Done +++ The F-94E, a swept wing Starfire

PR19_Kit · January 24, 2016, 01:28:05 PM

I wasn't thinking as far advanced as the XF-90, just as much as Dizzy's gone with his model.

kitnut617 · January 24, 2016, 02:13:54 PM

Well the XF-90 first flew in 1949, the F-94 went into service 1950 so it's about the same timeline. But Dizzy's project would be an excellent transition from one to the other --

Dizzyfugu · January 25, 2016, 02:46:23 AM

Thank you. It is rather the "last cry" for the P-80 design, IMHO. There are already other alternatives in the air or in prototype stadium, like the F-86D and also the F-102. My selling point for another evolution of the F-80/94 is that it would have been an evolution of a sound design, but coupled with good reliability, guidance by ground radar station and the (rather new/innovative) AIM-4 as a logical but rather marginal step up from the Mighty Mouse clouds that were to be tossed against incoming bombers.

The XF-90 was another beast, and a totally different type of aircraft. It was an escort fighter with attack capability, not an interceptor. A pretty aircraft, though, but too heavy, too weak and too thirsty to fulfil its intended role, which quickly became obsolete, too. But that's another chapter in the Cold War book...

Captain Canada · January 25, 2016, 03:14:55 AM

Love it. Great build Dizzy ! Amazed at how you accomplish these so fast. Love the colour scheme as well.

NARSES2 · January 25, 2016, 06:35:34 AM

Interesting, as soon as the dayglow goes on she stops looking Soviet and crosses to the other side of the Iron Curtain

sandiego89 · January 25, 2016, 07:07:56 AM

Perhaps if "elegant" does not work- may I offer "ugly".......but in a good way! Very much like the Starfire and the YAK's and some other 1950's planes that just kept getting uglier as they added more features.

Really well done.

-Dave

Dizzyfugu · January 25, 2016, 09:47:36 AM

Well, here we are: a Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959

"Into the evening sun..." 1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some Background:
The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, day/night interceptor.
The aircraft reached operational service in May 1950 with Air Defense Command, replacing the propeller-driven North American F-82 Twin Mustang in the all-weather interceptor role. The F-94 was the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War in January 1953.

>1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The initial production model was the F-94A, which entered operational service in May 1950. Its armament consisted of four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M3 Browning machine guns mounted in the fuselage with the muzzles exiting under the radome. Two 165 US Gallon (1,204 litre) drop tanks, as carried by the F-80 and T-33, were carried on the wingtips. Alternatively, these could be replaced by a pair of 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs under the wings, giving the aircraft a secondary fighter bomber capability. 109 were produced.

The subsequent F-94B, which entered service in January 1951, was outwardly virtually identical to the F-94A. The Allison J33 turbojet had a number of modifications made, though, which made it a very reliable engine. The pilot was provided with a more roomy cockpit and the canopy was replaced by a canopy with a bow frame in the center between the two crew members, as well as a new Instrument Landing System (ILS). 356 of these were built.

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The following F-94C was extensively modified and initially designated F-97, but it was ultimately decided to treat it as a new version of the F-94. USAF interest was lukewarm, since aircraft technology developed at a fast pace in the Fifties, so Lockheed funded development themselves, converting two F-94B airframes to YF-94C prototypes for evaluation.

To improve performance, a completely new, much thinner wing was fitted, along with a swept tail surface. The J33 engine was replaced with a more powerful Pratt & Whitney J48, a license-built version of the afterburning Rolls-Royce Tay, which produced a dry thrust of 6,350 pounds-force (28.2 kN) and approximately 8,750 pounds-force (38.9 kN) with afterburning.

The fire control system was upgraded to the Hughes E-5 with an AN/APG-40 radar in a modified nose with an enlarged radome. The guns were removed and replaced with an all-rocket armament, which was – at that time – regarded as more effective against high-flying, subsonic bomber formations. The internal armament consisted of four flip-up panels in a ring around the nose, each containing six rockets. External pods on the wings augmented the offensive ordnance to 48 projectiles. Operational service began with six squadrons by May 1954.

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

According to test pilot Tony LeVier, the F-94C was capable of supersonic flight, but Lockheed felt that the straight wing limited the airframe's potential, esp. with the uprated engine. Besides, the earlier F-94 variants already saw the end of their relatively brief operational life, already being replaced in the mid-1950s by the Northrop F-89 Scorpion and North American F-86D Sabre interceptor aircraft in front-line service and relegated to National Guard service. Therefore, Lockheed launched another update program for the F-94 in 1953, again as a private venture.

The resulting F-94E (the F-94D was a proposed fighter bomber variant which made it to prototype staus) was another, evolutionary modification of the basic concept, which, in the meantime, had almost nothing left in common with its F-80/T-33 ancestry.
It was based on the F-94C, most obvious change was the introduction of swept wings for supersonic capability in level flight. This change also necessitated other aerodynamic adjustments, including a new, deeper fin with increased area and a modified landing gear that would better cope with the increased AUW.

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Under the hood, the F-94E was constructed around the new Hughes MG-3 fire control system, similar to the early F-102, but kept the AN/APG-40, even though it was coupled with an enlarged antenna. The respective new radome now covered the complete nose cross section. Furthermore, the F-94 E introduced innovations like a Texas Instruments infrared search/tracking system (IRST), which allowed passive tracking of heat emissions, mounted in a canoe fairing under the nose, passive radar warning receivers, transponders as well as backup artificial horizons.

With this improved equipment the interceptor was now able to deploy semi-active radar homing GAR-1s and/or infrared GAR-2s (later re-designated AIM-4A/B Falcon), operating at day and night as well as under harsh weather conditions.

All missiles were carried externally on underwing pylons. Beside the original main wet hardpoints outside the landing gear (typically a pair of 165 US Gallon (1,204 litre) drop tank, that were carried on the wing tips on the former versions), two additional pairs of lighter pylons were added under the wing roots and the outer wings.

Typically, a pair of SARH- and IR-guided AIM-4s were carried, one per pylon, plus a pair of drop tanks. Alternatively, the F-94E could carry up to 4.000 lb (1,816 kg) of ordnance, including up to six streamlined pods, each holding nineteen 2 ¾" in (70 mm) Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets. Any internal armament was deleted.

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The F-94E's new wings allowed a top speed of 687mph at sea level and a top speed of 693 mph (1,115 km/h) at height – compared with the F-94C's 640 mph (556 kn, 1,030 km/h) a rather mild improvement. But the enlarged wing area resulted in a considerably improved rate of climb as well as good maneuverability at height. The F-94E's performance was overall on par with the F-86D, with the benefit of a second crew member, while its weapon capability was comparable with the much bigger (but slower) F-89.

Both of these types were already introduced, so the Air Force's interest was, once more, less than enthusiastic. Eventually the F-94's proven resilience to harsh climate conditions, esp. in the Far North, earned Lockheed in 1955 a production contract for 72 F-94Es for interceptor squadrons based in Alaska, New Foundland, Greenland and Iceland.

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

These production machines arrived to the Northern theatre of operations in summer 1956 and featured an improved weapon capability: on the wet wing hardpoints, a pair of MB-1 Genie (formerly known as 'Ding Dong' missile, later re-coded AIR-2) nuclear unguided rockets could be carried.

For the missile pylons under the wing roots, twin launch rails were introduced so that the F-94E could theoretically carry a total of up to eight AIM-4 missiles, even though the wet pylons were typically occupied with the drop tanks and only two pairs of AIM-4A and B were carried under the wing roots. The J48 engine was slightly uprated, too: the F-94E's P-9 variant delivered now 6,650 lbf (29.5 kN) dry thrust and 10,640 lbf (47.3 kN) at full afterburner.

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Keflavik Airport, Iceland, although controlled by Military Air Transport Service (MATS), was the first base to be equipped with F-94Es as part of the 82d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in early 1957, where the machines replaced F-94Bs and F-89Cs.

The type was popular among the crews, because it coupled a relatively high agility (compared with the F-89 Scorpion) with the psychological benefit of a two men crew, not to be underestimated during operations in the Far North as well as over open water.

The F-94's career didn't last long, though, the aircraft soon became outdated. The last F-94E was already retired from USAF front-line service in November 1962, only three years after the last F-94C Starfires were phased out of ANG service. Eventually, the fighters were replaced by the F-101, F-102 and the F-106.

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 44 ft 11 in (13.71 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 10 in (12.16 m)
Height: 14 ft 6 in (4.43 m)
Wing area: 313.4 sq ft (29.11 m²)
Empty weight: 12,708 lb (5,764 kg)
Loaded weight: 18,300 lb (8,300 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 24,184 lb (10,970 kg)

Powerplant:
1× Pratt & Whitney J48-P-9 turbojet, rated at 6,650 lbf (29.5 kN) dry thrust
and 10,640 lbf (47.3 kN) at full afterburner.

Performance:
Maximum speed: 693 mph (1,115 km/h) at height and in level flight
Range: 805 mi (700 nmi, 1,300 km) in combat configuration with four AAMs and two drop tanks
Ferry range: 1,275 mi (1,100 nmi, 2,050 km)
Service ceiling: 51,400 ft (15,670 m)
Rate of climb: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)
Wing loading: 78.6 lb/ft² (384 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.48

Armament:
Six underwing pylons for a mix of AIM-4 Falcon AAMs (IR- and SARH-guided),
pods with unguided 19× 2.75" (70 mm) Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets,
a pair of 165 gal. drop tanks or a pair of unguided nuclear MB-1 Genie air-to-air missiles

1:72 Lockheed F-94E Starfire, aircraft 'FA 880/Bu. No. 56-0880 ' of the 57th FIS 'Black Knights', US Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik AB, 1959 (Whif/Emhar kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A good result, well, "pretty" might not nail it. Mixing parts from a Shooting Star and a Sabre (a Shooting Sabre, perhaps?) results in a very elegant aircraft. And while the F-94 lost much of its original, elegant appeal, the combo still works with this later interceptor variant of the F-80. Very plausible, IMHO.

PR19_Kit · January 25, 2016, 10:41:49 AM

An excellent result Thomas.

How did you manage to take some pics with the canopy and airbrakes open and some with them closed? Or did you build TWO of them?

su27rules · January 25, 2016, 01:57:08 PM

Excellent !!

zenrat · January 25, 2016, 06:56:05 PM

Good job Dizz.

DogfighterZen · January 25, 2016, 08:40:58 PM

Apart from the nose, i think it looks great! And a great story too!

ChernayaAkula · January 26, 2016, 12:39:19 AM

Wonderful design!

Dizzyfugu · January 26, 2016, 01:29:25 AM

Thank you very much, everyone, glad you like it!

Quote from: PR19_Kit on January 25, 2016, 10:41:49 AM
How did you manage to take some pics with the canopy and airbrakes open and some with them closed? Or did you build TWO of them?

The canopy sits actually tight enough at its rear end that it stays in the open position.

The air brakes on the flanks have been edited away in two or three flight pics, where this task was rather easy to achieve.

The afterburner was faked with picture implants. Except for the landing gear I actually did very little editing on the kit itself, came out very well!

Snowtrooper · January 26, 2016, 04:15:34 AM

Abundant forests? In Iceland?

Those photos must be surely from the unit's deployment to Norway during exercise ARCTIC EXPRESS

PR19_Kit · January 26, 2016, 06:01:19 AM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on January 26, 2016, 01:29:25 AM

The canopy sits actually tight enough at its rear end that it stays in the open position.

The air brakes on the flanks have been edited away in two or three flight pics, where this task was rather easy to achieve.
The afterburner was faked with picture implants. Except for the landing gear I actually did very little editing on the kit itself, came out very well!

Ahah, right, a mixture of plastic and computer engineering.

I quite like the nose, it's a logical upgrade of the smaller F-94C setup.