The Northrop F-89 Scorpion delivered a decade of service to the United States Air Force, charged with the critical defense of the upper North of the American continent from Soviet bomber incursions during the Cold War. The design was a relatively large two-seat, jet-powered fighter-type interceptor aircraft specifically designed to a USAF specification intended to replace the outgoing, propeller-driven Northrop F-61 "Black Widow" and North American F-82 "Twin Mustang" aircraft with origins in World War 2. The USAF commissioned work on the program in 1945 which resulted in a first flight of the XP-89 prototype on August 16th, 1948. The F-89 Scorpion was officially introduced in September of 1950 as the newest USAF dedicated interceptor.



The F-89, itself, was largely conventional for the time, arranged with an internal twin-engine turbojet configuration and air intakes mounted low along the fuselage sides. The engines exhausted from individual ports under and behind each wing root at the base of the empennage. One of the more novel design features was use of the "deceleron" control surface which was utilized as a "speedbrake" for lining up behind potential targets prior to firing. The aircraft was managed by two crewmembers - the pilot in the forward cockpit with the radar operator in the rear. The elongated nose cone assembly housed a powerful radar system that would be utilized for the required interception sorties. The wings were straight assemblies fitted at amidships and (eventually) capped with wingtip-mounted unguided rocket pods in streamlined nacelles (up to 104 x "Mighty Mouse" rockets were housed altogether). Additionally, later Scorpion models could be outfitted with a combination load of Falcon air-to-air missiles and Mighty Mouse rockets - all intended to bring down large enemy bombers. While not granted exceptional performance benefits in her design (no thanks to the use of straight wings lacking any sweep), the F-89 was gifted with a service ceiling that allowed the system to avoid potentially lethal low-altitude confrontations with ground-launched missiles or enemy interceptors. When at rest, the F-89 certainly promoted a very distinct low-set profile, its fuselage belly nearly skirting the turf. The undercarriage was wholly retractable and consisted of two single-wheeled main legs under the wings and a single-wheeled nose leg under and ahead of the cockpit floor.



internally, and the main reason for the aircraft's existence and success, the ultimate form of the F-89 was equipped with the then-powerful AN/APG-40 series radar suite coupled to the AN/APA-84 computer system capable of tracking aerial targets up to 50 miles out. The system was tied to the technologically-laden Hughes fire control system (FCS) which featured an integrated advanced autopilot function. All told, the collective system was designed to be able to track targets, guide the aircraft to within range of the onboard armament and automatically engage targets without pilot input.



The F-89 series served the USAF primarily throughout the tumultuous 1950s in a frontline capacity before being relegated to second line duty the decade following. All F-89 versions were then out of service by the end of the 1960s after some 1,050 examples had been delivered. At the time of its inception, the F-89 marked two "firsts" becoming the first operational combat-level aircraft outfitted with nuclear-tipped air-to-air weaponry (in the Genie rocket) and the first USAF jet-powered fighter to support guided munitions. Ex-USAF mounts were transferred to the Air National Guard for the remainder of her days. The last F-89 was retired from ANG service in July 1969.