Warplanes of the USA: Douglas F3D Skyknight

Douglas F3D Skyknight (later redesignated F-10 Skyknight)

A U.S. Navy Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight (BuNo. 123763) from Composite Squadron VC-3 "Blue Nemesis" in flight. VC-3 was home based at Moffett Field, California, 1950.

The Skyknight is an American twin-engined, mid-wing jet fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was designed in response to a 1945 United States Navy requirement for a jet-powered, radar-equipped, carrier-based night fighter. Douglas designed the aircraft around the bulky air intercept radar systems of the era, resulting in a wide, deep, and roomy fuselage that accommodated its two-man crew. An initial contract was issued to Douglas on 3 April 1946. The XF3D-1 prototype performed its maiden flight on 23 March 1948. During June 1948, a production contract for 28 F3D-1 production aircraft was received. It was equipped with a Westinghouse AN/APQ-35 fire control system, which incorporated three separate radars and was an essential component of its night fighter operations.

The F3D saw service with the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Its primary mission was to locate and destroy enemy aircraft at night. The Skyknight was not produced in great numbers, yet it achieved numerous firsts in its role as a night fighter during the Korean War, where the type frequently escorted Boeing B-29 Superfortresses on night bombing missions. While it never achieved the fame of the North American F-86 Sabre, it downed several Soviet-built MiG-15s as a night fighter over Korea. It only sustained a single air-to-air loss against a Chinese MiG-15, which occurred on the night of 29 May 1953. A total of 237 F3D-2s were completed before production was terminated on 23 March 1952.

The Skyknight played an important role in the development of the radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missile, which led to further guided air-to-air missile developments. It also served as an electronic warfare platform in the Vietnam War as a precursor to the EA-6A Intruder and EA-6B Prowler. The aircraft is sometimes unofficially called "Skynight", dropping the second "k". The unusual, portly profile earned it the nickname "Willie the Whale". Some Vietnam War U.S. Marine veterans have referred to the Skyknight as "Drut", whose meaning becomes obvious when read backwards.[additional citation(s) needed] This may be in reference to its age, unflattering looks, or the low-slung air intakes that made it vulnerable to foreign object damage (FOD). (Wikipedia) Photo)

(Steve Ginter Photo)

A U.S. Navy Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight (BuNo 124654) in flight, circa in the early 1950s.

(Bill Larkins Photo)

Douglas F3D-2B Skyknight (BuNo. 127044), NAS Oakland, California, October 1953.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas EF-10B Skyknight (BuNo 124619) of Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron VMCJ-1 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California (USA). Note the mission markers below the canopy and the Snoopy character on the tail fin. Due to the mission markers and the worn paint scheme, this photo may have been taken in the late 1960s, when the Grumman EA-6A Intruder had replaced the Skyknight in Vietnam.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas F3D-2Q Skyknight (BuNo. 124618) of Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron VMCJ-2 "Playboys" in flight. VMCJ-2 was based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Navy Douglas F3D-2T2 Skyknight (BuNo. 124607) from Fighter Squadron VF-101 Detachment A "Grim Reapers" at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida (USA), parked on a runway, in 1961. The F3D-2T2 aircraft were 55 F3D-2 that were used as radar-operator trainers and electronic warfare aircraft. The F3D-2T2 was redesignated TF-10B in 1962.

(USN Photo)

Douglas F3D-2M Skyknight, VX-4, No. 7, carrying four Sparrow I missiles made for a relatively heavy test subject,likely on the the USS Hancock during steam catapult tests c1954.

(USN Photo)

A Douglas F3D-2 Skyknight (BuNo 127072) of Fighter Squadron VF-14 Top Hatters, Air Task Group 201 (ATG-201), approaching the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CVA-11) during operations in the Western Atlantic between September and November 1954.

(USN Photo)

Four U.S. Marine Corps Douglas F3D-2Q Skyknights (BuNos. 124596, 125806, 124850, and 127060) of Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron (VMCJ) 3 in flight near Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, in 1958.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas F3D-2Q Skyknight (BuNo. 125849) of Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron VMCJ-1 in flight. VMCJ-1 was based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California.

(USN Photo)

The U.S. Navy Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight (BuNo 121458) in flight. The aircraft was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, for evaluation.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Navy Douglas F3D-1 Skyknight in flight near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (USA), circa in the 1950s.

Aircraft on display
F3D-2

(Bill Larkins Photo)

A former U.S. Navy Douglas F-10B "Skyknight" (BuNo 124598) in service with the U.S. Army in May 1980. This aircraft was flown under contract by Raytheon and is today on display at the U.S. National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida.

(Tomás Del Coro Photo)

BuNo 124598 – National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida.

(Author Photos)

(Dabarkey Photo)
BuNo 124629 – Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. TF-10B.

(Author Photo)
BuNo 124630 – Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at MCAS Miramar, California. F3D-2Q, c/n 7500, WF-23.

(Eric Friedebach Photo)

BuNo 125807 – Combat Air Museum in Topeka, Kansas.
BuNo 125870, (repainted as BuNo 127039) – Korean War and Vietnam War memorialin Del Valle Park in Lakewood, California. Originally displayed in 1950s-eradark blue coloring, the aircraft was repainted in 1963 to the grey and whitecolor scheme of Marine Corps aircraft at the time. With this repainting, theaircraft had the tail code "7L," which was the 1960s-era tail codefor Marine Corps Air Reserve and Naval Air Reserve aircraft at nearby Naval AirStation Los Alamitos, California. In 2015, the aircraft was refurbished andpainted in grey and white to depict a late 1950s-era Skyknight of VMFT(N)-20with tail code "BP."
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F3D-2Q
BuNo 124618 – National Museum of the Marine Corps, in Quantico, Virginia.

(Author Photos)
BuNo 124620 – Quonset Air Museum at Quonset State Airport (former NAS Quonset Point) in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. F3D-2Q.
BuNo 125850 – Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards AFB, California. This aircraft served until 1970 as part of VMCJ-3 (U.S. Marine CompositeReconnaissance Squadron 3) based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro,California, carrying tail code "TN."
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F3D-2T

(Doug Kerr Photos)

(Jeff Nelson Photo)

(Tony Hisgett Photo)

Douglas F-3D-2T Skyknight (BuNo. 127074).  Painted in the colours of USMC Night Fighter Squadron 513 (VMF(N)-513) as flown during the Korean War.
BuNo. 127074 – Empire State Aerosciences Museum (ESAM) near Schenectady, NewYork. This F3D was operated by Raytheon in Massachusetts for electronics tests until it was donated to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City, New York. It was displayed at the museum from 1987 until April 2012, when it was one of three aircraft moved to the ESAM to make room for the Space Shuttle Enterprise.