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-531_in_flight%2C_circa_in_1955_(74241789).jpg)
-542_in_flight%2C_circa_in_early_1953_(A_48668).jpg)
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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. F3D-1 Skyknight launches Sparrow missile in 1950: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 2. AAM-N-2 Sparrow missiles on a Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight, circa in 1953: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 3. Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight in flight near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, circa in the 1950s (NH 101805-KN): Commander Richard Timm, U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 4. Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight of VMF(N)-531 in flight, circa in 1955 (74241789): U.S. Marine Corps photo A48757· Public domain
- 5. Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight of VMF(N)-542 in flight, circa in early 1953 (A 48668): Staff Sergeant Mary Carabba, USMC· Public domain
- 6. Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight of VMF-542 in flight, circa in 1957 (74241798): U.S. Marine Corps photo A195018· Public domain
- 7. Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight in flight c1949: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 8. F3D launches AIM-9 1961: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 9. F3D-1 Skyknight of VC-3 in flight c1950: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 10. F3D-2 Skyknight of VC-33 in flight 1952: U.S. Navy· Public domain
what is it?
The Douglas F3D Skyknight (later redesignated F-10 Skyknight) is an American twin-engined, mid-wing jet fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was designed in response to a 1945 United States Navy requirement for a jet-powered, radar-equipped, carrier-based night fighter. Douglas designed the aircraft around the bulky air intercept radar systems of the era, resulting in a wide, deep, and roomy fuselage that accommodated its two-man crew.
How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · mid wing · retractable tricycle gear · 15.2 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 78 years ago, in 1948.
- Top speed is 6.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 15.2 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Can fly 1.3× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1948-03-23
- introduced
- 1951
- retired
- 1970
- status
- retired
- number built
- 265
- role
- fighter aircraft
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- Douglas
- engines
- 2× Westinghouse J34-WE-36
- crew
- 2
- length
- 13.8 m
- wingspan
- 15.2 m
- height
- 4.9 m
- max take-off weight
- 12.1 t
- top speed
- 852 km/h
- cruise speed
- 732 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 11,186 m
- wings
- mid wing
- landing gear
- retractable tricycle gear
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1252280, Wikipedia: Douglas F3D Skyknight (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.