Northrop F-89 Scorpion

what is it?

The Northrop F-89 Scorpion is an all-weather, twin-engined interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Northrop Corporation. It was the first jet-powered aircraft designed as an interceptor to enter service, the first combat aircraft armed with air-to-air nuclear weapons, and among the first U.S. fighters to carry guided missiles. The name Scorpion came from the aircraft's elevated tail unit and high-mounted horizontal stabilizer, which kept it clear of the engine exhaust.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 18.2 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 1,038 km/htop speed
• range 2,200 kmwithout refuelling
• size 19.2 tmax take-off weight
• built 1,052made 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 78 years ago, in 1948.
• 🏎️Top speed is 8.0× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 18.2 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,200 km: 12× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.7× 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

1948-08-16

introduced

1950

retired

1969

status

retired

number built

1,052

role

interceptor

makers

Northrop

engines

2× Allison J35-A-35 / Allison J35

crew

2

length

16.4 m

wingspan

18.2 m

height

5.3 m

max take-off weight

19.2 t

top speed

1,038 km/h

range

2,200 km

ceiling

14,996 m

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