The North American F-100 Super Sabre holds a nearly unrivaled place among the monumental achievements in the history of military aviation, for it became the first fighter of the U.S. Air Force that could fly supersonic in level flight. Manufactured by North American Aviation Corporation, the F-100 was the first in the conceptual line of jets within the Century Series and likewise the first to feature heat-resistant titanium alloys.
The F-100 flew with the U.S. It served in the Air Force from 1954 until 1971 and saw continued service with the Air National Guard until 1979. Designed initially as an air superiority fighter, the Super Sabre found its most prominent combat role as a fighter bomber during the Vietnam War. It flew thousands of strike missions over North Vietnam until it was finally replaced by the Mach-two F-105 Thunderchief. However, the F-100 went on to serve extensively over South Vietnam, providing close air support until it was finally replaced by the far more efficient subsonic LTV A-7D Corsair II.
From April 16, 1961, until their redeployment in 1971, F-100s were the longest-serving U.S. jet fighter-bombers in Vietnam. During the conflict, 198 F-100s were lost in combat, with an additional 45 lost to other causes.
This two-seat model, the supersonic F-100F trainer, maintained its air superiority and fighter-bomber capabilities. The first flying variant emerged in March 1957 and was essentially a stretched F-100D equipped to carry a crew of two, while being armed with only two cannons.
Rick Goddard, a retired Air Force major general, remembers clearly how he was first introduced to the F-100 Super Sabre. “I said, ‘That’s what I want to do,'” he recalled of the moment, as a 12-year-old boy, when he watched an F-100 zip down a valley in Utah. Twelve years later, Goddard was flying F-100s in combat during the Vietnam War.
The F-100 was not just any jet; it was the first of a series of six innovative warplanes, faster, smarter, and nuclear-capable: the Century Series. Among others, the series included an F-101, F-102, F-104, F-105, and an F-106, all remarkable in their own right. The RF-101 was the first USAF reconnaissance jet capable of supersonic speed in level flight; the F-102, the first operational fighter with a delta wing; and the F-104 flew high and fast enough that NASA used a modified version to train astronauts. The F-105 could carry a heavier bomb load than a World War II–era B-17 bomber. The F-106 set a world speed record of more than 1,500 mph.
According to Michael Rowland, curator of the Museum of Aviation near Warner Robins, Georgia, “All of them pushed the limits of how far the technology could go at that time. The F-106 was still in service into the late ’80s.”
Goddard flew about 180 of his 226 F-100 combat missions in what he fondly referred to as his “titanium mistress.” He said the aircraft was dependable, requiring precise mathematical calculations during bombing runs. “You had to determine if your dive angle, drift, altitude, and airspeed were correct at the moment you released your bombs,” he said.
Although the Century Series jets were fitted to be armed with nuclear weapons, Goddard’s missions in the F-100 were almost solely conventional warfare. He flew through heavy fire to destroy enemy anti-aircraft positions in one of the operations, for which he was awarded the Silver Star for Bravery.
The Department of Defense reports 1,785 U.S. Air Force battle deaths during the Vietnam War era as a somber reminder of the conflict’s toll. “We lost some very good friends who didn’t come home,” Goddard said.
Now retired and a resident of Statham, Georgia, Goddard has often spoken about the debt he owes that F-100 for bringing him home alive from combat. He once hired an artist to paint a portrait of his Super Sabre and over the years has made the effort to find the actual aircraft — eventually tracking it down to its outdoor display at Cape Cod’s Otis Air National Guard Base. Working with the Museum of Aviation, the jet has been restored and will be unveiled as a new exhibit on June 8.
“It never balked; it never said, ‘I can’t do this,'” Goddard said. “It took some hits and it still brought me home. So, I owe that airplane to sit somewhere where it can be admired and respected.”