF-92 to the XF-91 with a swept wing wider at the tip than at the root. Aiming at the sonic barrier, the jets are leaning toward swept-back wings, even as steep as 60˚ in the delta-wing job.
Also, the new fighters are getting bigger and bigger. Whereas the F-51 and F-47 of World War II weighed from 11,000 to 14,000 pounds, the Air Force today has three huge fighters that weigh 30,000 to 40,000 pounds.
The F-88 Voodoo and XF-90 by Lockheed both weigh 30,000. They are long-range penetration fighters with twin jets, which accounts for some of the avoirdupois. Biggest of the lot, although its exterior belies the weight, is the Scorpion, which grosses 40,000 pounds, far more than the 27,000-pound R4D transport. It is a two-man twin-jet night fighter and gets much of its weight from the radar gear included.
Most of the fast jet fighters have an announced combat range of 500 miles, while the big boys have more tanks and claim better than 1,000 miles range.
 F-80, Shooting Star
America's best known and most numerous jet fighter, first U.S. jet to be operational in war. More than 1,400 have been built for the Air Force, some of them, being turned over to the Navy and the Marines for use as a jet trainer until F2Hs and F9Fs became available. Its long drooping snout, thumb-like Lockheed tail and low wing are good recognition features.
The F-80 has an Allison J-33-A-23 jet engine. It can deliver 5,200 lbs. thrust at 11,750 rpm. Gross weight loaded is 15,300 pounds. The F-80 has flown over 600 mph and cruises at 450. Combat radius is over 500 mph.
 F-82, Twin Mustang
Anyone who can not recognize this plane in the air should start at the beginning again. Two F-51s joined with a wing and elevator surface make this two-man fighter. No other plane in the air today resembles it. It weighs 26,000 pounds, has two Allison 2200-hp engines and can do well over 400 mph. Wing span is 51 feet. Now practically obsolete, as are all propellered fighters in the Air Force, there are still a few.
 F-84, Thunderjet
Next to the Shooting Star, this is the Air Force's most popular jet in point of numbers. In the better·than-600 mph class, the Thunderjet has the same speed as the F·80. Its cigar-shaped fuselage and mid-wing, with nose air scoop make it fairly easy to recognize. Minus its wingtip tanks, the F-84 has been loaded with 32 HVAR rockets on underwing launchers. Power is furnished by Allison J-35 turbo jet.
One version of the Thunderjet being test flown has the nose scoop filled in with radar and cheek scoops on the side of the fuselage. Another version designated F-84E is powered by the J-35-17, giving it more power and speed for faster climb. Republic started out to put a jet engine in the F-47 Thunderbolt but wound up designing an entirely new air· plane in the F-84, a sleek, fast fighter.
 F-86, Sabre
The Air Force's first swept-wing production fighter and holder of the official world's speed record at 670 mph, the Sabre has been flown by LCol. Marion Carl of the Marine Corps at better than 700 mph. Its hog-nose airscoop, swept wings and stabilizers make it fairly easy to recognize in the air. A single J-47A General Electric jet delivers 5,200 pounds thrust at sea level.
A small plane, the F-86 weighs 16,000 pounds loaded. It has the same range as the F-80 and F-84 with their wingtip tanks, being in the neighborhood of 500 miles combat radius. At the Cleveland Air Races the past fall, the Sabre did 710 mph and 57,000 feet altitude in flight tests.
Another version of the Sabre is also in the mill, the XF-93. This plane is essentially an F -86 with flush air intakes on either side of the fuselage and a pointed nose instead of the nose inlet on the F-86. (See photograph)
 F-88, Voodoo
The Air Force's first twin-jet fighter, the McDonnell Voodoo, is a cousin to the Navy's F2H Banshee—with swept back wings. It has the long blunt nose of the Banshee which gives good pilot visibility. Air intakes for the two J-34 turbojet engines are in the wing roots.
Unlike the Banshee's engines in the wings, the F-88 has its two side by side in the fuselage. Exhaust gases are expelled from a single hole beneath the fuselage instead of at the trailing edge of the wing as on the F2H.
For this reason, the after part of the fuselage sweeps upward to a high, rakish tail. The F-88 is designed as a penetration fighter-bomber with considerable range. It weighs 30,000 pounds loaded. Its sharply tapered wing and wing-root intakes are good recognition features, plus the high tail. It has long range.
 F-89, Scorpion
An all weather night fighter, the Northrop twin-jet is easy to recognize with its two engines mounted below the fuselage. The XF-89 carries two men and weighs more than 40,000 pounds, the heaviest fighter the Air Force has.
Both men in the plane have ejection seats, as compared to the Navy's night fighter, the F3D, which has an escape chute downward through which the pilot and radar man dive. The location of the two engines in separate nacelles below the fuselage is somewhat like the XB-51, newly completed three-jet bomber by Martin. It is in the 600-mile-an-hour class and has 600 mile combat radius.
An unusual control feature is incorporated in the Scorpion—"decelerons"—outer flaps designed to operate as ailerons, landing flaps and dive brakes. The idea is a step farther than the full-span flap seen in the Northrop F-61 Black Widow night fighter. Ailerons have a power-boost system.
XF-90
 Another penetration fighter, this one by Lockheed, also is an easy one for recognition students. Its long, pointed nose, airscoops on both sides of the cockpit ahead of the wing's leading edge, and tip tanks make it distinctive looking in the air.
The XF-90 is powered by two Westinghouse J-34 engines of 3,000 pounds thrust each. It is one of the biggest jets the Air Force has, weighing 30,000 pounds, roughly the weight of the familiar R4D transport. The XF-90 is designed to fly behind enemy lines, attacking strategic points. For that reason, the plane carries considerable armor plate. As with other new Air Force jet fighters, it has swept back wings with 35° angle.
It has a thumb-like tail similar to the F-80, the Navy P2V and R60 Constitution, which seems to be one of the best recognition features about Lockheed planes.
Its size and weight can be appreciated when it is remembered the F-80, F-84 and F-86 weigh between 14,000 and 16,000 pounds. The added poundage can mean mainly more miles of range. Main tanks are mounted around and above the engine, with additional ones in the wings and two 220-gallon tip tanks. The latter are located well ahead of the wing leading edge to push the CG forward.
The plane is 56 feet long and has a 40-foot wingspan. It has Fowler flaps and fuselage dive flaps for better flight control. Its speed is expected to better 650 mph., according to the contractor.
 XF-91
This experimental Republic fighter is the first to feature wings that were wider at the tips than at the roots next to the fuselage. It has swept wings and tail surfaces.
Another outstanding recognition feature apparent (see photograph) is the four rocket engine exhaust ports in the tail above and below the jet engine orifice. Like the F-84, the F-91 has a nose airscoop.
It is designed as an interceptor fighter to be used against enemy bombers and missiles. It has unique landing gear, with five wheels—one nose, and two in each wing, mounted in tandem instead of side by side, to give maximum thinness.
 The wing is given its reverse taper, with the chord increasing from root to tip, in an attempt to solve the problem of tip stalling at high speeds. Such a thin wing required some ingenious way of solving the problem of wheel retraction, hence the tandem wheels with small, high-pressure tires. The F-91 is powered by a General Electric J-47 in a conventional straight-through fuselage. Rocket engines are for speed boosts at interception or for fast climb to reach altitude.
Recognition of this plane from almost any angle should be easy. The four rocket tubes in the end of the fuselage give it a fish-tail side view, with a small stabilizer and rudder perched atop.
 XF-92
The true delta-wing airplane, built by Consolidated-Vultee. Formerly called the 7002, this research plane should be about the easiest in the air today to recognize. The triangle shaped wing has 60° sweepback, in contrast with the maximum of 35° in other fighters of the Air Force.
It has "elevons" for aileron and elevator control, plus a triangular rudder-stabilizer. It has the Allison J-33-A-23 with 5,200 pounds rated thrust, which is expected to give it high subsonic speeds and fly it above 40,000 feet.
 F-94, Shooting Star
A night-fighter version of the famed F-80, an outgrowth and refinement of the TF-80C (now called the T-33) twin-seater jet trainer. The elongated nose, a good recognition feature, houses the radar for snooping out enemy planes it is sent to intercept. A radar operator sits in the rear cockpit to operate the radar. The all-weather fighter has an afterburner to boost its Allison J-33 engine, which accounts for the large tail section. Other F-80 features are retained such as the check air scoops and underslung wing tanks to give extra range.
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