The year is 1943 and America considered way behind fighter jet technology compared to Great Britain and Germany makes a sudden leap forward to catch up and close the gap. Lockheed Skunk Works under Kelly Johnson designs and builds a prototype that will become the P-80 Shooting Star. It will be the first jet ever to have the engine mounted inside the fuselage. It’s clean and sleek body allow for efficient acceleration and speed, and even though it is straight winged like conventional propeller driven aircraft it will outperform any fighter jet of the time.

New sheriff in town

The Bell P-59 Air Comet is the first American attempt at building a jet fighter and 60 models are sent to the UK for evaluation and even combat, but are deemed as underperformers and are relegated to training platforms to orient new pilots. Four versions of the Lockheed YF-80 are sent overseas to the UK and Italy in late 1943. The Shooting Stars sent to the UK become display showcases for audiences and instruction but the two sent to Italy will see action as high speed high altitude interceptors as the Germans are already using an Arado Built reconnaissance jet aircraft that can outrun any conventional prop driven warplanes of the US allowing the Germans to photograph American airfields in Italy with impunity.

Only a few see overseas WWII duty

In secret missions never revealed to this day in 1945 the two P-80 Shooting Stars are assigned for interception and other undisclosed missions that may have involved air to air combat action or ground attack roles. We’ll never know. The P-80 was superior to the Gloster Meteor or the ME-262 swept back wing fighter in speed, agility, and armament, but this early in its development and Lockheed just getting under way for mass manufacture of the new jet fighter P-80’s did not see combat deployment at this time. Of the 4 overseas P-80’s sent two would be destroyed in landing accidents for the British. Keep in mind, Lockheed builds a superior fighter jet in 143 days using nothing more than slide rulers and wind tunnels for trial and error testing. There was no computer assisted design in 1943, only accumulated flight data shared between friendly nations.

Unprepared

The Korean War sprang upon the US overseas peace time keepers stationed in Japan as North Korean armored units quickly overran the South Korean Army still recovering from WWII Japanese occupation. Rushed into service were US troops armed with World War II uniforms, weapons, while most of whom were not experienced veterans. Even KP cooks and office clerks were given an M1-rifle, loaded onto destroyers and sent to the front against well supported North Koreans in Soviet supplied tanks. It became a slaughter as the US attempted to set up artillery positions as armored Korean tank columns penetrated deep into ROK territory.

Too little too late

Launched from US Navy Aircraft Carriers were vintage P-51 Mustangs for ground support, along with F-4U Corsairs, both fast by WWII standards but this was the age of the Jet! Suddenly, a new adversary came onto the scene unmatched by anything in the US inventory and that was the Mig-15 a new design faster with a superior rate of climb and armed with canons. The US Navy had two excellent carrier based jet fighters that did achieve victory in some cases but suffered losses at the hands of the Mig-15. At the time the US Air Force air superiority fighter was the P-80 Shooting star. This capable fighter of WWII vintage made the first kill upon a Mig-15 before US pilots found that their Shooting Stars were outmatched by the Mig-15’s. P-80’s were forced to hold the line until the new F-86 Sabre was rolled out and delivered to begin evening the odds in the skies over the Korean peninsula. Ironically, an aircraft deemed obsolete in comparison to its adversary made the first kill! The P-80 would go onto to serve as chase planes for NASA and for Boeing Passenger jets until recently. The P-80 has served in the role of interceptor for several Central American countries until recently.

Projecting air power

The F-105 Thunder Chief was technically the most sophisticated aircraft of the “Century Series” of fighters developed in the 1950’s who would see service well into the 1970’s and even beyond. The intended fighter bomber, with sophisticated radar and navigation, was the ultimate air to air fighting machine of its time, but continually experienced growing pains due to upgrades and redesigns. At a top speed exceeding Mach 2 for long periods of time, it was thought that enemy interceptors would be of no worry, but over the battlefields of Vietnam it would be designated for a different role, that of a deep penetration day time bomber escorted by other fighter jets.

Adapting to a  new role

When flying with a heavy bomb load that hurt the performance of the F-105 making it vulnerable to Mig-21’s and Mig-17’s who, guided by ground air controllers would attack trying to stop them before they could reach their target and unload their ordinance. Ironically, once again it was an F-105 Thunder Chief who scored the first aerial victory over the Mig-21 over Vietnam. The Republic built F-105’s successfully completed many missions but the combination of radar guided anti-aircraft artillery, Russian SAM’s (Surface to air missiles) and Russian built Mig-17’s and Mig-21’s began to inflict an attrition rate that was unsupportable. Just as the F-100 Super Sabre who had reigned supreme as the primary ground attack fighter over Vietnam, the F-105 would be phased out gradually in favor of the venerable F-4 Phantom II. The twin engine two seat fighter bomber would eventually handle a great number of missions as air superiority fighter, bomber, low level ground support, and even air reconnaissance roles. Serving in the "Wild Weasel" Mission the F-105 was also used to play a cat and mouse game knocking out North Vietnamese ground radar stations.