The Douglas F3D Skyknight (later designated F-10 Skyknight) is an American twin-engined, mid-wing
jet fighter aircraft manufactured by the
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated as ...
in
El Segundo, California
El Segundo ( , ; ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 16,731 as of th ...
. The F3D was designed as a carrier-based all-weather
night fighter
A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...
and saw service with the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
. The mission of the F3D was to search out and destroy enemy aircraft at night.
The F3D Skyknight was never produced in great numbers but it did achieve many firsts in its role as a night fighter over
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. While it never achieved the fame of the
North American F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...
, it did down several Soviet-built
MiG-15
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...
s as a night fighter over Korea with only one air-to-air loss of its own against a
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
MiG-15, which occurred on the night of 29 May 1953.
["Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office: Korean War Air Loss Database (KORWALD)."](_blank)
''dtic.mil.'' Retrieved: 10 August 2013.
The Skyknight played an important role in the development of the radar-guided
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow (Air Intercept Missile) is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, as well as other various air forces ...
missile which led to further guided
air-to-air missile
The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back)
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...
developments. It also served as an electronic warfare platform in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
as a precursor to the
EA-6A Intruder
The Grumman A-6 Intruder is an American twinjet all-weather attack aircraft developed and manufactured by American aircraft company Grumman Aerospace and operated by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
It was designed in response to a 1957 r ...
and
EA-6B Prowler
The Northrop Grumman (formerly Grumman) EA-6B Prowler is a twin-engine, four-seat, mid-wing electronic-warfare aircraft derived from the A-6 Intruder airframe. The EA-6A was the initial electronic warfare version of the A-6 used by the United ...
. The aircraft is sometimes unofficially called "Skynight", dropping the second "k". The unusual, portly profile earned it the nickname "Willie the Whale". Some Vietnam War
U.S. Marine
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...
veterans have referred to the Skyknight as "
Drut
''Drut'' ( द्रुत; also called ''drut laya'') is the concluding section, in fast tempo (or ''laya''), between 160 and 320 beats per minute, of the performance of a vocal raga in Hindustani classical music.
See also
*Khyal
*Vilambit
*Ma ...
", whose meaning becomes obvious when read backwards. This may be in reference to its age, unflattering looks or its low-slung air intakes that made it vulnerable to
foreign object damage
In aviation and aerospace, foreign object debris (FOD), is any particle or substance, alien to an aircraft or system, which could potentially cause damage.
External FOD hazards include bird strikes, hail, ice, sandstorms, ash-clouds or obje ...
(FOD).
Design and development
The F3D was not intended to be a typical sleek and nimble dogfighter, but as a standoff night fighter, packing a powerful radar system and a second crew member. It originated in 1945 with a US Navy requirement for a jet-powered, radar-equipped, carrier-based night fighter. The Douglas team led by
Ed Heinemann
Edward Henry Heinemann (March 14, 1908 – November 26, 1991) was a military aircraft designer for the Douglas Aircraft Company.
Biography
Heinemann was born in Saginaw, Michigan. He moved to California as a boy and was raised in Los Angeles. A ...
designed around the bulky air intercept radar systems of the time, with
side-by-side seating
Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction.
The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...
for the pilot and radar operator.
[Donald 1997, p. 365.] The result was an aircraft with a wide, deep, and roomy fuselage. Instead of ejection seats, an escape tunnel was used, similar to the type used in the
Douglas A-3 Skywarrior
The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior is a jet-powered strategic bomber that was developed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was designed by Douglas on behalf of the United States Navy, which sought a carrier-capable strategic bomber. Duri ...
.
The XF3D-1 beat out
Grumman
The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 1994 ...
Aircraft Engineering Corporation's G-75 two-seat, four-engined,
Westinghouse J30
The Westinghouse J30, initially known as the Westinghouse 19XB, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It was the first American-designed turbojet to run, and only the second axial-flow turbojet to run outside German ...
-powered night fighter design (similar layout to their Tigercat), and a contract was issued on 3 April 1946. The US Navy's
Bureau of Aeronautics
The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and relate ...
(BuAer) also issued a contract to Grumman for two G-75 (BuAer designation XF9F-1) experimental aircraft on 11 April 1946 in case the Skyknight ran into problems. Grumman soon realized that the G-75 was a losing design but had been working on a completely different, single-engined day fighter known as the Grumman G-79 which became the
Grumman F9F Panther
The Grumman F9F Panther is one of the United States Navy's first successful carrier-based jet fighters, as well as Grumman’s first jet fighter. A single-engined, straight-winged day fighter, it was armed with four cannons and could carry a wi ...
.
![F3D-2 VMFN-513 Kunsan radar2 1953](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/F3D-2_VMFN-513_Kunsan_radar2_1953.jpg)
The first flight of the XF3D-1 was on 23 March 1948 at Douglas' El Segundo facility with test pilot
Russell Thaw
Russell William Thaw (October 25, 1910 – May 6, 1984) was an American airplane pilot. While working as the chief pilot for the Guggenheim family, he was sponsored for air races and excursions. He served during World War II in the United St ...
at the controls. Further flight testing followed at El Segundo until October 1948. Three prototypes were then taken to
Muroc Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is Ed ...
(later renamed Edwards Air Force Base) for service trials. These units were powered by two
Westinghouse J34
The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 ...
-WE-24 turbojets of thrust, mounted under the roots of then-standard straight wings of the early jet era. A production contract for 28 F3D-1 J34-WE-32 powered production aircraft was issued in June 1948 with the first production aircraft flying on 13 February 1950.
[Gunston 1981, p. 172.]
As a night fighter that was not expected to be as fast as smaller daylight fighters, the expectation was to have a stable platform for its radar system and the four 20 mm cannon mounted in the lower fuselage. The F3D was, however, able to outturn a MiG-15.
[Dorr 1994, p. 154.] The fire control system in the F3D-1 was the
Westinghouse AN/APQ-35. The AN/APQ-35 was advanced for the time, a combination of three different radars, each performing separate functions: an AN/APS-21 search radar, an AN/APG-26 tracking radar, both located in the nose, and an AN/APS-28 tail warning radar.
[Badrocke 1993, pp. 41, 44–45.] The complexity of this
vacuum tube
A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric voltage, potential difference has been applied.
The type kn ...
-based radar system, which was produced before the advent of semiconductor electronics, required intensive maintenance to keep it operating properly.
The F3D-1 was followed by the F3D-2, which was first ordered in August 1949. The F3D-2 was intended to have
Westinghouse J46
The Westinghouse J46 is an afterburning turbojet engine developed by the Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division for the United States Navy in the 1950s. It was primarily employed in powering the Convair F2Y Sea Dart and Vought F7U Cutlass ...
engines in enlarged nacelles to replace the J34-WE-32 engines of the F3D-1, but because of development problems with the J46, the F3D-2 was initially fitted with J34-WE-36 engines instead. Higher-thrust J34-WE-38 engines which increased aircraft performance were installed later.
The F3D-2 also incorporated an improved Westinghouse AN/APQ-36 fire control system. A total of 237 F3D-2s were built before production ended on 23 March 1952. A higher performance F3D-3 version with swept wings and J46 engines was planned, but was cancelled when the trouble-plagued J46 engine program was terminated.
Operational history
Korean War
The 28 F3D-1 aircraft were used primarily to train F3D crews and did not see combat in the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. The F3D-2 Skyknight was only deployed to Korea by
USMC
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...
land–based squadrons, beginning in September 1952. The Skyknight downed more enemy aircraft in Korea than any other single type of naval aircraft. The first air-to-air victory occurred on the night of 2 November 1952 in a USMC F3D-2 piloted by
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
William T. Stratton Jr., and his radar operator,
Master Sergeant Hans C. Hoglind of
VMF(N)-513 Flying Nightmares,
Major Stratton shot down what he believed was a
Yakovlev Yak-15
The Yakovlev Yak-15 (russian: Яковлев Як-15; NATO reporting name: Feather, USAF/ DOD designation Type 2) was a first-generation Soviet turbojet fighter developed by the Yakovlev design bureau (OKB) immediately after World War II. The ...
(even though no Yak-15s were reported in Korea)
[Goebel, Gre]
"The Douglas F3D Skyknight."
''Airvectors.net,'' 1 September 2002. Retrieved: 2 August 2013. which was the first successful night radar interception by a jet of a jet.
[Dorr 1994, p. 143] The Skyknight claimed its first MiG-15 jet fighter on 8 November 1952, when Captain O.R. Davis and
Warrant Officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...
D.F. "Ding" Fessler downed a MiG-15 northwest of
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
.
USMC pilot Lt. Joseph Corvi and his radar operator Sergeant Dan George set another record with the Skyknight on the night of 10 December 1952, when they downed the first aircraft by an aircraft with a radar track and lock-on and without visual contact; they performed the feat by using their radar to lock onto a
Polikarpov Po-2
The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2, for its initial ''uchebnyy'', 'training', role as a flight instruction aircraft) served as an all-weather multirole Soviet biplane, nicknamed ''Kukuruznik'' (russian: Кукурузник,Gunston 1995, p. 292. NA ...
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
. They were also credited with another probable kill that night.
[Dorr 1994, p. 149.]
The number of USMC Skyknights in Korea was doubled in January 1953 to 24 which allowed them to effectively escort
B-29 Superfortresses on night bombing missions.
[Dorr 1994, p. 153.] On 12 January 1953, an F3D-2 of VMF(N)-513 that was escorting B-29s on a night bombing mission was vectored to a contact and shot down the fourth aircraft by a Skyknight.
[Dorr 1994, p. 154.] By the end of the war, Skyknights had claimed six enemy aircraft (one Polikarpov Po-2, one Yakovlev Yak-15 and four MiG-15s).
[Grossnick 1997, p. 768.] One aircraft was lost to enemy fire, which was piloted by LTJG Bob Bick and his crewman,
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.
Canada
"Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxi ...
Linton Smith, on 2 July 1953. This aircraft was with a detachment from Fleet Composite Squadron FOUR (VC-4) at
NAS Atlantic City
Atlantic City International Airport is a shared civil-military airport northwest of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in Egg Harbor Township, the Pomona section of Galloway Township and in Hamilton Township. The airport is accessible via Exit 9 o ...
, and was attached to Marine Fighter Squadron 513 (VMF(N)-513). While the Skyknight lacked the swept wings and high subsonic performance of the MiG-15, its powerful fire control system enabled it to find and shoot down other fighters at night, while most MiG-15s could only be guided by ground-based radar.
Post Korean War
![F3D-1 Skyknight launches Sparrow missile in 1950](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/F3D-1_Skyknight_launches_Sparrow_missile_in_1950.jpg)
After the Korean War, the F3D was gradually replaced by more powerful aircraft with better radar systems. Its career was not over though; its stability and spacious fuselage made it easily adaptable to other roles. The F3D (under the designations F3D-1M and F3D-2M) was used to support development of a number of air-to-air missile systems during the 1950s, including the
Sparrow I, II, and III and Meteor missiles.
[Parsch, Andreas]
"Raytheon AAM-N-2,3,6/AIM-101/AIM-7/RIM-7 Sparrow."
''Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles'', 2007. Retrieved: 5 August 2013. The Sparrow missile was developed at
Pacific Missile Test Center
Pacific Missile Test Center (PMTC) is the former name of the current Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. The name of the center was the Naval Air Missile Test Center prior to PMTC. It is located at Naval Base Ventura County/Naval Air Stat ...
and early test firings were conducted at
Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake.
In 1954, the F3D-2M was the first Navy jet aircraft to be fitted with an operational air-to-air missile: the Sparrow I, an all weather day/night
beyond-visual-range missile
A beyond-visual-range missile (BVR) is an air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) that is capable of engaging at ranges of or beyond. This range has been achieved using dual pulse rocket motors or booster rocket motor and ramjet sustainer motor.
In additi ...
that used beam riding guidance for the aircrew to control the missile's track. Only 28 aircraft (12 F3D-1Ms,
[Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 183.] and 16 F3D-2Ms
[Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 182.]) were modified to use the missiles.
In the late 1950s, a number of the Marine F3D-2 aircraft were re-configured as electronic warfare aircraft and were designated F3D-2Q (later EF-10B). A few aircraft were also converted for use as trainers and were designated F3D-2T. Some of these aircraft were fitted with a single 10" aerial reconnaissance photography camera, which was mounted in the tail section.
In 1959, Ed Heinemann proposed that Douglas refurbish retired F3Ds for civil use, envisioning that former military aircraft could be offered at a much lower price than newly designed
business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
s such as
Lockheed JetStar
The Lockheed JetStar (company designations L-329 and L-1329; designated C-140 in US military service) is a business jet produced from the early 1960s to the 1970s. The JetStar was the first dedicated business jet to enter service, as well as t ...
; however, the project was canceled due to the generally poor condition of aircraft then in storage.
When the U.S. Navy issued a requirement for a fleet defense missile fighter in 1959, Douglas responded with the
F6D Missileer
The Douglas F6D Missileer was a proposed carrier-based fleet defense fighter designed by Douglas Aircraft Company in response to a 1959 United States Navy requirement. It was designed to be able to loiter for extended periods at a relatively ...
, essentially an updated and enlarged F3D that would carry the
AAM-N-10 Eagle
The AAM-N-10 Eagle was a long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Bendix Corporation for use by the United States Navy. Intended for carriage by the Douglas F6D Missileer fleet defense fighter, the Eagle program was cancelled before testing ...
long-range
air-to-air missile
The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back)
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...
, with the most important characteristics being its generous fuel capacity, its considerable time-on-station, a crew of two and sophisticated electronics, rather than speed or maneuverability. This concept which kept the straight wings in an age of supersonic jets was soon cancelled because it would not be able to defend itself against more nimble fighters.
[Badrocke 1993, p. 47.][Francillon 1979, p. 717.] The supersonic
General Dynamics-Grumman F-111B was subsequently developed to carry long-range missiles, only to be cancelled due to excessive weight and changing tactical requirements; the
Grumman F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...
would later enter service in this role.
Skyknights continued in service through the 1960s in a gull white color scheme, when their contemporaries had long since been retired. In 1962, when the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force unified their designation systems, the F3D-1 was redesignated F-10A and the F3D-2 was re-designated F-10B.
Vietnam War
![Douglas EF-10B Skyknight of VMCJ-1 in flight over Southeast Asia, circa in 1965](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Douglas_EF-10B_Skyknight_of_VMCJ-1_in_flight_over_Southeast_Asia%2C_circa_in_1965.jpg)
The Skyknight was the only Korean War jet fighter that also flew in Vietnam. EF-10Bs served in the
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...
role during the Vietnam War until 1969. The large interior provided ample room for electronic equipment. U.S. Marine
Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron One (VMCJ-1) ''Golden Hawks'' began operating the EF-10B on 17 April 1965 under Lt. Col Wes Corman at
Da Nang Air Base
Da Nang Air Base ( vi, Căn cứ không quân Đà Nẵng) (1930s–1975) (also known as Da Nang Airfield, Tourane Airfield or Tourane Air Base) was a French Air Force and later Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility located in the city ...
Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
with six aircraft.
No more than 10 EF-10Bs were in Vietnam at one time. The Electronic Warfare (EW) Skyknight was a valuable
Electronic countermeasure (ECM) asset to jam the
SA-2
The S-75 (Russian: С-75; NATO reporting name SA-2 Guideline) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defence system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Following its first deployment in 1957 it became one of the most w ...
surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...
s (SAM) tracking and guidance systems.
VMCJ-1 made history when its EF-10Bs conducted the first USMC airborne
radar jamming
Radar jamming and deception is a form of electronic countermeasures that intentionally sends out radio frequency signals to interfere with the operation of radar by saturating its receiver with noise or false information. Concepts that blanket the ...
mission on 29 April 1965 to support a
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
strike mission. Four EF-10Bs also supported a massive strike on the SAM sites near
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
on 27 July 1965.
Many U.S. aircraft were lost to SA-2s in Vietnam and the electronic attack on the associated radar systems was known as "Fogbound" missions. The F3D also dropped chaff over the radar sites.
The first EF-10B lost in Vietnam was to an SA-2 on 18 March 1966, while four more EF-10Bs were lost in Vietnam to accidents and unknown causes.
Their mission was gradually taken over by the more capable EA-6A "Electric Intruder", an Electronic Warfare/Electronic Countermeasures (EW/ECM) variant of the
Grumman A-6 Intruder
The Grumman A-6 Intruder is an American twinjet all-weather attack aircraft developed and manufactured by American aircraft company Grumman Aerospace and operated by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
It was designed in response to a 1957 ...
attack bomber.
["Douglas F-3D-2T2 (TF-10B) Skyknight."](_blank)
'Combat Air Museum.'' Retrieved: 3 August 2013. The EF-10B Skyknight continued to fly lower–threat EW missions until they were withdrawn from South Vietnam in October 1969.
[Whitten, H. Wayne, Col USMC Retire]
''Marine Corps Aviation Reconnaissance Association'', June 2008. Retrieved: 8 August 2013. The U.S. Navy's EKA-3 Skywarrior and the USAF's
Douglas RB-66 Destroyer
The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is a light bomber that was designed and produced by the American aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company.
The B-66 was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) and is heavily based upon the United S ...
also took on EW missions.
The U.S. Marine Corps retired its last EF-10Bs in May 1970.
Post Vietnam
The U.S. Navy continued to use the F-10s for
avionics
Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...
systems testing. The F-10 was used as a
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
testbed
A testbed (also spelled test bed) is a platform for conducting rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of scientific theories, computational tools, and new technologies.
The term is used across many disciplines to describe experimental rese ...
to develop the APQ-72 radar. The nose of an
F-4 Phantom
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
was added to the front of an F-10B. Another F-10 had a modified
radome
A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna (radio), antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and ...
installed by the radar manufacturer
Westinghouse. Yet another TF-10B was modified with the nose from an
A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed a ...
.
["Douglas F3D-2/F-10B Skyknight"](_blank)
'Joseph F. Baugher.'' Retrieved: 19 April 2015. In 1968, three Skyknights were transferred to the U.S. Army. These aircraft were operated by the
Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliza ...
Corporation at
Holloman AFB
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. ...
where they were used testing at the
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a United States Army military testing area and firing range located in the US state of New Mexico. The range was originally established as the White Sands Proving Ground on 9July 1945. White Sands National P ...
into the 1980s; they were the last flyable Skyknights.
Variants
![Douglas F3D-3 Skyknight silhouette](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Douglas_F3D-3_Skyknight_silhouette.png)
;XF3D-1
:Prototype aircraft, two
Westinghouse J34-WE-24
The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 p ...
turbojet engines of , APQ-35 search and target acquisition radar, four 20mm cannon, three built.
;F3D-1
:Two-seat all-weather day or night-fighter aircraft, powered by two
Westinghouse J34-WE-32
The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 p ...
turbojet engines, tail warning radar, ECM, and other electronics that added over of weight, 28 built. First flight: 13 February 1950.
;F3D-1M
:12 F3D-1s were converted into missile-armed test aircraft, used in the development of the
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow (Air Intercept Missile) is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, as well as other various air forces ...
air-to-air missile.
;F3D-2
:Second Production version, initially powered by two Westinghouse J34-WE-36 and later by two
Westinghouse J34-WE-38
The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 p ...
turbojet engines, at , equipped with wing spoilers, autopilot and an improved
Westinghouse AN/APQ-36 radar, 237 built. First flight: 14 February 1951.
;F3D-2B
:One F3D-1 was used for special armament test in 1952.
;F3D-2M
:16 F3D-2s were converted into missile armed aircraft. The F3D-2Ms were armed with
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow (Air Intercept Missile) is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, as well as other various air forces ...
air-to-air missiles.
;F3D-2Q
:35 F3D-2s were converted into electronic warfare aircraft.
;F3D-2T
:Five F3D-2s were converted into night fighter training aircraft.
;F3D-2T2
:55 F3D-2s were used as radar-operator trainers and electronic warfare aircraft.
;F3D-3
:Unbuilt project, intended to be an advanced version incorporating swept wings.
;F-10A
:1962 re-designation of the F3D-1.
;F-10B
:1962 re-designation of the F3D-2.
;EF-10B
:1962 re-designation of the F3D-2Q.
;MF-10A
:1962 re-designation of the F3D-1M.
;MF-10B
:1962 re-designation of the F3D-2M.
;TF-10B
:1962 re-designation of the F3D-2T2.
Operators
*
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
*
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
*
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
Aircraft on display
;F3D-2
*BuNo 124598 –
National Museum of Naval Aviation
The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
Founded in 1962 and moved to its curr ...
at
NAS Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
*BuNo 124629 –
Pima Air & Space Museum
The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m²) on a campus oc ...
adjacent to
Davis-Monthan AFB in
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
.
*BuNo 124630 –
Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is a United States Marine Corps aviation museum currently located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California. The museum contains exhibits and artifacts relating to the history and legacy of ...
at
MCAS Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
*BuNo 125807 –
Combat Air Museum
The Combat Air Museum is a non-profit aviation museum at Topeka Regional Airport (Forbes Field) in Shawnee County, near Topeka, Kansas. The museum is dedicated to the creation of facilities and resources for the education of the local and regional ...
in
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
.
*BuNo 125870, (repainted as BuNo 127039) – Korean War and Vietnam War memorial in Del Valle Park in
Lakewood, California
Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 80,048 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west and south, Bellflower, California, Bellflower on the north, C ...
. Originally displayed in 1950s-era dark blue coloring, the aircraft was repainted in 1963 to the grey and white color scheme of Marine Corps aircraft at the time. With this repainting, the aircraft had the tail code "7L," which was the 1960s-era tail code for Marine Corps Air Reserve and Naval Air Reserve aircraft at nearby
Naval Air Station Los Alamitos
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...
, California. In 2015, the aircraft was refurbished and painted in grey and white to depict a late 1950s-era Skyknight of VMFT(N)-20 with tail code "BP."
;F3D-2Q
*BuNo 124618 –
National Museum of the Marine Corps
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. Located in Triangle, Virginia near MCB Quantico, the museum opened on November 10, 2006, and is now one of the top tourist attractions in the st ...
, in
Quantico, Virginia
Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east a ...
.
*BuNo 124620 –
Quonset Air Museum
The Quonset Air Museum was an aerospace museum located in Quonset Point Business Park in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
The museum's collection included: missiles, aircraft and over 5000 smaller aviation artifacts. An extensive archive of magaz ...
at
Quonset State Airport
Quonset State Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located on Quonset Point, in northeastern North Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, adjacent to Narragansett Bay. It is a general aviation airport and there is no scheduled airl ...
(former
NAS Quonset Point
Quonset Point Air National Guard Station is the home base of the Rhode Island Air National Guard 143d Airlift Wing. Naval Air Station (NAS) Quonset Point was a United States Naval Base in Quonset Point, Rhode Island that was deactivated in 1974. ...
) in
Quonset Point
Quonset Point (), also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Its name is widely known from the Quonset hut, which was first manufactured there. ''Quonset'' is an Algonqu ...
,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
.
*BuNo 125850 –
Air Force Flight Test Center Museum
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
at
Edwards AFB
Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is Ed ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. This aircraft served until 1970 as part of VMCJ-3 (U.S. Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron 3) based at
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California.
Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast ...
, California, carrying tail code "TN."
;F3D-2T
*BuNo 127074 –
Empire State Aerosciences Museum (ESAM) near
Schenectady
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
, New York. This F3D was operated by
Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliza ...
in
for electronics tests until it was donated to the
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum
The ''Intrepid'' Sea, Air & Space Museum is an American military and maritime history museum in New York City with a collection of museum ships. It is located at Pier 86 at 46th Street, along the Hudson River, in the Hell's Kitchen neighbor ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. It was displayed at the museum from 1987 until April 2012, when it was one of three aircraft moved to the ESAM to make room for the
Space Shuttle Enterprise
Space Shuttle ''Enterprise'' ( Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-101) was the first orbiter of the Space Shuttle system. Rolled out on September 17, 1976, it was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform atmospheric test fl ...
. It is painted in the livery of U.S. Marine Night Fighter Squadron 513 (VMF(N)-513) as flown during the Korean War.
"F3D Skyknight/127074."
''Empire State Aerosciences Museum''. Retrieved: 16 January 2015.
Specifications (F3D-2)
See also
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Andrade, John M. ''U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909''. Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979,
* Badrocke, Mike. "Electronic Warrior". ''Air Enthusiast
''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...
'', Fifty-one, August to October 1993, pp. 41–48. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing. ISSN 0143-5450
* Donald, David, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1997.
* Dorr, Robert F. and Warren Thompson. ''Korean Air War''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1994.
* Francillon, René. ''McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920''. London: Putnam, 1979.
* Gunston, Bill, ed. ''The Illustrated History of Fighters''. New York, New York: Exeter Books Division of Simon & Schuster, 1981.
* Grossnick, Roy A. and William J. Armstrong. ''United States Naval Aviation, 1910–1995''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Historical Center, 1997.
* Hardy, Michael John. ''Sea, Sky and Stars: An Illustrated History of Grumman Aircraft''. London: Arms & Armour Press, 1987.
* Heinemann, Edward H. and Rosario Rausa. ''Ed Heinemann: Combat Aircraft Designer''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1980.
* ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'' (Part Work 1982–1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985
* Jones, Lloyd. ''U.S. Fighters: Army-Air Force 1925 to 1980s''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1975.
* Jones, Lloyd. ''U.S. Naval Fighters: 1922 to 1980s''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1977.
* Sullivan, Jim. ''F9F Panther/Cougar in action''. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1982.
* Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. London: Putnam, Second edition, 1976.
External links
Boeing "McDonnell Douglas History, Skyknight, F3D (F-10)"
{{Authority control
F3D Skyknight
The Douglas F3D Skyknight (later designated F-10 Skyknight) is an American twin-engined, mid-wing jet fighter aircraft manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company in El Segundo, California. The F3D was designed as a carrier-based all-weather ...
Douglas FD3 Skyknight
Twinjets
Carrier-based aircraft
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1948