Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star

*"First flown as a prototype in January 1944, the P-80 became the first jet aircraft adopted for service by the USAAF, but production models became available just weeks too late to serve in WWII. The Shooting Star was another brainchild of the Lockheed design team headed by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, whose work also included the exotic P-38 Lightning and the SR-71 “Blackbird.” Its clean design, relatively powerful turbojet engine, and thin unswept laminar-flow wing made the P-80 an excellent performer for the time. Its speed, maneuverability, and armament qualified it as both an excellent fighter and fighter-bomber. The Shooting Star development project took an unexpected toll on August 6, 1945--the day the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Richard Bong, America’s top-scoring WWII ace, died on a test flight in California when his P-80 flamed out and stalled on takeoff."*

-In-game description of the P-80A Shooting Star.

The P-80 Shooting Star was the first American turbojet fighter plane to enter the war and the 2nd allied jet as well, the first being Great Britain's Gloster Meteor. Very fast and strong, athletic, clear cockpit visibility, and charming for pilots to man, almost like a P-51 Mustang outfitted with a turbo jet, this is the top tier fighter plane on the American roster. It was almost ready in 1945 but didn't show up to VE-Day on time. After the war they went on to the Korean War where P-80 pilots (soon to be renamed F-80) tackled with Soviet fighters.

This is the fastest American plane and with the highest max altitude in class. Overall its great to fly but needs care with handling as jet engines were very fragile. While not as deadly as other jets it still was a match for the Messerschmitt Me 262 though far from terms with armament and guns.

## Specifications

**P-80A SPECIFICATIONS**

WEIGHT: 7,920/14,000 lb. (3,600/6,364 kg)

SPAN: 38' 10.5" (11.84 m) LENGTH: 34' 6" (10.5 m)

ENGINE: One General Electric J-33-GE-9 turbojet with 3,850-lb. thrust

ARMAMENT: Six 0.5-in. Browning machine guns with 300 r.p.g., plus two 500-lb. or 1,000-lb. bombs or (on F-80C) ten 5-in. rockets

MAX SPEED @ ALTITUDE: 558 mph (898 km/h) @ sea level; 533 mph (858 km/h) @ 20,000 ft (6,096 m)

CEILING: 45,000 ft (13,716 m)

INITIAL CLIMB RATE: 4,166 ft/min (1,270 m/min)

RANGE: 780 mi (1,255 km); 1,100 mi (1,770 km) with two 165-gal. drop tanks

## Strengths and Weaknesses

STRENGTHS

- High speed.

- Excellent climb and maneuverability.

- Well-armed gunfighter can also deliver ordnance.

- Nose-mounted guns concentrate firepower and decrease convergence errors.

WEAKNESSES

- Slow engine spool-up and acceleration.

- Poor engine reliability.

## Weapons

6x 0.5" Browning machine guns (default), 3 on each side of nose

2x 250lb bombs

2x 500lb bombs

2x 1,000lb bombs

10x HVAR

10x HVAR 5" Rockets + 2x 500lb bombs + 2x 165 gal drop tanks

10x HVAR + 2x 500lb bombs

2x 1,000lb bombs + 2x 165 gal drop tanks

2x 165 gal drop tank

## Trivia

* The P-80 became the first turbo jet in American service, and also the first ever first-generation jet aircraft. It had two derivatives, the T-33 Shooting Star twin seated trainer jet and the all weather F-94 Starfire.
* The P-80 was produced from 1945-1950. It was retired from the USAF in 1959 and replaced by the North American F-86 Sabre.
* Four P-80s made it over to Europe between February to March of 1945, but were limited to the reconnaissance role in Italy. Because the delay of production models and various accidents the Shooting Star saw no actual combat. Neither less it saw plenty of action in the Korean War and was re-designated F-80 (meaning "fighter" instead of "pursuit").
* This is the only American jet aircraft in *CFS3*.
* It is the last American fighter plane to be unlocked on the roster in Campaign mode, available in 12/1/1945 or can be purchased early.