20 radical military aircraft that didn’t make the cut
North American XF-107
North American’s entry for the Air Force’s tactical fighter/bomber competition was the F-107 – referred to by its crews as the “man eater.” Since a nuclear weapon had to be mounted underneath the aircraft, North American designers positioned the jet’s air intake being directly behind the cockpit. Although competition was close, it’s entirely possible that the threat of ejecting pilots being sucked into the engine played a role in Tactical Air Command’s decision to go with Republic’s F-105 Thunderchief.
As soon as I finish my “slideshow” on Cold War-ERA TAC warplanes — which has become more of a full-length article with 1,500 words and counting — I’ll jump right on that, Colonel!
Thanks for your service,
Chris
Excellent article and fascinating pictures. Would like to see a similar one for pre-ww1, ww1 and post-ww1 aircraft. Thanks, Colonel Buzzsaw, USAF-ret. Retired SADO/13B/DO for 601 AOC.