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Military Aircraft F3H DEMON Photo By Coll B. Thoianel |
| Convinced in the late 1940s that there was no need for a carrier borne fighters to be in the way inferior to their land based counterparts, the US Navy commissioned from McDonnell a high performance day fighter. The new machine was of advanced concept with swept flying surface. The project was then delayed by problems with the Westinghouse J40 engine and the navy's demand that the plane be recast as an all weather night fighter. The first XFD3H-1N prototype flew in August 1951, but the F3H-1N enter service only in March 1956 with the 10,900 reheated thrust J40-WE-2. The J40 was unreliable and lacking in power, and only when revised with the J71. Total production was 519 up to 1959, and the type was withdrawn in September 1964. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Specifications |
| Manufacturer: McDonnell | Length: 58 ft. 11 in. |
| First Flight: August 1951 | Height: 14 ft. 7 in. |
| Model: 2 | Wing Span: 35 ft. 4 in. |
| Crew: One | Wing Area: 519.0 sq. ft. |
| Nickname: Demon | Empty Weight: 22,133 lb. |
| Basic Role: Carrier borne attack fighter. | Max. Weight: 33,900 lb. |
| Other Versions: F3H-1N the initial version, soon grounded as a trainer or scrapped. F3H-2N the initial Allison powered version with larger wing and four Sidewinder AAMs, redesignated F3C in 1962. f3h-2m with provision for four Sparrow AAMs, redesignated MF-3B. F3H-2 the definitive model in the attack fighter role, redesignated F3B. | Armament: Four 20-mm cannon, and up to 6,000 lb. of disposable stores. |
| Principal User: USA. |
Propulsion |
|
Performance |
Power Plant: Allison J71-A-2E turbojet. |
| Range: 1,370 miles. | Horsepower: 14,000-lb reheated thrust. |
| Max. Speed: 647 mph. at 30,000 ft. | No. Of Engines: One |
| Ceiling: 42,650 ft. | |
| Climb Rate: 12,795 per minute. |