| P-80 / F-80 Shooting Star | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P-80A 44-85004 | |
| Role | Jet Fighter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed |
| Designed by | Clarence "Kelly" Johnson |
| First flight | 8 January 1944 |
| Introduction | 1945 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Air Force United States Navy |
| Number built | 1,715 |
| Unit cost | US$110,000 in 1945[1] |
| Variants | T-33 Shooting Star F-94 Starfire |
Contents
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Design and development
The XP-80 was a conventional, all-metal airframe with a slim low wing and tricycle undercarriage (landing gear). The P-80 was the first operational jet fighter to have its engine integrated within the main fuselage, a design previously used in the Heinkel He 178 and the Gloster E.28/39 demonstrators. Other early jets generally had two engines because of their limited power and mounted these in external pods for easier maintenance. With the advent of more powerful engines, fuselage mounting was more effective and would be used by nearly all subsequent fighter aircraft.Concept work began on the XP-80 in 1943 with a design being built around the blueprint dimensions of a British de Havilland H-1 B turbojet, a powerplant to which the design team did not have actual access. Lockheed's team, consisting of 28 engineers, was led by the legendary Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson. This teaming was an early product of Lockheed's Skunk Works, which would surface again in the next decade to produce a line of high-performance aircraft beginning with the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.
The first prototype (44-83020), nicknamed Lulu-Belle (and also known as "the Green Hornet" because of its green paint scheme), flew on 8 January 1944 with Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier at the controls, powered by the replacement Halford H1, taken from the prototype de Havilland Vampire jet fighter. Following its first flight, Johnson said, "It was a magnificent demonstration, our plane was a success - such a complete success that it had overcome the temporary advantage the Germans had gained from years of preliminary development on jet planes."
The P-80 testing program proved very dangerous. Burcham was killed on 20 October 1944 while flying the third YP-80A produced, 44-83025. The Gray Ghost was lost on a test flight on 20 March 1945, although pilot Tony LeVier escaped. Newly promoted to chief engineering test pilot to replace Burcham, LeVier bailed out when one of the engine's turbine blades broke, causing structural failure in the airplane's tail. LeVier landed hard and broke his back, but returned to the test program after six months of recovery. Noted ace Major Richard Bong was also killed on an acceptance flight of a production P-80 in the United States on 6 August 1945. Both Burcham and Bong crashed as a result of main fuel pump failure. Burcham's death was the result of a failure to brief him on a newly installed emergency fuel pump backup system, but the investigation of Bong's crash found he had apparently forgotten to switch on the emergency fuel pump that could have prevented the accident. He bailed out when the aircraft rolled inverted but was too close to the ground for his parachute to deploy.
The Navy had already begun procuring its own jet aircraft, but the slow pace of delivery was causing retention problems among pilots, particularly those of the Marines who were still flying Vought F4U Corsairs. To increase land-based jet transition training in the late 1940s, 50 F-80Cs were transferred to the Navy from the Air Force in 1949 as jet trainers. Designated TO-1 by the Navy (changed to TV-1 in 1950), 25 were based at Naval Air Station North Island, California, with VF-52, and 16 assigned to the Marine Corps, equipping VMF-311 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. These aircraft were eventually sent to reserve units. The success of these aircraft led to the procurement by the Navy of 698 T-33 Shooting Stars (as the TO-2/TV-2) to provide a two-seat aircraft for the training role. Lockheed went on to develop a carrier-capable version, the T2V SeaStar, which went into service in 1957.[5]
Costs
The costs are in approximately 1947 United States dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation.[1]| P-80A | FP-80A (RF-80A) | P-80B | F-80C/TF-80C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airframe | 75,967 | 62,050 | ||
| Engine | 21,584 | 21,192 | ||
| Electronics | 4,195 | 5,536 | ||
| Armament | 3,715 | 4,678 | ||
| Ordnance | 2,335 | |||
| Flyaway cost | 110,000 | 107,796 | 95,000 | 93,456 |
Operational history
The initial production order was for 344 P-80As after USAAF acceptance in February 1945. A total of 83 P-80s had been delivered by the end of July 1945 and 45 assigned to the 412th Fighter Group (later redesignated the 1st Fighter Group) at Muroc Army Air Field. After the war, production continued, although wartime plans for 5,000 were quickly reduced to 2,000 at a little under $100,000 a copy. A total of 1,714 single-seat F-80A, F-80B, F-80C and RF-80s were manufactured by the end of production in 1950, of which 927 were F-80Cs (including 129 operational F-80As upgraded to F-80C-11-LO standards). However, the two-seat TF-80C, first flown on 22 March 1948, became the basis for the T-33 trainer, of which 6,557 were produced.
On 27 January 1946, Colonel William H. Councill flew a P-80 nonstop across the US to make the first transcontinental jet flight. He completed the 2,457 miles run between Los Angeles and New York in 4 hours, 13 minutes 26 seconds at an average speed of 584 MPH to set a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale record. The P-80B prototype, modified as a racer and designated XP-80R, was piloted by Colonel Albert Boyd to a world air speed record of 623.73 mph (1,004.2 km/h) on 19 June 1947. The P-80C began production in 1948; on 11 June, now part of the United States Air Force, the P-80C was officially redesignated the F-80C.
The USAF Strategic Air Command had F-80 Shooting Stars in service from 1946 through 1948 with the 1st and 56th Fighter Groups. The first P-80s to serve in Europe joined the 55th Fighter Group (later redesignated the 31st FG) at Giebelstadt, Germany, in 1946, remaining 18 months. When the Soviet Union blockaded Berlin, a squadron of the 56th FG led by Colonel David C. Schilling made the first west-to-east Atlantic crossing by single-engined jets in July, flying to Germany for 45 days in Operation Fox Able I.[N 2] Replaced by the newly F-80-equipped 36th Fighter Group at Fürstenfeldbruck, the 56th FG conducted Fox Able II in May 1949. That same year F-80s first equipped the 51st Fighter Group, based in Japan.
The 4th (Langley Air Force Base, Virginia), 81st (Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico), and 57th (Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska) Fighter Groups all acquired F-80s in 1948, as did interceptor squadrons of the Air Defense Command. The first Air National Guard unit to fly the P-80 was the 196th FS of the California ANG in June 1947.
Korea
F-80Cs equipped 10 USAF squadrons in Korea:
- 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing (35th, 36th, and 80th Fighter-Bomber Squadrons), based at Suwon, was the longest-serving F-80 unit in Korea. It began missions from Japan in June 1950 and continued to fly the Shooting Star until May 1953, when it converted to F-86 Sabres.
- 49th Fighter-Bomber Group (7th, 8th and 9th FBS) deployed to Taegu, Korea, from Japan in September 1950 and continued fighter-bomber missions in the F-80C until June 1951, when it converted to the F-84 Thunderjet.
- 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (16th and 25th FIS) operated F-80Cs from Kimpo and Japan from September 1950 to November 1951 when it transitioned to F-86s.
- 35th Fighter-Interceptor Group and two squadrons, the 39th and 40th FIS, went to Pohang, Korea in July 1950, but converted to P-51 Mustang before the end of the year.
- 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron', later redesignated 15th TRS, served from 27 June 1950 at Itazuke, Japan, Taegu (K-2) and Kimpo (K-14), Korea, until after the armistice. The squadron also utilized a few converted RF-80Cs and RF-86s.
Variants
See also: Comparison of P-80 variants
P-80/F-80
1714 production aircraft were delivered to the Air Force prior to any conversions or redesignations, with their original block numbers.
- XP-80
- Prototype, one built.
- XP-80A
- Second prototype variant, two built.
- YP-80A
- 12 pre-production aircraft.
- XF-14
- One built from YP-80A order (44-83024), lost in midair collision with B-25 Mitchell chase plane on 6 December 1944; USAAF photo reconnaissance prototype.
- P-80A
- 344 block 1-LO aircraft; 180 block 5-LO aircraft. Block 5 and all subsequent Shooting Stars were natural metal finish. Fitted with 225 US gal (187 imp gal; 850 l) tiptanks.[8]
- F-80A
- USAF designation of P-80A.
- EF-80
- Modified to test "Prone Pilot" cockpit positions.[N 4]
- F-14A
- Unknown number of conversions from P-80A, all redesignated FP-80A.
- XFP-80A
- Modified P-80A 44-85201 with hinged nose for camera equipment.
- FP-80A
- 152 block 15-LO; operational photo reconnaissance aircraft.
- RF-80A
- USAF designation of FP-80A, 66 operational F-80A's modified to RF-80A standard.
- ERF-80A
- Modified P-80A 44-85042 with experimental nose contour.
- XP-80B
- Reconfigured P-80A, improved J-33 engine, one built as prototype for P-80B
- P-80B
- 209 block 1-LO; 31 block 5-LO; first model to be fitted with ejection seat (retrofitted into -As)[9]
- F-80B
- USAF designation of P-80B.
- XP-80R
- Modification of XP-80B to racer.
- P-80C
- 162 block 1-LO; 75 block 5-LO; 561 block 10-LO
- F-80C
- USAF designation of P-80; 128 F-80A modified to F-80C-11-LO with J-33-A-35 engine and ejection seat installed; fitted with 260 US gal (220 imp gal; 980 l) tiptanks;major P-80 production version.[8]
- RF-80C
- 70 modified F-80A and F-80C, and six modified RF-80A, to RF-80C and RF-80C-11, respectively; upgraded photo recon plane.
- DF-80A
- Designation given to number of F-80As converted into drone directors.
- QF-80A/QF-80C/QF-80F
- Project Bad Boy F-80 conversions by Sperry Gyroscope to target drones. Q-8 was initially proposed as designation for the QF-80.
- TP-80C
- First designation for TF-80C trainer prototype.
- TF-80C
- Prototype for T-33 (48-0356).
- TO-1/TV-1
- U.S. Navy variant of F-80C; 49 block 1-LO and one block 5-LO aircraft transferred to USN in 1949; 16 initially went to U.S. Marine Corps.
Derivatives
Lockheed also produced a two-seat trainer variant with a longer fuselage, the T-33, which remained in production until 1959 and was produced under license in Japan and Canada. The trainer was used by more than 20 different countries. A total of 6,557 T-33s were built and some are still flying.Two TF-80Cs were modified as prototypes for the F-94 Starfire, an all-weather fighter which was produced in three variants.
Operators
Brazil- 33 F-80C delivered starting in 1958, withdrawn from service in 1973.[10]
Chile- around 30 F-80C delivered from 1958 on, last ones retired from service in 1974.[11]
Colombia- 16 F-80C delivered starting in 1958, retired by 1966.[12]
Ecuador- 16 F-80C delivered between 1957 and 1960, six returned to the USA in 1965.[13]
Peru- 16 F-80C delivered starting in 1958, used by the 13th Fighter-Bomber Group until the type was phased out in 1973.[14]
United States
Survivors
- The first prototype XP-80 (s/n 44-83020), nicknamed Lulu-Belle that flew on 8 January 1944 was restored right after the 1976 opening of the National Air and Space Museum and is still in their collection.
- P-80C (s/n 48-505) is on display at the 45th Infantry Division (United States) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This aircraft was converted from a two-seat T-33 Jet Trainer (S/N 58-505) to a single seat F-80 C configuration. It has been painted with markings to represent an aircraft of the 185th Fighter Squadron from the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
- P-80R (XP) (s/n 44-85200) is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This aircraft was specially modified for racing by equipping it with a smaller canopy, a shorter wing, and redesigned air intakes. On 19 June 1947, it was flown by Colonel Albert Boyd to a new world speed record of 623.73 mph (1,004.2 km/h). The aircraft was shipped to the Museum from Griffiss Air Force Base in New York in October 1954.[16]
- Two P-80s are at the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both aircraft are complete with engines although only one is on display.[17]
- P-80 194? in markings for USMC Major General Paul J. Fontana recovered from MCAS Cherry Point (on display)
- P-80 194? This serial numbered aircraft was the first P-80 acquired by the US Navy - in storage
- TV-1/T-33 #1 In storage
- TV-1/T-33 #2 In storage
- P-80 (s/n 213) in FAU markings, displayed at "Museo Aeronáutico, Cnel. (Av.) Jaime Meregalli" in Montevideo
- TV-1 (BuNo 33824) painted as a P-80C is on display at the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association in Horsham, Pennsylvania[18]
- F-80C (FACh s/n J-342) is on display at Chile's National Aviation and Space Museum (Museo Nacional Aeronautico y del Espacio) in Santiago, Chile.
Specifications (P-80C/F-80C)
Data from Quest for Performance[19]
General characteristics- Crew: One
- Length: 34 ft 5 in (10.49 m)
- Wingspan: 38 ft 9 in (11.81 m)
- Height: 11 ft 3 in (3.43 m)
- Wing area: 237.6 ft² (22.07 m²)
- Aspect ratio: 6.37
- Empty weight: 8,420 lb (3,819 kg)
- Loaded weight: 12,650 lb (5,738 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 16,856 lb (7,646 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Allison J33-A-35 centrifugal compressor turbojet, 5,400 lbf (24.0 kN)
- Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0134
- Drag area: 3.2 ft² (0.30 m²)
- Maximum speed: 600 mph (965 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 410 mph (660 km/h)
- Range: 1,200 mi (1,930 km)
- Service ceiling: 46,000 ft (14,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 4,580 ft/min (23.3 m/s) 5.5 min to 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
- Wing loading: 53 lb/ft² (260 kg/m²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.43
- Lift-to-drag ratio: 17.7
- Guns: 6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (300 rpg)
- Rockets: 8 × unguided rockets
- Bombs: 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
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