Douglas F3D Skyknight

Douglas Aircraft Company · United States · first flew 1948 · fighter

The Douglas F3D Skyknight, later redesignated F-10, was an American twin-engined, mid-wing jet night fighter. It was designed around the bulky radar equipment of its day.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Wide, deep fuselage seating a two-man crew side by side
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Wide, deep fuselage seating a two-man crew side by side
Straight mid-mounted wing and traditional tail unit
Two Westinghouse J34 turbojets and a large radar in the nose

Look for a bulky twin-jet with a deep fuselage, straight wing and a conventional tail. The aircraft carried four 20 mm cannon.

Specifications

The Douglas F3D Skyknight has a length of 13.84 m (45 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15.24 m (50 ft).
Its maximum speed is 852 km/h (529 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It was designed to a 1945 US Navy requirement for a jet-powered, radar-equipped, carrier-based night fighter. The XF3D-1 prototype flew on 23 March 1948, and a production contract for 28 F3D-1 aircraft followed in June 1948.

Variants

The prototype was powered by two Westinghouse J34-WE-24 engines, and 28 F3D-1 aircraft followed. The type developed into the F6D Missileer proposal, and 265 Skyknights were built.

Where you'll see it

It entered service in 1951 with the US Navy and Marine Corps and was retired in 1970. In the Korean War it escorted B-29 night bombers and shot down several MiG-15s.

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