Northrop F-89 Scorpion

History of the Northrop F-89 Scorpion

The Northrop F-89 Scorpion served in the US Air Force for ten years, and its mission was to strictly protect the northern regions of the Americas from Soviet bombardment during the Cold War. The design is a relatively large two-seat jet interceptor developed to U.S. Air Force specifications to replace the outgoing propeller-powered Northrop F-61 "Black Widow" and North American F-82 "Twin Mustang" "airplane. During World War II, the U.S. Air Force commissioned work on the program in 1945, leading to the first flight of the XP-89 prototype on August 16, 1948.

The F-89 Scorpion was officially introduced in September 1950 as the USAF's newest purpose-built interceptor. [ /p]

The F-89 itself was largely conventional for its time, with an internal twin-engine turbojet configuration and air intakes mounted low on the sides of the fuselage. The engines exit from various ports under and behind each wing root at the bottom of the rear wing. One of the more novel design features is the use of a "speed reduction" control surface, which acts as a "speedbrake" to line up behind potential targets before firing. The plane was commanded by two crew members - the pilot in the front cockpit and the radar operator in the rear.

The slender nose cone assembly houses a powerful radar system for the required interception mission. The wings are straight assemblies mounted amidships and (eventually) covered in streamlined nacelles with wingtip-mounted unguided rocket pods (which housed a total of 104 "Mighty Mouse" rockets). Additionally, later Scorpion models can be equipped with a combined payload of Falcon air-to-air missiles and Mighty Mouse missiles, all designed to shoot down large enemy bombers. Although it was designed to offer no particular performance advantage (no, due to the use of straight wings without swept), the F-89 is equipped with a service cap that allows the system to avoid a potentially lethal low-altitude confrontation with ground-launched missiles or enemy interceptors.

At rest, the F-89 certainly elevates a very distinctive, understated stance, with its belly almost approaching the lawn. The landing gear is fully retractable and consists of two main monowheel legs under the wings and a nose monowheel below and forward of the cockpit floor.

The F-89D was followed by the F-89H, of which 156 were produced (developed from three improved F-89D variants, codenamed "YF-89H"). These include the E-9 fire control system supporting 6 x GAR-1/-2 Falcon semi-active homing/infrared (respectively) air-to-air missiles, and 42 x FFAR (folding fin aviation rockets).

About 350 F-89D variants were later converted to the "F-89J" standard (Project Ding Dong), which included multiple underwing stations for 2 x MB-1 Genie nuclear warhead air-to-air missiles and 4 x The Falcon uses air-to-air missiles. Fuel or rocket pods can also be carried along the wingtip mounts as usual.

The F-89J was the first aircraft to launch and detonate a nuclear missile during Operation Plumb Drop over Nevada on July 19, 1957.

The designation "DF-89A" was given to the former F-89A fuselage converted into a drone. Likewise, the "DF-89D" UAV is based on the production brand F-89B.

F-89 was proposed or tested in several other forms before its demise. The YF-89E was used as a single prototype for the Allison YJ71-A-3 7,000 lb dry bulk, 9,500 lb afterburner engine (a modified F-89C production variant). The F-89G is a proposed variant designed to be equipped with the Hughes MA-1 fire control system and support GAR-1/GAR-2 Falcon air-to-air missiles.

The F-89F was another proposal, featuring an all-new fuselage and wing design, along with a J71-series turbojet -- unfortunately, the brand wasn't selected for mass production either.

In the end, the F-89 proved to be a viable dedicated bomber interceptor and established itself as a formidable deterrent, while also providing a technological stepping stone for like-minded interceptor designs of the future. The inclusion of an integrated autopilot system with tracking and targeting radar, as well as autonomous weapons capabilities, will usher in a new era of interceptors, which in turn will lead to entirely new technologically advanced designs.

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