Republic XF-103

E721909

The Republic XF-103 was an experimental American Cold War–era interceptor aircraft project intended to achieve very high supersonic speeds using advanced materials and propulsion, but it was cancelled before a prototype was completed.

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Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf experimental interceptor aircraft
prototype military aircraft project
aircraftCategory jet-powered fighter (planned)
airForceUser United States Air Force (intended) NERFINISHED
airframeDesign optimized for sustained high supersonic cruise
airIntakeType nose intake (planned)
armament air-to-air missiles (planned)
configuration single-seat fighter
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
crew 1 (planned)
designedFor high-altitude interception
designedToCounter high-speed bomber threats
designFeature fuselage optimized for supersonic flight
internal weapons bay (planned)
very thin, highly swept wings
designGoal Mach 3-class performance (planned)
designOrganization Republic Aviation design team
developmentPeriod 1950s
era Cold War
firstFlight never flown
historicalSignificance example of unrealized high-speed interceptor concepts of the 1950s
intendedMission air defense interception
intendedServiceBranch USAF Air Defense Command (planned) NERFINISHED
intendedSpeedRegime very high supersonic speeds
landingGear retractable tricycle landing gear (planned)
manufacturer Republic Aviation NERFINISHED
notableAspect advanced materials for thermal protection
ambitious mixed-propulsion concept
programOutcome cancelled before prototype completion
programResult remained on paper and mock-up stage
projectType research and development interceptor program
propulsionConcept turbojet plus ramjet (planned)
propulsionType mixed-power propulsion (planned)
prototypeCompleted no
reasonForCancellation changing defense priorities
high projected cost
technical complexity (planned systems)
role interceptor aircraft
status cancelled project
tailConfiguration conventional tail (planned)
usedMaterials advanced high-temperature materials
titanium (planned)
weaponsSystemType guided missile interceptor (planned)

Referenced by (1)

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

Alexander Kartveli designed Republic XF-103