It's All in the Arms
Standard armament for the P-80 revolved around a battery of 6 x .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, all mounted for concentrated fire in the lower nose assembly (in much the same way the P-38 Lightning made use of such armament though in an upper fuselage fitting). This provided the P-80 with a familiar American punch that was in line with such aerial steeds as the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt and the F6F Hellcat. Machine guns were king in the American aircraft inventory, with seldom a few mounts utilized the killing power of cannons unlike the German, Japanese and British fighters of the time. Concentrating the armament to the nose also lightened and simplified the construction of the P-80's wings to an extent. 12.7mm ammunition was limited to 300 rounds per gun.
While her fighter roots were clearly in check with her machine gun armament, the P-80 eventually developed into a more special combat platform making use of conventional drop bombs or HVAR explosive air-launched rockets. Two hardpoints were fitted, one to a wing underside, that would allow for use of traditional drop ordnance (2 x 1,000lb bombs). Special launch rails could be fitted to address the fitting of 8 x 2.75-inch HVAR unguided air-to-surface rockets for use against ground targets. Beyond that, the P-80 was a limited airframe in terms of its munitions-carrying capabilities.
Variants
It becomes easy to forget the breadth of P-80/F-80 development throughout her limited career. The Shooting Star appeared in three major successive combat versions as the A-, B- and C-model series. The T-33 was a major off-shoot of the Shooting Star airframe relegated to training while the F-94 Starfire proved a capable all-weather interceptor.
The XP-80 was the base prototype, appearing in a singly-constructed form. Performance specs centered around a top speed of 502 miles per hour with a service ceiling equaling 41,800 feet. Rate-of-climb was 3,000 feet-per-minute and made possible by a single de Havilland H-1B of 2,460lbs of thrust. The prototype was nicknamed "Lulu Belle" and survived to become a museum showpiece.
The XP-80A was built in two models and became the second prototype in the series, essentially a larger and heavier form of the original XP-80. These featured prominently in the development of the YP-80A and production P-80A models.
YP-80A were thirteen pre-production aircraft (also known as "service test" aircraft). The XF-14 was a prototype developed from a YP-80A that was used as the basis for the future photo-reconnaissance Shooting Star to come. This particular X-plane was lost to accident when it collided with a chase-plane North American B-25 Mitchell on December 6th, 1944, killing test pilot Ernie Claypool. The F-14A designation was used on some converted P-80A models as photo-reconnaissance platforms which were then re-designated to FP-80A under the US Air Force.
The YP-80A yielded performance specifications of a 553 miles per hour top speed, 410 miles per hour cruising speed, a 48,500 foot ceiling, a 5,000 feet-per-minute climb rate and a range of up to 560 miles from its General Electric J33 engine of 4,000lbs thrust.
The P-80A became the first production Shooting Star, delivered in 344-strong 1-LO and 180-strong 5-LO production blocks. These differed from earlier Shooting Stars in that they were equipped with the identifiable 225 gallon fuel tanks along the wingtips and brought about the familiar all-metal finish. P-80As were eventually re-designated as F-80A under the newly-minted USAF. All A-models were powered by either the Allison J33-9 or J33-11 series engines (Allison took over production of the General Electric turbojets). The XFP-80A was a single modified P-80A fitted with camera equipment in a hinged nose-cone assembly. The ERF-80A was a single A-model with a redesigned nose.
The A-model sported a top speed of 558 miles per hour with a cruising speed of 410 miles per hour. Service ceiling was approximated at 45,000 feet with a 4,580 feet per minute rate-of-climb. Range was 540 miles from its Allison J33-A-11 engine of 4,000lbs thrust. The last P-80A was manufacturer in December of 1946 until being replaced by the much improved P-80B model.
The EF-80 was a P-80A airframe set aside and used to trial the validity of a prone-pilot position. Prone pilot positions were tested by a variety of nations throughout World War 2, conceivably to see if the stresses incurred on the human body during high-speed flight or dives could be alleviated to an extent by transferring the normal seated pilot posture to that of one laying face down. None excelled past the theoretical or practice stages to be included in production aircraft models.
The FP-80A was the production designation handed down to photo-reconnaissance P-80As. Some 152 15-LO block Shooting Stars were delivered and redesignated to RF-80A under the new USAF.
The XP-80B was an improved P-80A and fitted a revised form of the General Electric J33 engine. Only a single XP-80B was constructed and led up to the production of improved P-80Bs.
The P-80B was a heavier follow-up version to the P-80A but also wielding more power from her engine. B-models were also the first Shooting Stars to make use of a life-saving ejection seat to which the A-models had retrofitted to their airframes. B-models were produced to the tune of 209 1-LO and 31 5-LO production blocks and were redesignated as F-80Bs under the USAF. Performance for the P-80B included a top speed of 577 miles per hour with a ceiling up to 45,400 feet. Range was 1,270 miles without drop tanks. Empty weight was listed at 8,176lbs while a maximum take-off weight of 16,000lbs was possible. Power was provided for by a single Allison J33-A-21 turbojet engine.
The P-80C became the ultimate Shooting Star fighter model with production encompassing 162 1-LO, 75 5-LO and 561 10-LO production blocks. Like those before her, the C-model followed suit and was redesignated as the F-80C while 128 original A-models were brought up to the F-80C-11-LO standard. C-models featured the J33-A-35 series engine as well as the ejection seat found on B-models and retrofitted onto A-models. The P-80C became the USAFs first fighter aircraft to feature an effective explosive canopy jettison process no longer relying on the actions of a frantic pilot to initiate. Wingtip tanks of 260-gallons were also part of the standardization and made for the definitive Shooting Star.
Performance specs for the P-80C/F-80C centered around a top speed of 600 miles per hour with a cruise speed listed at 410 miles per hour. Range was limited out to 1,200 miles while a service ceiling of 46,000 feet was made possible through a rate-of-climb equaling 4,580 feet per minute. The C-model could reach 20,000 feet in about 5.5 minutes. Power was supplied through a single Allison J33-A-35 centrifugal compressor turbojet engine developing approximately 5,400lbf of thrust. Empty weight was 8,420lbs while loaded weight commonly reached 12,650lbs and a maximum take-off weight of 16,856lbs was listed.
The C-model was branched off into a more-capable RF-80C photo-reconnaissance platform. Existing F-80A, F-80C and RF-80A models were also converted as such.
As other airframes have before it, underutilized F-80 s were relegated to the drone director/target drone roles. These F-80A models came under the designation of DF-80A to signify their new inglorious roles. Target drones came under the designations QF-80A, QF-80C and QF-80F.
The TP-80C became the first prototype trainer to be based on the F-80 airframe. The TF-80C became the official prototype designation used in the development of the T-33 Shooting Star. This new form held a two-seat cockpit with seating arranged in tandem in a longer fuselage. The T-33 went on to prolong the operational usefulness of the Shooting Star line and saw production numbers hit 6,557 with license work handled in Japan and Canada. Lockheed produced 5,691 T-33s from 1949 through 1959 to which some 30 countries eventually utilized the type - giving many a pilot their first taste of high-speed flight. It is not uncommon to still see the trainer form in use today while many have fallen into the hands of private collectors insuring the legacy of the Shooting Star for a while longer.
The F-94 Starfire was an all-weather interceptor based on the Shooting Star airframe and emerged in three major variants. Two C-model Shooting Stars served as the developmental airframes for the type.
The US Navy and USMC made use of the 50 F-80Cs as the TO-1 jet trainer beginning in 1949. These were solely utilized for training purposes despite them technically not being the two-seat T-33 Shooting Star derivative. The USN went on to field several forms of the T-33 as target drones and drone directors as well as land-based jet trainers.
The Little-Known P-80N and P-80Z
The designation of P-80N was a short-lived name convention intended for P-80As produced by North American. As the war drew to a close in Europe, it was expected that Allied forces would need large supplies of P-80A jet fighters to put the rest of the Japanese Empire down for good. As such, North American was tabbed to assist in the production of identical A-models but the use of the Atomic Bomb - and subsequent Japanese surrender - cancelled this venture.
The P-80Z was a post-war proposal that would have spawned a more combat-worthy aircraft that was inherently better than the original P-80A. This heavier machine would have sported longer range and would have been made up of an initial order of 240 production examples. After some thought, the P-80Z was re-imagined into the P-80B and the Z-model legacy was all but over.
Operators
The Shooting Star led a healthy - albeit limited - operational life in multiple national air forces, most of them concentrated in Latin American and South America. Operators included Brazil who utilized 33 C-models from 1958 through 1973. Chile made good on 30 C-models from 1958 through 1974 while Columbia's 16 C-models soldiers on from 1958 into 1966. Ecuador and Peru both received 16 C-models and began use of the type from 1957 and 1958 respectively and phased them out by 1965 and 1973 respectively. Uruguay operated 17 C-models into 1971. Yugoslavia became another P-80 operator for a time.
Shooting Stars Over Korea
Despite their World War 2 origins, P-80s were in force by the time of the Korean War and fielded in their F-80B, F-80C fighter and RF-80 photo-reconnaissance models. A-models were held in reserve (state-side) to help out in the training of a new generation of jet fighter pilots. In fact, P-80s made up a major part of the USAF fighter force in the region and were pressed into service almost immediately, fairing quite well in early action against the slower Ilyushin IL-10 heavy fighters.
With the arrival of the technologically-advanced Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet-powered fighters, the days of the Shooting Star as a dogfighter were all but over. The MiG-15 made use of a small airframe coupled to a relatively powerful internal engine while offering low maintenance requirements. Maneuverability was key for the nimble little machine as was its use of swept-back wing technology garnered from captured German World War 2 research into such types. The MiG-15 excelled at turning and acceleration as well as high-altitude combat and armament. MiG-15 armament centered around a pair of cannons, sporting a slower rate-of-fire and less ammunition when compared to the P-80, but nonetheless proving more destructive.
The straight-winged F-80s could do little in head-to-head fights with such a foe, particularly when those at the controls of the MiG-15 were seasoned Soviet pilots. Despite this, the first historically-recorded jet-versus-jet duel took place on November 8th, 1950, and resulted in an American F-80 - piloted by Lieutenant Russell J. Brown - laying claim to a North Korean MiG-15. The battle included a total of four MIG-15s against F-80Cs of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing. After five of his six machine guns jammed, Brown still laid the MiG-15 in his crosshairs to waste, leading to a mid-air explosion. Such ended the first jet-versus-jet duel.
The much needed arrival of the North American F-86 Sabres (as well as unheralded contributions from the swept-wing Republic F-84) soon leveled the playing field for the NATO contingent over the Korean Peninsula. Though the Sabre still maintained a healthy collection of 6 x 12.7mm machine guns in the nose, it provided for better speed and swept-wing performance that allowed it to dive and roll better than the MiG-15. Accuracy of the Sabre gun system proved well-ahead of that as found on the Soviet design. As the Sabre became available in greater numbers, the roles of the existing F-80s soon turned to that of ground attack and training of a new generation of jet pilots.
The switch to the low-level ground attack role took a toll on the F-80s for it was a role they were simply never designed to take. Its pressurized cockpit was somewhat useless and low-level strikes opened the complex machine up to ground fire. Dedicated ground attack systems were usually built for such adversity through additional armor plating for increased survivability. Not so for the F-80. At least 113 F-80s were lost to ground fire while only 14 F-80s were lost to direct aircraft-to-aircraft confrontation, with F-80s taking some 17 enemy fighters down in turn and destroying a further 24 on the ground. In all, some 277 F-80s were lost in the conflict, representing nearly a third of all operational Shooting Stars for the USAF - hardly war-winning numbers but realizing she undertook a role out of her original scope, it becomes understandable. This aircraft was designed to counter German developments such as the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe appearing a half decade earlier.
The F-80C made up ten total United States Air Force squadrons in the Korean War. The RF-80 photo-reconnaissance Shooting Stars became the longest-serving F-80 types in the theater as the base F-80s were gradually dropped from frontline action. Many of the former P-80 squadrons converted to the prop-driven North American P-51 Mustangs (these mounts still holding some ground attack value in the war), swept-wing Republic F-84 Thunderjets and aforementioned F-86 Sabres. F-80 squadrons over Korea were made up of the 35th, 36th and 80th FBS of the 8th FBW, the 7th, 8th and 9th FBS of the 49th FBG, the 16th and 25th FIS of the 51st FIW and the 39th and 40th FIS of the 35th FIG. RF-80s flew as part of the 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (later becoming the 15th TRS).
Conclusion
In essence, the P-80 Shooting Star served to take the direct place of Lockheed's premier wartime product, the P-38 Lightning. The aircraft served during those critical early years of the Cold War and, despite its developmental setbacks, managed to take on more in roles it was never envisioned for. While the P-80 itself never materialized into any lucrative overseas orders, the T-33 exploded onto the world stage. Including the F-80, T-33 and F-94, the Shooting Star made up 9,127 production examples. The T-33 alone became one of the most successful trainers of all time. The original XP-80 Shooting Star prototype - the "Lulu Belle" - was restored and put on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
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