QUICK LINKS HOME PAGE WW2 tanks

Lockheed F-94 Starfire

The F-94 was an interim all-weather interceptor developed from the T-33 trainer, which had been developed from the F-80. Initial tests showed that the engine was not powerful enough to support the increased weight of the electronic equipment and the Hughes E-1 fire-control radar. In addition to a higher-performing engine, several changes to the aircraft's lines were required. First accepted in December 1949, F-94As began replacing North American F-82s in Air Defense Command. When the Korean War broke out, Starfires were prohibited from flying over North Korea for fear of compromising their sophisticated electronic equipment. However, mounting B-29 losses led to the lifting of this restriction. On January 30, 1953, Capt. B. L. Fithian (pilot) and Lt. S. R. Lyons (radar operator) shot down an unseen LA-9 piston-engine fighter. The F-94C was phased out of Air Force service in 1959, and the last Air National Guard F-94s were retired in early 1960.
 

Jirka Wagner