The Shooting Star recorded a number of firsts: It was the
first Air Force aircraft to exceed 500 mph in level flight,
the first American jet airplane to be manufactured in large
quantities, and the first Air Force jet to be used in
combat. In June 1943, Lockheed was invited to design an
aircraft around the de Havilland H-1 turbojet newly
developed in Britain. Lockheed's design team led by Clarence
L. "Kelly" Johnson completed the project details in a week,
and the first prototype was flown 143 days later. On that
first flight, pilot Milo Burcham was so pleased with the
performance of the aircraft that he presented a display of
low-level aerobatics prior to landing. Several early P-80s
were sent to Europe for a demonstration tour, but World War
II ended before the aircraft could be employed in combat.
The aircraft was redesignated in 1948 when "P" for pursuit
was changed to "F" for fighter. Although it was originally
conceived as a high-altitude interceptor, the F-80C was used
extensively as a fighter-bomber in the Korean War, primarily
for low-level rocket, bomb, and napalm attacks against
ground targets. F-80C pilots flew more than 15,000 sorties
in the first four months of the war. On November 8, 1950,
1st Lt. Russell J. Brown, flying a 16th Fighter-Interceptor
Squadron F-80C, shot down a Soviet-built MiG-15 in the
world's first all-jet air battle. The early success was
short lived, however, and soon F-80 pilots required help
from F-86 pilots in the form of top cover. Only 14 F-80s
were shot down by enemy aircraft in Korea, but 113 were
downed by ground fire. Many Shooting Stars were converted
into FP-80 (later RF-80) reconnaissance and QF-80 drone
versions. The T-33, for many years the world's most widely
used jet trainer, and the radar-equipped F-94C all-weather
interceptor were both developed from the F-80.
| Contractors: |
Lockheed Aircraft Co. |
| Locations Built: |
Burbank, Calif. |
| Number Built: (USAF) |
1,731 (1,678) |
| First Flight: |
January 8, 1944 |
| First Flight Model: |
XP-80 |
| First Flight Location: |
Muroc AAF, Calif. |
| First Flight Pilot: |
Milo Burcham |
| Models/Variants: |
YP-80. P-80A, B, C (later
redesignated F-80A, B, C). FP-80A, C (later
redesignated RF-80A, C). F-14A. QF-80A, C |
| Powerplant: |
One Allison J33 of 5,400 lb thrust (with water/alcohol injection) |
| Wingspan: |
38 ft 10-1/2 in. |
| Length: |
34 ft 6 in. |
| Height: |
11 ft 4 in. |
| Weight: |
16,856 lb gross |
| Armament: |
Six .50-cal. machine guns and
eight 5-in rockets or 2,000 lb of bombs |
| Accommodation: |
Pilot only |
| Cost: |
$93,456 |
| Max. Speed: |
580 mph |
| Range: |
1,380 mi. |
| Ceiling: |
48,000 ft. |
|
