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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. McDonnell F3H-2N Demon in flight in 1956: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 2. First McDonnell F3H-1N Demon in flight in 1954: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 3. XF3H Demon on USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in 1953: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 4. F-3B Demon of VF-92 parked c1963: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 5. F2H F3H and F4H McDonnell fighters in flight c1959: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 6. F3H Demon launching AIM-9B 1958: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 7. F3H VF-64 CVA-41: USN sailor of employee· Public domain
- 8. F3H-2 Demon of VF-121 parked c1956: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 9. F3H-2 Demon of VF-21 refuels from KB-50J c1960: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 10. F3H-2M Demon of VF-112 in flight 1957: U.S. Navy· Public domain
what is it?
The McDonnell F3H Demon is a subsonic swept-wing carrier-based jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. It was the first swept wing jet fighter and the only single-engined carrier-based fighter the company produced. The Demon was developed during the late 1940s and early 1950s to fulfill a United States Navy requirement for a high-performance swept wing naval fighter to succeed the F2H Banshee.
How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 10.8 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 75 years ago, in 1951.
- Top speed is 8.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 10.8 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Can fly 1.2× 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
- 1951-08-07
- introduced
- 1956
- retired
- 1964
- status
- retired
- number built
- 523
- role
- carrier-based all-weather interceptor
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
- engines
- 1× Allison J71-A-2E
- crew
- 1
- length
- 18 m
- wingspan
- 10.8 m
- height
- 4.5 m
- max take-off weight
- 15.4 t
- top speed
- 1,152 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 10,683 m
- wings
- low 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 Q1423312, Wikipedia: McDonnell F3H Demon (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.