Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-100>HA2104

General Background

The North American F-100 Supersabre served the USAF from 1954 to 1971 and the ANG until 1979. The F-100 commonly referred to as the “Hun”, a shortened version of “one hundred” was the first US fighter capable of attaining supersonic speed in level flight. The Hun was used extensively as close-air-support in South Vietnam.

The Aircraft

In 1959, the first batch of F-100A/Fs arrived in Taiwan to replace the obsolete F-84Gs of RoCAF (Republic of China Air Force). In November 1978, the 23rd Fighter Squadron temporarily based at Hsinchu AB, was ordered to transfer back to Chiayi AB to be re-equipped with F-5Es, and leaving all their F-100s behind to a newly formed 42 Fighter Squadron under the command of 11th Fighter Group, 499 TFW. The original F-100s of the 23rd Squadron, had the blue squadron idetification paint scheme on the nose and tail . To differentiate from their former unit, the 42 Squadron had all the tail paint schemes removed but kept the blue nose. Only sometimes later, the 499 TFW insignia was painted on the tail. This paint scheme was short lived, because the 42 Squadron was re-equiped with F-104Gs in 1983. The aircraft number of this model starts with "02" indicates it was the second batch received by RoCAF. Today, the 499 TFW is comprised of 41st, 42nd and 48th Fighter Squadrons, operating Mirage 2000-5s.

By Li-Chung Peter Chang.

Specifications :

Crew:	1
Dimensions:
Length:	50 ft (15.2 m)
Wingspan:	38 ft 9 in (11.81 m)
Height:	16 ft² 2¾ in (4.95 m)
Wing area:	400 ft² (37 m²)
Weight:
Empty weight:	21,000 lb (9,500 kg)
Loaded weight:	28,847 lb (13,085 kg)
Maximum take off weight:	34,832 lb (15,800 kg)
Engine Performance:
Powerplant:	1× Pratt & Whitney J57-P-21/21A turbojet
Dry thrust:	10,200 lbf (45 kN)
Thrust with afterburner:	16,000 lbf (71 kN)
Aspect ratio:	2 3.76
Drag area:	5.0 ft² (0.46 m²)
Zero-lift drag coefficient:	0.0130
Performance:
Maximum speed:	750 kn (864 mph, 1,390 km/h)
Range:	1,733 NM (1,995 mi, 3,210 km)
Service ceiling:	50,000 ft (15,000 m)
Rate of climb:	22,400 ft/min (114 m/s)
Wing loading:	72.1 lb/ft² (352 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight:	0.55
Lift-to-drag ratio:	13.9
Armament:
Guns:	4× 20 mm (0.787 in) M39 cannon
Missiles:	4× AIM-9 Sidewinder Missiles or GAM-83 Bullpup Missile
Bombs:	7,040 lb (3,190 kg) of weapons, including:
	Conventional bombs or
	Mk. 7 nuclear bomb or
	Mk. 28 nuclear bomb or
	Mk. 38 nuclear bomb or
	Mk. 43 nuclear bomb or
	Mk. 57 nuclear bomb or
	Mk. 61 nuclear bomb
Avionics:	Minneapolis-Honeywell MB-3 automatic pilot
	AN/AJB-1B low-altitude bombing system