The designation Century Series Fighters ("100 Series Fighters" in French) refers to a series of fighter aircraft designed by the United States during the 1950s, and which bore a designation number greater than 100 in the nomenclature of American aircraft from 1926 to 1962. We also meet the names of Century Series or Century Fighters.
These planes marked the memories by their remarkable performances for the time and their appearance in just a few years. They coincide with a period of significant progress in the field of military aeronautics. Thus, the F-100 is the first American aircraft capable of breaking the sound barrier in horizontal flight, but remains devoid of radar. Less than 4 years later, the F-106 is twice as fast, has very sophisticated on-board electronics and a weapons bay that can carry nuclear-tipped rockets.
Century Series Planes
North American F-100 Super Saber (first flown May 1953)
McDonnell F-101 Voodoo (first flew September 1954)
Convair F-102 Delta Dagger (first flown October 1953)
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (first flown March 1954)
Republic F-105 Thunderchief (first flown October 1955)
Convair F-106 Delta Dart (first flown December 1956)
Numbers not used in the series
The designations F-103, F-107 and F-108 were used for projects that never came to fruition. Of the three projects, only the North American F-107 actually flew, but was only built in 3 prototypes.
The F-109 designation originally intended for F-101B Voodoo and later requested but not granted to the ADAV prototype the Bell XF-109 was ultimately not used.
The designation F-110 Specter was used from January to September 1962 for the version of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II intended for the United States Air Force. This version eventually received the designation F-4C.
Planes out of the series
The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark (first flown in December 1964) is not generally considered part of the series, despite its number 111. It is moreover a bomber and not a fighter aircraft .
From September 1962, following a change in the designation of American military aircraft, the numbering of fighter aircraft was reverted to smaller numbers (F-5, etc.), thus closing the series.
At the end of the 1970s appeared the Lockheed Martin F-117 Night Hawk. Its existence was only revealed to the public in 1988 and its designation (surprising in many ways) does not, however, make it a member of the Century Series.