The F-89 was a twin-engine, all-weather fighter-interceptor designed to locate, intercept, and destroy enemy aircraft by day or night under all types of weather conditions. One of the most heavily armed fighter aircraft, the F-89 was the backbone of the North American Air Defense Command for more than 17 years. The F-89 helped the Air Defense Command to patrol the skies during the period when Soviet intercontinental bombers first became a threat. The first F-89 made its initial flight in August 1948 and deliveries to the Air Force began in July 1950. Northrop produced 1,050 F-89s.
The F-89 was the first multi-seat, all-weather jet interceptor. It was the first aircraft designed to carry an all-rocket armament and the first to carry the Hughes Falcon air-to-air guided missile. It carried a pilot in the forward cockpit and a radar operator in the rear who guided the pilot into proper attack position. Northrop was awarded a contract May 3, 1946, to build two prototypes designated XP-89. The XP-89 rolled out of its California plant in the summer of 1948. After a number of taxiing and brake tests were performed, the XP-89 was moved to the high desert north of Los Angeles known as Muroc Dry Lake (later Edwards AFB). It was at this time it was re-designated as F-89, classifying it as a fighter. The air and ground crews at Muroc remarked that it looked like a scorpion ready to strike. The name stuck and was later officially recognized by the Air Force.
The F-89 made its maiden flight Aug. 16, 1948, with the first production model being accepted Sept. 28, 1950. At the time of its production, the F-89 had an advanced radar system enabling the crew to track and engage hostile bombers in any weather.
On July 19, 1957, a Genie test rocket was fired from an F-89J, the first time in history that an air-to-air rocket with a nuclear warhead was launched and detonated. Three hundred and fifty F-89Ds were converted to "J" models which became the Air Defense Command's first fighter-interceptor to carry nuclear armament.
|Wing Span||60 feet|
|Length||53 feet, 10 inches|
|Height||17 feet, 6 inches|
|Weight||47,719 lbs. maximum|
|Armament|| Two AIR-2A Genie air-to-air rockets with nuclear warheads plus|
four AIM-4C Falcon missiles
|Engines||Two Allison J35 engines with 8,000 lbs. of thrust each; with afterburner|
|Maximum speed||630 mph|
|Cruising speed||465 mph|
|Service Ceiling||45,000 feet|