Lockheed F-94C Starfire

Manufacturer
Lockheed
Markings
354th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, Oxnard AFB, California, 1953
Designation
F-94C
Serial Number
51-5623

Lockheed F-94C Starfire

The U.S. Air Force recognized in the late 1940s that it suffered from a serious lack of a modern all-weather jet interceptor to combat the threat of Soviet bombers. The search for a quick solution to the problem led to the development o the F-86D, F-102A, and the F-94. The Starfire is a highly modified development of the T-33 trainer, incorporating radar and guns. The first F-94 flew in late 1949 and large-scale deliveries to the Air Force began the next year. The F-94C version was the result of further modification of the design and featured a new wing and armament consisting entirely of unguided 2.75-inch rockets housed in the nose and in two wing mounted pods.