McDonnell F3H Demon

McDonnell F3H Demon
Paese	Usa
Ruolo	Caccia imbarcato su portaerei
Primo volo	7 agosto 1951
Costruito	519

Le McDonnell F3H Il Demon era un aereo da combattimento subsonico ad ala spazzata della Marina degli Stati Uniti. Il successore della F2H Banshee, il Demon è stato ridisegnato con il motore J71 dopo gravi problemi con il motore Westinghouse J40 che faceva parte del progetto originale ma alla fine abbandonato. Sebbene mancasse di potenza sufficiente per prestazioni supersoniche, ha completato i caccia diurni come il Vought F8U Crusader e il Grumman F11F Tiger come intercettore per tutte le stagioni armato di missili fino al 1964.

fonte: McDonnell F3H Demon su Wikipedia

McDonnell F3H-2M Demon Walk Around
Fotografo	Cees Hendriks
Localizzazione	Inconsapevole
Foto	47

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F3H-2M Demon Walk Around
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Demone F3H-2M

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McDonnell F3H-2N (F-3B) Demon Walk Around
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The “Lead Sled” that Paved the Way

Le McDonnell F3H Demone was a transitionary swept-wing carrier-based jet fighter that served as the predecessor to the legendary F-4 Phantom II. While the early models were plagued by a disastrously underpowered Westinghouse engine, the F3H-2M variant (later designated F-3C) fixed many of these issues with the Allison J71. The “M” stood for missile, as this specific version was optimized to carry the first radar-guided air-to-air missiles, changing naval aerial combat from dogfighting to “beyond visual range” interceptions.

Attribute	Technical Specification (F3H-2M)
Ruolo	All-Weather Carrier-based Interceptor
Equipaggio	1 (Pilot)
First Flight	August 7, 1951 (XF3H-1)
Motopropulsore	1 × Allison J71-A-2E afterburning turbojet
Thrust	14,000 lbf (62.3 kN) with afterburner
Velocità massima	716 mph (1,152 km/h) / Mach 0.95
Primary Armament	4 × AIM-7 Sparrow radar-guided missiles
Armamento secondario	4 × 20mm Colt Mk 12 cannons

Engineering the Missile Age

The Sparrow Missile Platform: The F3H-2M was the first operational fighter integrated with the AIM-7 Sparrow. This required a sophisticated radar system capable of “illuminating” the target for the missile’s seeker head to follow.
Large Wing Area: To maintain maneuverability at high altitudes and safe landing speeds on carriers, the Demon featured a very large wing area (over 500 sq ft). This gave it excellent “lift,” but the resulting drag limited it to subsonic speeds in level flight.
High-Cockpit Visibility: The pilot sat quite high in the fuselage with a “greenhouse” canopy that provided excellent visibility for carrier approaches—a design trait McDonnell would carry over into the Phantom.
The “Beaver Tail”: The rear fuselage tapered into a flat, wide fairing known as a “beaver tail,” which housed the arrestor hook and helped manage the aerodynamics of the afterburning exhaust.

A Difficult Birth and a Lasting Legacy

The Engine Crisis: The early F3H-1 used the Westinghouse J40 engine, which was so unreliable and underpowered that several aircraft were lost in accidents, and the Navy eventually grounded the entire fleet until the Allison J71 could be fitted.
All-Weather Capability: Despite its early troubles, the Demon was a true all-weather fighter. Its radar and automated fire control systems allowed it to operate effectively in the dark and through heavy cloud cover, a necessity for protecting the fleet.
Blueprint for the Phantom: You can see the “family resemblance” between the Demon and the later F-4 Phantom II. McDonnell used the lessons learned from the Demon’s radar integration and airframe layout to build the world-beating F-4.
Preservation: Several Demons are preserved in the United States, most notably at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida, and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.