As a field that integrates scientific and technological strength, the aviation industry has a large existence, especially the military aviation with the most advanced technology, which is also a symbol of strong strength. From the perspective of the research and development process of aviation weapons, mankind has created a large number of advanced scientific and technological achievements. For example, the Americans launched the world’s fastest fighter plane after World War II. Many people may not know this, but this F-11 fighter has become the standard reference for the U.S. military to develop other fighters later.
At the beginning, the F-11 fighter was developed on the basis of the Grumman F9F/F-9 “Cougar” fighter. However, what surprised the outside world is that the fighter has gradually become an independent model fighter. With the end of World War II and the start of the Cold War, American technologists were eager to intensify improvements to the fighter’s performance. Under the technical requirements such as the minimum transonic area proposed by the US military, many experts have improved the design plan one after another, so the F-11 was born.
In 1954, the first prototype of the F-11 appeared, and then the mass production process was officially started. This was its original model, the F11-1 fighter. At that time, the 156th Naval Air Squadron of the US Navy received the fighter and was very satisfied with it for a period of time. It is understood that the fighter has a maximum range of 6,760 meters, and has a speed of 753 mph under normal conditions. If it is raised to 30,000 feet, it can maintain a speed of 727 mph.
In terms of appearance, the F-11 had a cylindrical shape as a whole, with a swept-back mid-wing single-wing structure, and air intakes are provided on both sides of the fuselage and at the lower right of the cockpit. It is reported that the nose of the aircraft presents a downward tilt feature, and a pilot cockpit is arranged in the slightly forward part of the aircraft, which can bring better observation effects to the pilots. In addition, the F-11 was also equipped with retractable tail skids, the latter of which can play a unique role in protecting the fuselage during the landing of the fighter.
It is understood that the F-11 fighter had an impressive supersonic flight performance based on the newly built advantages. In order to adapt for landing on a aircraft carrier, the F-11 fighter was equipped with foldable wings, thereby reducing the space on the flight deck. However, due to the hidden dangers of insufficient engine performance, the F-11 fighter was soon abandoned after only four years of service with the US Navy.
During such a short period of service, the United States built approximately 200 F-11s. Since then, the F-11 fighter has played the role of the US military supersonic trainer. From the perspective of the subsequent development process, Northrop Grumman, an arms dealer, has become the biggest profiter of the F-11 fighter jet, and has begun to make a fortune.