Century Series fighters

E265651

Century Series fighters were a group of U.S. Air Force jet fighter aircraft from the 1950s and early 1960s, designated with numbers in the 100s and known for pioneering supersonic performance and advanced aeronautical technologies of their era.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Century Series fighters canonical 1
Delta series interceptors 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf family of military aircraft
aerodynamicFeature all-moving tailplanes on some types
delta wings
swept wings
aircraftRole jet fighter
avionicsFeature early airborne radar systems
fire-control systems for missile interception
conflictParticipation Vietnam War
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
designationPattern aircraft designated with numbers in the 100s
designGoal fighter-bomber strike missions
high-speed interception
long-range penetration missions
developmentContext Cold War
historicalSignificance bridged the gap between early subsonic jets and later third-generation fighters
formed the backbone of USAF tactical and air defense forces in the late 1950s
includesAircraft North American F-100 Super Sabre
surface form: F-100 Super Sabre

McDonnell F-101 Voodoo
surface form: F-101 Voodoo

Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
surface form: F-102 Delta Dagger

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
surface form: F-104 Starfighter

F-105 Thunderchief
Convair F-106 Delta Dart
surface form: F-106 Delta Dart
legacy influenced design of later fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II
namingOrigin named for their 100-series numerical designations
notableFeature advanced aeronautical technologies for their era
supersonic performance
operatedBy United States Air Force
primaryUser Air Defense Command
surface form: USAF Air Defense Command

Tactical Air Command
surface form: USAF Tactical Air Command
propulsionFeature single-engine configuration on most types
twin-engine configuration on the F-101 Voodoo
safetyRecord some types had high accident rates due to cutting-edge performance envelopes
status retired from front-line USAF service
technologyMilestone early operational use of delta wings in USAF fighters
early use of area rule fuselage design
first generation of USAF fighters designed for sustained supersonic flight
integration of guided air-to-air missiles
introduction of afterburning turbojet engines in USAF fighters
timePeriod 1950s
early 1960s
typicalArmament air-to-air missiles
conventional bombs
internal cannon
typicalConfiguration single-seat fighter
twin-seat trainer or interceptor variants
typicalConstruction all-metal stressed-skin airframe
typicalEngineType turbojet engine
usedBy several allied air forces through export of individual types

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

North American F-100 Super Sabre firstOfSeries Century Series fighters
Convair notableAircraftFamily Century Series fighters
this entity surface form: Delta series interceptors