FH-1 PHANTOM "DEMONSTRATION TEAMS AND TRAINERS"

The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom was an American jet-powered in-flight fighter of the post-war period. The prototype flight took place in January 1945, and the machine entered the line in 1947. In total, 62 aircraft of this type were built. The propulsion was provided by two turbojet engines Westinghouse J30-WE-20 with a thrust of 7.1kN each. The length of the aircraft was 11.35 meters with a wingspan of 12.42 meters. The top speed did not exceed 775 km / h. The deck armament consisted of four 12.7 mm machine guns. The machine could also carry eight HVAR missiles. Design work on the FH-1 Phantom began in 1943 with the goal of creating an on-board jet-powered fighter. The work progressed relatively quickly and the prototype flight test took place two years later. When it entered service, the FH-1 Phantom was the first jet fighter in the history of the US Navy! However, the machine had its drawbacks - first of all, it had a relatively short flight range, and it could not carry too much overhead weapons, due to the use of engines with a relatively low thrust. These drawbacks meant that the FH-1 was relatively quickly replaced by the F2H Banshee, the design of which was largely based on the FH-1. It is worth adding that the FH-1 Phantom did not take part in the Korean War (1950-1953) and was never used in combat.