Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first fighter jet of the United States Army Air Force. It made a few flyovers of Germany in the last weeks of World War II. From 1948 its designation was changed to F-80 Shooting Star. Early in the Korean War the MiG-15 was shown to be much better and the F-86 replaced it. The United States Air Force was the main operator, but Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay also used it.
| P-80 / F-80 Shooting Star | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P-80A | |
| Role | Jet fighter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
| Designer | Clarence "Kelly" Johnson |
| First flight | 8 January 1944 |
| Introduction | 1945 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Air Force United States Navy |
| Number built | 1,715 |
| Unit cost | US$110,000 in 1945 |
| Variants | Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star |
| Developed into | Lockheed F-94 Starfire |
This aircraft was the basis of the famous training aircraft T-33 T-Bird and the F-94 Starfire fighter jet.
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star Media
A cross section of the aircraft with labeled parts
The original XP-80 prototype Lulu-Belle
XP-80A Gray Ghost in flight
Operational P-80Bs at Langley AFB
TO-1 Shooting Star of VMF-311
F-80Cs of the 8th Fighter-Bomber Group in Korea, 1950
F-80C Shooting Star of the 8th Fighter Bomber Group in Korea
EF-80 prone pilot test aircraft
F-14A/FP-80A reconnaissance aircraft
F-80A test aircraft (s/n 44-85044) with twin 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in oblique mount, similar to World War II German Schräge Musik, to study the ability to attack Soviet bombers from below
A Peruvian F-80C preserved in a Lima park
