The United States Air Force has had good luck with this aircraft design. Due to the US defense industrial base structure, numerous companies have offered competitive aircraft designs that have enabled underperforming aircraft to be weeded out at a relatively early stage. Not every aircraft can be a P-51 Mustang, an F6F Hellcat, or an F-15 Eagle.
This is a list of some of the less distinguished fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the United States over the last century. The list includes only aircraft that have seen a significant production run (enclosed in parentheses); No “Thunder Cry,” goblins, or similar prototype fighters.
The US Military’s 5 Worst Fighter Jets of All Time
1. Buffalo (509)
Originally designed as a carrier fighter, the Buffalo suffered severely at the hands of the Japanese Navy and Army in the early days of World War II. Underpowered, under armored, with a relatively slow speed and poor performance at high altitude. The Buffalo was simply no match for the best Japanese pilots.
After the first months of the war, the surviving Buffalo were relegated to training. The Buffalo performed better in Finnish service; 36 Finnish pilots became aces and flew against the Soviet Air Forces in the Continuation War.
2. F7U Cutlass (320)
The first production, Vought F7U-1 Cutlass, was launched on July 25, 1951, from the aircraft carrier USS Midway US Navy. The Vought F7U Cutlass was a remarkably innovative carrier-based fighter that failed, in large part, by trying too much too soon.
First flown in 1948, the Cutlass was part of a series of short-lived jet fighters flown by the US Navy carriers. The design of such fighters was complicated due to the need to cope with the rapid technological change at the dawn of the jet era while operating from platforms (Essex-class aircraft carriers) that were not designed to carry jets.
Its operators rejected the Cutlass mainly, a broad but underperforming jet with a distinctive tail design. A quarter of the Cutlass production order was destroyed in accidents that claimed the lives of dozens of pilots and crew members.
3. F3H Demon (519)
Another carrier fighter Since the early jet age, the McDonnell F3H Demon has had a more conventional design than the Gutless Cutlass. A single-engine carrier fighter needs a reliable, powerful engine, and the Demon didn’t have that; None of the engines installed on the aircraft performed adequately.
The ejection seat complicated this single-engine aircraft, which often didn’t work. The Demon served appropriately as a subsonic interceptor but was retired before the Vietnam War.
4. F-102 Delta Dagger (1000)
The development of the Soviet long-range bomber force spurred the development of several fast jet interceptors in the 1950s. The F-102 Delta Dagger (known as the Deuce) was initially unable to achieve supersonic speeds, prompting serious redesign efforts.
The Deuce also fought at high altitude, a problem for an interceptor designed to hunt down high-flying Soviet bombers. Another redesign produced the F-106 Delta Dart, a much more capable aircraft.
During Vietnam, the Air Force attempted to force the F-102 into a low-altitude bombing role with minimal success. The Deuce was quickly commissioned into the Air National Guard service, with much of the fleet eventually being used as target drones.
5. F-104 Starfighter (2578)
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was a reasonably practical interceptor that served in several different air forces from 1958 onwards.
Although it lacked the range and payload to be an excellent interceptor, it managed the mission reasonably well. It was a decent air superiority aircraft in an era when the air superiority mission was not valued.
In Vietnam, the F-104 had limited success in an air-to-ground role. What really set the Starfighter apart was its casualty rate. In USAF service, the Starfighter had a higher accident rate than any other Century Series fighter, but the problem was far worse for Canada and Germany.
The accidents had many causes, but single-engine fighters will experience a disproportionate number of incidents in general small-wing areas.
Conclusion
It remains to be seen how history will treat the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Some critics would suggest adding it to this list, but the plane hasn’t even completed its production run, let alone its lifespan. It’s a consolation that even the worst of these planes could make valuable contributions, even as the technology around them shifted.
