Lockheed F-80 (P-80) Shooting Star

Major Evans Stephens and Lieutenant Russell Brown reached top cover, and began peering in all directions, searching for Communist aircraft. Now 20,000 feet over the airfield at Sinuiju, they had completed their strafing runs, and were now protecting their comrades taking their turn down on the deck. Flying Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars, America's first jet fighter, on November 8, 1950, they were alert for any enemy MiGs or Yaks.

Major Stephens soon spotted about ten MiG-15s approaching from the south, about 30 miles away on the Korean side of the border. He ordered the strafers to come on up from their runs. When he saw two of the MiG-15s heading for the flight of F-80s, he banked sharply to the left with Lieutenant Brown closely behind. Lieutenant Brown still had not spotted the MiG-15s, and noted after the battle, "I was looking around like mad and flying formation at the same time." However, as soon as Stephens completed his turn, Lieutenant Brown saw the two enemy jets. The lead MiG-15 broke directly in front of Major Stephens, and second one in front of Lieutenant Brown.

The world's first jet versus jet dogfight was about to ensue. Major Stephens maneuvered his F-80 to get in a firing position on the first MiG-15. At the same time, Lieutenant Brown banked his F-80 into a firing position on his target. The second MiG-15 began a climbing turn to the left, but Lieutenant Brown stayed tight inside the MiG's turn while he figured its lead. With only one of his four .50-caliber guns still working--the other three had jammed on the strafing runs--he fired four short bursts. They were all misses.

The MiG-15 pilot then did a wingover and began diving. Lieutenant Brown reacted instinctively, and dove after it, saying to himself, "Damm, I'm going to get him." In seconds, the two jet fighters hurtled earthward, and Brown closed to within 1,000 feet, still heading straight down toward the earth. Although he could not gain on the MiG, Lieutenant Brown set his sights, and fired one burst. Then he fired three short volleys. Red flames puffed out of the right side of the MiG's fuselage, near the engine section. Lieutenant Brown thought "it was now or never," and he squeezed the trigger and held it down. The MiG-15 burst into flame.

By now Lieutenant Brown was hurtling in a 600-mph dive only 2,000 feet from the ground. With the MiG-15 exploding, Lieutenant Brown hurriedly pulled the F-80 out of its dive, as the aircraft shuddered dangerously close to the ground.

Although the aerial combat between Lieutenant Brown and his MiG-15 opponent took about 60 seconds, it earned him a unique stature in the annals of aviation history: the first jet versus jet victory. It was also his only aerial combat victory.

Nor was Lt. Brown's aerial victory the last for the Shooting Stars in Korea. The F-80s accounted for another 16 Communist aircraft, mostly Yak-9s and mostly in the first year of the war. Another notable confrontation had occurred on June 27, 1950, the third day of the war, when some North Koran IL-10 Sturmoviks were attacking U.S. troops. Capt. Schilleref and his squadronmates drove them off, downing four in the process.

Name	Unit	Kills	Enemy	Aircraft	Date
1st Lt. Robert H. Dewald	35 FS	1	IL-10	F-80	June 27, 1950
1st Lt. Robert E. Wayne	35 FS	2	IL-10	F-80	June 27, 1950
Capt. Raymond Schilleref	35 FS	1	IL-10	F-80	June 27, 1950
1st Lt. Richard J. Burns	35 FS	1	IL-10	F-80	June 29, 1950
1st Lt. Charles A. Wurster	36 FS	1	Yak-9	F-80	June 30, 1950
Capt. Francis B. Clark	35 FS	1	Yak-9	F-80	July 17, 1950
2nd Lt. Elwood A. Kees	36 FS	1	Yak-9	F-80	July 19, 1950
1st Lt. Robert D. McKee	36 FS	1	Yak-9	F-80	July 19, 1950
1st Lt. Charles A. Wurster	36 FS	1	Yak-9	F-80	July 19, 1950
2nd Lt. David H. Goodnough	35 FS	1	Yak-9	F-80	July 20, 1950
Capt. Robert L. Lee	35 FS	1	Yak-9	F-80	July 20, 1950
1st Lt. Howard J. Landry	36 FS	1	Mig-15	F-80	March 17, 1951
2nd Lt. Robert E. Smith	36 FS	1	Mig-15	F-80	Dec. 1, 1951
1st. Lt. John B. Thomas	36 FS	1	-	F-80	-
1st. Lt. William McAllister	16 FS	1	-	F-80	-

The Shooting Star was the first American aircraft to exceed 500 mph in level flight, the first American jet airplane manufactured in large quantities and the first U.S. Air Force jet used in combat.

Designed in 1943, the XP-80 made its maiden flight on Jan. 8, 1944. Four YP-80s were sent to Europe for service tests, but World War II ended before the aircraft saw combat. Although designed as a high-altitude interceptor, its limited performance, especially in combat with the much faster MiG, soon relegated it to the role of fighter-bomber and photo reconnaissance aircraft in Korea. Initially, the F-80 and the F-51 (i.e. the P-51 Mustang) provided most of the air support for ground troops. The lack of runways suitable for jet aircraft in Korea meant the F-80 had to be based in Japan, which left it with little loiter time in the combat zone. As a result, several F-80 squadrons of the Fifth Air Force were reequipped with the propeller-driven F-51

The F-80 was nearly obsolete when it came out of production, and by the winter of 1950, it needed protection from the F-86 against the MiG. Still, despite its relatively slow speed and limited range, the aircraft performed admirably in Korea and was able to withstand rough conditions. The F-80s continued flying missions in Korea until 30 April 1953, when all were replaced with F-84s or F-86s.

Pilots and ground crews of the F-80 were very impressed with the aircraft’s reliability, and the urgency of the moment may have led to some performance failures due to over-use. One ground crew was said “Lockheed had designed such a great airplane that it seemed all we had to do was fill the tanks, arm it, and send it back on its way. Many of our F-80s were so busy that they never had the 25-hour and 50-hour maintenance done. We flew them for 100 hours, then sent them back to Japan for the 100-hour inspection and to patch up the holes.” Crews also loaded the aircraft with more ordnance than was authorized, which at times made it difficult for the planes to get off the ground. To remedy this, they attached two jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) bottles to the fuselage, which probably instigated complaints about the aircraft from headquarters.

Engineers spent little time or effort on the F-80C after it went out of production, but they did receive a variety of complaints, which they quickly fixed to keep the plane operational. Early in the war, the engineers designed, developed, and flight-tested a mid-span bomb-rack pylon prototype in just one month. This allowed the aircraft to carry both bombs and wing tanks for increased range. They also designed an adaptor for firing 3-inch rockets from the plane. Even before the war began, however, engineers had concurred that the F-80 was at its limit for profitable improvement.

Variants:

The airplane was originally designated P-80, as were all U.S. fighter ("P" for "Pursuit") planes. In 1948, the prefix for fighters was changed to F.

XF-80

1 built; prototype with British jet engine

XF-80A

3 built; improved XF-80 with J-33-GE-5

YF-80A

13 built; Service test; one XF-80 conversion

F-80A

917 built; First production USAF jet

XF-80B

1 conversion; Speed record conversion; P-80R

F-80B

240 conversions; Modified F-80A with J-36

F-80C

798 built; Improved F-80A with J-33-A

Sources:

National Museum of the USAF

The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Air Warfare, edited by Chris Bishop, 2001, Aerospace Publishing

Korean War Aces, by Robert F. Dorr, Osprey Aircraft of the Aces, 1995