USAF F-8P and EA-5D

[NARSES2]

In looking at the Trumpeter 1/72 Vigilante a little closer they could produce an A variant. Bothe the recce "canoe" and bomb-bay rear end "plug" are packed separately and appear as almost an after thought on the packaging buff - good kit by the way

Chris

[comrade harps]

Tigarecat2,

yeah, F-108 aint the best, but neither is the F-110 (F-4) or F-111 (Aardvark).

Instead, F109 makes more sense.

To quote from the US designation systems site:

"F-109
This designation is usually attributed to the Bell Model D-188 supersonic VTOL fighter project of the late 1950s. However, while Bell requested the F-109 designator for this project, the request was officially turned down. Some sources say that F-109 was also requested for the two-seat interceptor version of the F-101 Voodoo, but these reports remain to be confirmed by first-hand documents. Anyway, the request wasn't approved either, and the aircraft was designated the F-101B. Other reports which link the F-109 designation to a proposed operational version of the Ryan X-13 Vertijet VTOL demonstrator are erroneous. All said, F-109 was never officially allocated to any fighter project. "

So, it's the F-109 Crusader until 1962.

Remember also, these are alternative histories.

gh
aka Comrade Harps

[elmayerle]

In looking at the Trumpeter 1/72 Vigilante a little closer they could produce an A variant. Bothe the recce "canoe" and bomb-bay rear end "plug" are packed separately and appear as almost an after thought on the packaging buff - good kit by the way

The main thing you'd need to do an A varaint would be an all-new fuselage, given the major changes made first on the protyped-only B variant and carried over to the rA-5C.

[tigercat2]

Tigarecat2,

yeah, F-108 aint the best, but neither is the F-110 (F-4) or F-111 (Aardvark).

Instead, F109 makes more sense.

To quote from the US designation systems site:

"F-109
This designation is usually attributed to the Bell Model D-188 supersonic VTOL fighter project of the late 1950s. However, while Bell requested the F-109 designator for this project, the request was officially turned down. Some sources say that F-109 was also requested for the two-seat interceptor version of the F-101 Voodoo, but these reports remain to be confirmed by first-hand documents. Anyway, the request wasn't approved either, and the aircraft was designated the F-101B. Other reports which link the F-109 designation to a proposed operational version of the Ryan X-13 Vertijet VTOL demonstrator are erroneous. All said, F-109 was never officially allocated to any fighter project. "

So, it's the F-109 Crusader until 1962.

Remember also, these are alternative histories.

gh
aka Comrade Harps

You have an excellent point about the '109.  

I have always wondered what would have happened if the McNamara-ordered designation system had not occurred (presumably because McNamara could not understand why the same aircraft had two designations - F4H-1 and F-110A).

Since the USAF had done away with the "Attack" series, what would the A-10 have become - perhaps the F-115 or F-116.   The F-5 would have been in the "higher than F-111" numbers as well, as of course the F-15 and F-16.


Wes W.

[Swamphen]

Hmm. I've seen a list of "non-Macninny'd" designations for an AH before...

Ah, here it is!