The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter that has served for the United States Air Force (USAF) in between 1954 to 1971. The aircraft was also used by the National Air Guards until the end of 1979.
The North American F-100 Super Sabre is the first of the Century Series of USAF Fighter jets that were able to reach the supersonic speeds in level flight. The design and manufacturing of the North American F-100 Super Sabre were carried out by the North American Aviation to develop a high-performance aircraft that will follow on the success of the aging F-86 Sabre for fighting aerial superiority.
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was teamed up with the Mach two-class F-105 Thunderchief for strike missions as a bomber aircraft during the strike missions over the North Vietnamese region. The North American F-100 Super Sabre was the USAF’s primary close air support jet during the War of Vietnam over South Vietnam before it was replaced for the role by the more efficient and capable subsonic fighter jet; LTV A-7 Corsair II.
The service of the North American F-100 Super Sabre is not limited alone to USAF but has also served for the NATO Air Forces as well as other US Allies. The aircraft during its peak days was referred to as “Hun” meaning “One hundred”.
For our readers today we have gathered a bunch of amazing facts about the North American F-100 Super Sabre which are as follows.
Multirole Fighter Jet:-
The combat operations for the North American F-100 Super Sabre were of multirole nature as it was used both as a fighter escort aircraft or a bomber aircraft. There are following other roles performed by the aircraft during the conflict periods across the world; mainly in the Vietnam War.
- Forward air control (FAC)
- striking extremely dangerous enemy anti-aircraft defenses
Flawless Career record:-
The North American F-100 Super Sabre had a flawless career record until the time it was relieved from the active duty of the USAF. Not even a single aircraft has ever been lost to enemy fighter jets as it was retired back in 1971.
In addition to USAF, the aircraft also served for the National Guards until 1979.
Famed Nickname:-
The F-100 in the original designation of the North American F-100 Super Sabre gave rise to its commonly known nickname of being “Hun” which means “One Hundred”. The aircraft was clearly appropriate to its nickname of the famed Chinese barbarian conqueror for being dangerous and unrivaled in the skies. During the close air-to-air combat missions; the North American F-100 Super Sabre was efficient than any other fighter jet in USAF’s service at that time.
Armaments:-
The design of the North American F-100 Super Sabre was designed to close with its rival fighter jet the Russian MiGs to outmaneuver it on its way to victory in aerial battles. To enhance the fighter capabilities of the North American F-100 Super Sabre, the aircraft was equipped with the following main weapons.
- 20mm cannons
- heat-seeking sidewinders
Combat:-
The North American F-100 Super Sabre served for the USAF during the entire Vietnam War and never saw even a single loss during the air-to-air combat missions.
While it was untouchable in the air-to-air combat missions, but like any other fighter jets, it was no match for the anti-aircraft ground fire. Near the end of the Vietnam War, nearly 186 of these North American F-100 Super Sabres were a lot, especially during the surface-to-air anti-aircraft fire. The dominance of the North American F-100 Super Sabre in the air-to-air combat was also established near the end of the Vietnam War.
Fight against 4 MiGs:-
Near the end of the Vietnam War, two North American F-100 Super Sabres were escorting two of the F-105 Thunderbirds that were on their way for a bombing run to a certain location. On their way, these USAF aircraft came face to face with 4 of the North Vietnamese MiG-17s. During their air fight, only one of these 4 MiG17s was able to make it out of there safely and the pilot for the aircraft reported after the war that North American F-100 Super Sabres shot down his three mates rather easily. However, the USAF never acknowledged this victory of the North American F-100 Super Sabre pilots.
Change in roles:-
The North American F-100 Super Sabre which was designed for being a fighter jet to gain the air superiority was merely refrained to be a bomber escort during the Vietnam War. In 1964, the North American F-100 Super Sabre was only used for close air support for the ground troops with brief strike targets north of the 17th parallel. During these times, the losses of the North American F-100 Super Sabre were massive as it suffered a great deal of damage from the enemy ground fire.
North American F-100 Super Sabre; A Super Spy:-
One of the lesser known roles of the North American F-100 Super Sabre was it being a reconnaissance jet for USAF that served over the Soviet-allied territory. The North American F-100 Super Sabre was sue for these spy mission as it was still far too early than the satellite imagery days. If the US Army needed ground Intel for planning strategic plans, they would need to send a jet and the jet that was faster was the better choice for these kinds of missions. The only jet that could achieve this target was the North American F-100 Super Sabre. The North American F-100 Super Sabre was able to evade the enemy’s interception each and every time all thanks to its high speed and high ceiling service.
Conclusion:-
The North American F-100 Super Sabre served for the USAF and the National Guards along with other NATO Forces and US Allies for nearly two decades before it was outclassed by other fighter jets. The aircraft even after its retirement was sued by the USAF for training and escort purposes for a few years. Nowadays, they are the monument of the Vietnam War for USAF and are present in museums across the USA.
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