By Erik Simonsen: AIR FORCE Magazine / September 2014 114

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F-108

By Erik Simonsen

114 AIR FORCE Magazine / September 2014


Illustrations by Erik Simonsen
The Air Force’s Mach 3 interceptor that almost was.

T
he sleek, triple-sonic F-108 expedient designs with more modest Ocean, not over Canada or the United
Rapier was to have been the ambition. While some view the Rapier as States.
fighter-interceptor half of an too far ahead of its time, others see it as Today, the idea of arming interceptors
Air Force nuclear tag team with a lost opportunity. Among aviation fans, with nuclear-tipped missiles seems like
the B-70 Valkyrie supersonic it reigns as one of the best supersonic overkill. In the 1950s, however, there
bomber. Both were futuristic fighters that never was. were no direct-hit guided weapons;
designs developed to vault ahead of rival In the late 1950s new aircraft de- air-to-air missiles were still in their
Cold War technologies of their day—one signs were leaping off the drawing infancy. A nuclear blast was considered
defending the homeland against Soviet board and into mock-up or test-flight the only practical way to “clear the air”
bombers and missiles, the other carrying stage only months apart. The so-called of enemy bombers. Even missing the
the nuclear fight to the Soviet heartland “Century Series” of USAF fighters target by a wide margin would still get
at unprecedented speed. had already produced the F-100 Super the job done. It was a no-fail mission,
Despite great optimism surrounding Sabre, F-102 Delta Dagger, and F-104 and only nuclear weapons offered the
the projects, neither the Rapier nor the Starfighter, each configured with a needed certainty of success.
Valkyrie would see operational service. slightly different aspect of the aerial As radar and fire-control systems
The Valkyrie was done in by poli- Cold War in mind. matured and missile performance
tics, changing mission requirements, The Rapier—dubbed the F-108—was improved, though, air-to-air missiles
and cost. conceived to deal with approaching were modified to carry high-explosive
The Rapier was a victim of changing Russian bombers while they were as conventional warheads, alongside
requirements and better information far away as possible. This was neces- nuclear versions of the same missiles.
about the threat—eclipsed by more sary for two reasons: one, to keep the North American Aviation, builder
bombers distant so their nuclear weapons of the F-86 Sabre and F-100 Super
Left: An illustration of the YF-108A fly- couldn’t reach the United States, and Sabre, won the competition for what
ing at high altitude.The aircraft was de- two, because the Rapiers would have would become the F-108 program in
signed to intercept air-breathing targets destroyed the attacking bombers with June 1957. It had competed hard since
from sea level to 100,000 feet. Above: air-to-air missiles also carrying nuclear 1955 against Lockheed and Northrop
Rapiers return from a training mission
in this artist’s conception. Had the F-108 warheads. for the program then known as the
entered operational service, it would Ideally, those detonations would take Long-Range Interceptor, Experimen-
have gradually replaced the F-106. place over the Soviet frontier or Arctic tal (LRI-X).
AIR FORCE Magazine / September 2014 115
Illustration by Erik Simonsen

follow-on order expected for 30 further


prototypes. The service anticipated buy-
ing 480 operational models.
In late December 1957, North Ameri-
can was also chosen to build the new
B-70 bomber. The pair of awards repre-
sented a welcome infusion of cash and
boosted morale. Earlier, North American
had lost a fighter competition between
its YF-107—a further development of
the F-100—and Republic Aviation’s
YF-105, which went on to become the
North American was also competing Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager pushed the F-105 Thunderchief, a mainstay of the
for the XB-70 project, the Air Force’s Bell X-1 to supersonic speed. The F-100 Vietnam War.
planned new Mach 3-plus bomber. followed only a few years later. North The high Mach fighter-interceptor and
The company operated out of Ingle- American went on to win the contract bomber programs represented a major
wood, Calif., setting up shop adjacent to build the X-15, the brutish manned step forward, however. The Eisenhower
to Mines Field, the site of present-day rocketplane that set a slew of aviation Administration was embarking on a new
Los Angeles Airport. In World War II, speed and altitude records and flew to path to ensure US dominance in the Cold
North American had produced more the edge of space at better than Mach 6. War while stimulating technologies to
than 40,000 aircraft—fully 10,000 more The company had reached the pinnacle benefit the industrial base. It was all
than any other US airplane maker. These of aerospace technological development. meant to send a message to the Soviet
included the famed T-6/SNJ Texan train- If anyone could build the first Mach 3 Union and America’s allies that the
ers, P-51 Mustang fighters, and B-25 interceptor, it was North American. US intended to maintain technological
Mitchell medium bombers. A sleek, advanced configuration took superiority. The flip side of the coin
With a growing reputation for innova- shape at the Los Angeles Division. North was that adversaries like the Soviets
tive design, North American proceeded American’s F-108 concept would be would have to invest heavily to counter
to develop the Sabre. The company’s capable of Mach 3, while operating at American advances.
XP-86, the first swept-wing US jet air- more than 75,000 feet, able to zoom- In May 1958, the F-108 designation
plane design, took flight at Muroc AAF, climb to 100,000 feet. was officially applied to the program.
Calif., (now Edwards Air Force Base) on The Air Force specified two flying North American held a contest to give
Oct. 1, 1947, less than two weeks before prototypes, to be called YF-108, with a the airplane a name. SSgt. Charles
116 AIR FORCE Magazine / September 2014
Illustration from Boeing archives
Far left: Two Rapiers initiate a climb in
afterburner in this artist’s conception.
Left: An early rendering of the F-108
design configuration featured canards
like those on the forthcoming XB-70.
Later in the process, the canards were
eliminated.

attack on the enemy and are necessary


for identification and air policing. In this
function, nothing has yet been developed
with the judgment, flexibility, and intel-
ligence of the man in the cockpit.”
That same month, North American
announced the successful completion of
the F-108 mock-up review. Over three
weeks, more than 70 Air Force and civil-
ian personnel had scrutinized the Rapier
full-scale mock-up, offering comments
and suggestions.
“The mock-up gives the Air Force an
opportunity to minutely examine what in
effect is a three-dimensional blueprint,”
Wyon came up with “Rapier,” a two- division of United Aircraft Technologies, Heston Cherry, North American’s F-108
edged thrusting blade. It echoed North would provide the air-conditioning and Weapon System manager, explained in
American’s “Sabre” sword theme and pressurization systems for the F-108 1959. “Built to the measurements of
won Wyon a $500 bond and a trip to and XB-70. More fabrication contract the actual airplane, the mock-up is an
Las Vegas. announcements followed. In January essential step before production of the
A company press release stated, “The 1959, Convair was named builder of flying article can begin.”
US Air Force F-108 Rapier would be the F-108 wing, while Lockheed would By May, the Air Force was beginning
designed to launch an atomic missile provide a fuselage section for the XB-70. to publicly describe its concept of opera-
1,000 miles away from its base and be Chance Vought would design and manu- tions for how future air defenses would
back on the ground an hour later. ... facture the bomber’s vertical stabilizer work. Lt. Gen. Roscoe C. Wilson, USAF
[This] will result in a defensive system sections. In March, Sundstrand Corp. deputy chief of staff for development,
for the United States that will permit the was awarded a contract to design and said the F-108 and Bomarc surface-to-air
atomic destruction far offshore of enemy build the secondary power systems for missile, “teamed together, will enable our
aircraft or missiles approaching from both aircraft. air defenses to reach out over long range
sea level to extremely high altitudes.” Other major shared components in- to destroy enemy bombers long before
cluded the General Electric J93-GE-3AR they reach their targets. Both the F-108
DUAL SYSTEMS engine, honeycomb stainless steel materi- and Bomarc also offer a very high degree
North American issued an update re- als, and a North American-designed crew of growth potential to provide us with
garding its dual interceptor and bomber escape system. Although final assembly a highly effective defense against air-
programs: “No military airplane in would take place at the company’s Los breathing missiles.” Not only that, but the
the world today even approaches their Angeles division, 70 percent of the de- F-108 “also shows considerable promise
performance. The F-108 can seek out velopment and manufacturing would be as a tactical fighter-bomber for use in
any enemy and intercept it a thousand performed by subcontractors, including limited conflicts abroad,” said Wilson.
miles from our borders. The B-70 is be- small businesses. The F-108 was aesthetically pleasing—
ing designed as a successor to the B-52 While development proceeded, a move- a graceful and clean aerodynamic design
and is expected to have intercontinental ment began to stir to substitute missiles that seemed futuristic. At one point dur-
range, while traveling at more than three for manned bombers and fighters. In ing the configuration stage, engineers
times the speed of sound.” early February 1959, USAF Chief of considered enlarging the basic design
To save money, North American Staff Gen. Thomas D. White tried to to accommodate more internal fuel, in-
decided to develop and fabricate some deflect this sentiment, telling the Senate stead of external tanks. They concluded,
systems commonly for both aircraft. It Armed Services Committee, “Manned though, that a smaller aircraft would be
announced that Hamilton Standard, a interceptors are required for long-range less expensive to produce and easier to
AIR FORCE Magazine / September 2014 117
Photo from Boeing archives

Crew escape capsules were designed


for crew members wearing anti-G flight
suits.

maintain and operate. Supersonic drop feature added nearly 700 pounds, opera- U-2 reconnaissance flights indicated,
tanks would remain an option for some tions on icy or snowy runways would be however, that the bomber threat could
missions, to be jettisoned prior to high- much improved. take some time to materialize. The U-2
Mach flight. After touchdown, the brakes of jet overflights of Russia ended when Francis
After several iterations, the wingspan aircraft are usually quite hot, posing Gary Powers was shot down in May 1960.
was fixed at 57.5 feet. The wing sweep a hazard to ground crews. The Rapier, Corona spy satellites began turning
was 58 degrees, narrowing to 32 degrees though, was designed with quick-turn in useful intelligence shortly thereafter.
just short of the wing tips—giving it a refueling and rearming in mind. North The Corona Project was the first imaging
cranked-arrow delta shape. The F-108 American’s engineers developed heavy- intelligence satellite operated by the CIA,
fuselage length was 89 feet (25 feet duty steel cages surrounding the tires on and after a frustrating teething period,
longer than today’s F-15), with a single each wheel after landing. In the event Corona produced its first useful imagery in
22.1-foot vertical stabilizer. Maximum of hot brakes causing a tire explosion, August 1960. It confirmed a lower count
takeoff weight was about 102,000 pounds. the cages would contain the tire and of Soviet bombers and ICBMs.
The YF-108 test flight articles would wheel fragments, reducing the risk to The intelligence obtained began a shift
have a crew of two—a pilot and a weapon ground personnel. This feature was a in US defense strategy, and the perceived
systems officer—seated in tandem, and topic of considerable discussion in the need for superinterceptors diminished.
individual high-speed clamshell ejection mock-up review, but was retained as a Though air defense was still considered
capsules. Both the twin-engine F-108 and requirement. a top priority, funding was already mi-
six-engine XB-70 featured variable inlets A number of historical accounts have grating toward ICBMs as a faster strike
with unique configurations. A variable suggested the F-108 was intended to be system and improved deterrent.
intake arrangement similar to the F-108’s an “escort” for the B-70. Former North The bomber threat was still there,
would later appear on the Navy’s RA-5C American engineers report this was never though, and still might have materialized
Vigilante, capable of Mach 2. The MiG- the case. Keeping a program “sold” is as originally envisioned. The Soviet Union
25 Foxbat—developed by the Soviets to essential, and it would have hurt the case could certainly have ratcheted up bomber
counter the B-70—used a similar intake for the B-70 to say it needed an escort production and was already developing
configuration. fighter. In addition, the intercontinental long-range air-to-ground missiles (even-
Two engines were considered a safety range of the B-70 would have meant tually evolving into air launched cruise
essential for the F-108, given its expected any Rapier escorts would have needed missiles) for deployment on bombers.
usual operations over the Arctic region and extensive air refueling. Had the Soviets pursued that direction
lengthy overwater patrols. Additionally, more aggressively, it could have dramati-
the Rapier would use onboard electronics EMERGING INTELLIGENCE cally increased the number of incoming
to fill in gaps in the Distant Early Warn- In 1955, when the F-108 project began, targets, potentially overwhelming existing
ing, or DEW, Line. It could be forward it was thought Russia would be able to US air defense systems and less capable
deployed, needing 6,000 feet to take off. field large numbers of nuclear-armed interceptors.
Thrust reversers, then considered more bombers to threaten the US and Canada. The handwriting was on the wall by
efficient than drag chutes, were a late A high-speed, long-range interceptor was late 1958, however. The Air Force cut the
add in the design process. Although this needed to counter this threat. F-108 order from 31 to 20 prototypes.
118 AIR FORCE Magazine / September 2014
Photo from Boeing archives
The full-scale mock-up under construc-
tion at North American Aviation’s Los
Angeles facility.

By mid-1959, the F-108 program was used on the XB-70 now became an classified programs in the works at
placed on an austere funding track. expense borne solely by the Valkyrie the same time. Lockheed was working
North American Aircraft engineers program. Some $180 million (in 1959 on the Mach 3-plus single-seat A-12
working on the project at the time said dollars) of F-108 costs shifted to the reconnaissance airplane, as well as the
word was getting around that something XB-70 budget—a contributing factor similar YF-12A interceptor prototype.
was up, particularly those working in the bomber’s eventual termination. After initial problems, the A-12 was
with Hughes Aircraft on the radar/mis- Some 2,000 North American employ- declared mission ready in 1965. The first
sile interface. Technical coordination ees were immediately put out of work by YF-12A interceptor prototype achieved
meetings with Hughes were tense, as if the F-108 cancellation, and the full-scale flight in August 1963.
Hughes may have had early knowledge mock-up was scrapped. The advanced Though testing of the three proto-
the F-108 was to be canceled. Hughes AN/ASG-18 radar/fire-control types proved the new high-mach jet
The Eisenhower Administration had system, GAR-9/AIM-47 Falcon nuclear/ aircraft a success, Defense Secretary
set a goal of delivering a balanced bud- conventional missile technology, and Robert S. McNamara canceled produc-
get for its last year in office. National the infrared search and track system tion of the F-12B interceptor at the
budget director Maurice H. Stans was meant for the F-108 migrated to the beginning of 1968. Consequently, no
pressuring Defense Secretary Neil H. forthcoming Lockheed YF-12 program. Mach 3 US interceptors would fly.
McElroy to find big-ticket items to The Air Force’s F-108 project officer, The Soviet bomber forces never
cut. It was something of a Cold War Col. Kenneth Chilstrom, took over the became an overwhelming threat. Vari-
gamble; the Administration had been YF-12A, the developmental forerunner ants of the Tu-95 Bear remained a
caught off guard by the October 1957 to the SR-71 Blackbird. potential menace as standoff weapons
launch of Sputnik. Had the original timetable been borne platforms, and the Soviets continued
Directly as a result of the balanced- out, the F-108 would have made its first development of supersonic bomb-
budget cuts, the F-108 program officially flight in early 1961 and was to be opera- ers with the Tu-22 Blinder, Tu-22M
ended Sept. 23, 1959, with a terse USAF tional by 1963. The Rapier would have Backfire, and the Tu-160 Blackjack
statement: “As of today, the Air Force provided US air defenses unmatched dash (the latter a scaled-up conceptual
contract with North American Aviation speed, range, and a lookdown/shootdown cousin to America’s B-1 Lancer). But
Inc. of Los Angeles for the development radar capability. Its support systems were the skies never darkened with Russian
of the F-108 long-range interceptor is compatible with forward-based logistics, bombers, and for those that did probe
being terminated. A total of $150 mil- so F-108s could have been an effective the edges of NORAD’s airspace, the
lion [1959 dollars] has been expended power-projection tool in a crisis. F-106 Delta Dart served admirably,
to date.” While the F-108 was being developed rarely needing to achieve its top speed
in the open, there were competitive, of Mach 2.2. n
THE DOMINO EFFECT
The F-108 cancellation had a di- Erik Simonsen is a freelance photographer and writer. This article is adapted from
rect—and negative—effect on the his book Project Terminated: Famous Military Aircraft Cancellations of the Cold
XB-70. With the F-108 gone, hardware War and What Might Have Been. A frequent contributor of photos and illustrations,
developed for it that was also to be this is Simonsen’s first article for Air Force Magazine.
AIR FORCE Magazine / September 2014 119

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