Lockheed F-94 Starfire

what is it?

The Lockheed F-94 Starfire is a first-generation jet-powered all-weather day/night interceptor aircraft designed and produced by Lockheed Corporation. Put into production in 1949, it was the first operational United States Air Force (USAF) fighter equipped with an afterburner as well as being the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War. The F-94 was developed to fulfil a specification issued by the USAF in 1948, seeking a new interceptor capable of day and night operations to replace its piston-engined types in light of recent military advances made by the Soviet Union.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · 12.9 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 1,030 km/htop speed
• range 1,300 kmwithout refuelling
• size 11 tmax take-off weight
• built 855made in total

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 77 years ago, in 1949.
• 🏎️Top speed is 7.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 12.9 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,300 km: 7× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.8× 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

1949-04-16

introduced

1950

retired

1959

status

retired

number built

855

role

all-weather interceptor

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Lockheed Corporation

engines

1× Pratt & Whitney J48-P-5 / J33 / J48

crew

2

length

13.6 m

wingspan

12.9 m

height

4.6 m

max take-off weight

11 t

top speed

1,030 km/h

range

1,300 km

ceiling

15,667 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.