P-80 Shooting Star

P-80 Shooting Star
Name	P-80 Shooting Star
Caption	A United States Air Force P-80A in flight.
Type	Fighter aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed Corporation
Designer	Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and the Skunk Works
First flight	8 January 1944
Introduction	1945
Retired	1959 (USAF), 1974 (Bolivian Air Force)
Status	Retired
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	1,715
Developed into	T-33 Shooting Star, F-94 Starfire

P-80 Shooting Star. The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first operational jet fighter employed by the United States Army Air Forces and later the United States Air Force. Designed and built in great secrecy by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson's team at the Lockheed Corporation's Skunk Works, it entered service in the final months of World War II but saw no combat. The aircraft became a foundational platform for American jet aviation, serving as a frontline fighter during the Korean War and evolving into the prolific T-33 trainer.

Development and design

The urgent development of the P-80 was initiated in 1943 after reports of German advances with the Messerschmitt Me 262. The United States Army Air Forces contracted Lockheed Corporation, where a team led by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson worked within the secretive Skunk Works facility. The design centered on a streamlined fuselage housing a single Allison J33 turbojet engine, which was a development of the British Halford H-1 (later de Havilland Goblin) engine provided by Frank Halford. The prototype, designated XP-80, was built in just 143 days and first flew on 8 January 1944 at Muroc Army Air Field (later Edwards Air Force Base) with test pilot Milo Burcham at the controls. Subsequent testing revealed the need for design refinements, leading to the improved YP-80A pre-production models.

Operational history

Although delivered to Italy in 1945, the YP-80A saw no combat in World War II. The first production P-80A entered service with the 412th Fighter Group at March Field in California. The type achieved the first USAF jet-versus-jet victory when a P-80C shot down a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 over Korea in November 1950, piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Russell J. Brown. However, the P-80 was soon outclassed by the swept-wing MiG-15 and was primarily relegated to ground-attack missions, serving with units like the 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing and the 49th Fighter-Bomber Group. It also served as an advanced trainer and in Air National Guard units until the late 1950s.

Variants

The primary variants included the initial P-80A, the improved P-80B with a more powerful engine and ejection seat, and the definitive P-80C which became the standard production model. A reconnaissance version, the FP-80A (later RF-80A), was equipped with cameras in a modified nose. The two-seat trainer derivative, initially designated TF-80C, was redesignated the T-33 Shooting Star and became one of the most produced jet trainers in history. Another development was the F-94 Starfire, an all-weather interceptor equipped with radar and an afterburner.

Operators

The primary operator was the United States Air Force, including its Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command, and Air National Guard units. It was also used by the United States Navy for evaluation purposes. Internationally, the P-80 and its T-33 derivative were exported to numerous allied nations under programs like the Mutual Defense Assistance Act. Operators included the Brazilian Air Force, Chilean Air Force, Colombian Air Force, Ecuadorian Air Force, Peruvian Air Force, Uruguayan Air Force, and the Bolivian Air Force, which was the last to retire the type in 1974.

Specifications (P-80A)

* Crew: 1 * Length: 34 ft 5 in (10.49 m) * Wingspan: 38 ft 9 in (11.81 m) * Height: 11 ft 3 in (3.43 m) * Empty weight: 8,420 lb (3,819 kg) * Powerplant: 1 × Allison J33-A-9 centrifugal-flow turbojet, 4,000 lbf (18 kN) thrust * Maximum speed: 558 mph (898 km/h, 485 kn) * Range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km, 1,000 nmi) * Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (14,000 m) * Armament: 6 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in the nose; provisions for 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or 8 × 5 in (127 mm) HVAR rockets

Aircraft on display

Many P-80s are preserved in museums worldwide. In the United States, examples include a P-80C at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, a P-80A at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, and aircraft at the Museum of Flight in Seattle and the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California. An RF-80A is displayed at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Internationally, a T-33 (derived from the P-80) is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum London.

Category:United States fighter aircraft 1940–1949 Category:Lockheed aircraft Category:Single-engined jet aircraft