The North American F-107, or company NA-212, was the last USAF fighter to bear this famous manufacturer's name. Originally designated F-100B, it was an all-weather fighter-bomber version of the F-100 powered by a 10660kg thrust Pratt & Whitney YJ75-P-9 turbojet fed via an air inlet above and behind the cockpit, so positioned to create space in the nose for radar. Design work began in June 1953 and a year later the USAF ordered nine aircraft (55-5118/5126), although only three were actually completed. In 1955, the F-107 lost out to the Republic F-105 in a paper competition even though it had not yet flown and its competitor did not, then, have all-weather capability. Thus, the future of the F-107 was already clouded on 10 September
1956 when Robert Baker made the first flight at Edwards AFB, California, in the first of three service-test YF-107As.
Considering the early difficulties encountered by other 'century series' fighters, the YF-107A was relatively troublefree and might well have played an important role in the Tactical Air Command. But despite good performance, the three YF-107As were soon relegated to permanent test status. Features of the aircraft warranting further evaluation included a flush centre-line fuel tank mounted in the indented fuselage bottom, spoilers on the wing surface instead of ailerons, and a one-piece all-moving rudder, later adopted on the A-5 Vigilante attack bomber. The first YF-107A eventually found itself in a scrap heap, the second is now on display at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, and the third was lost in a crash landing while on loan to NACA.
North American YF-107 Ultra Sabre on YOUTUBE
Specification
MODEL
YF-107A
ENGINE
1 x 1xPratt & Whitney J-75-P-9, 93.0kN
WEIGHTS
Take-off weight
22204 kg
48952 lb
Empty weight
16852 kg
37152 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan
11.2 m
37 ft 9 in
Length
18.5 m
61 ft 8 in
Height
6.0 m
20 ft 8 in
Wing area
39.7 m2
427.33 sq ft
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed
2200 km/h
1367 mph
Range
1900 km
1181 miles
ARMAMENT
4 x 20mm cannons, 4540kg of weapons
3-View
A three-view drawing (1278 x 780)
Comments
Mark, 24.02.2017 20:35
I visited Pima back in the mid 90's while dropping off a C-130 at AMARG and took a pic of it outdoors.
I was stationed at Clovis AFB later dedicated as Cannon AFB from 1954 to about 1959. We were an interim F-86H newly formed outfit transitioning to the F-100D. We ferried our aircraft from the North American's plant back to Clovis as they came off the line and were tested. On one ferry trip we were toured through a closed hanger space housing the F-107 which at that time was in a contract contest with Republic's F-105. Personally I was impressed during the walk around. Obviously the folks at procurement were not for reasons we'll never know.
Both completed F-107 prototypes survived and are in museums. One resides outdoors at the Pima Air and Space Museum, near Tucson, Arizona. The other is in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, currently in a normally-closed hangar with other X-type planes, awaiting the construction of a fourth building for the Museum.
pima sat on the end of orange county airport for several months when the tallmance museum was closed. was trucked out by airforce personnel under armed gaurd.
I worked at North American's Torrance, CA facility from July 1952 to Oct. 1960. We made the epoxy bonded trailing edges and the aluminum honeycomb air intake among other items for the 107. I undersood that only two planes were completed, the third plane was not completed and it and a number of parts /assemblies were located at Fox Field, Lancaster, CA. A full page ad was run in the old Los Angeles Times Mirror newspaper asking for support of North American employees who had assembled the first two planes for their experience in assembling the third plane.
I seen one of these A /C at the Orange Co.(Cal)museum somewhere between 1971-74. I got some photo's of it stuck away someplace. I was there to visit the Tallman meseum and somebody told me about the 107.It was parked way down at the end of the field. They were working on it,supposibly taking it apart to truck it out. Later I heard that during the Wee hours of the morning they flew it out of their without permission.
There were two of these birds on the ramp near Test Pilot School when I was at Edwards ABF in '66-'67. Covered with dust, they sat by the B-57's, NF-104, and other assorted stuff near Transient Ops.
the 107 at pima sat on the end of orange county airport for several months when the tallmance museum was closed. was trucked out by airforce personnel under armed gaurd.
The article's accounting of the "3" F-107 seems incomplete. Tail number 55-5118 is on display at Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson. I knew I had seen it there and their web site confirms that.
