In 1948, the second XP-88A
prototype, with the new afterburning Westinghouse J34 engines, began a detailed “689” inspection
by USAF officials. The afterburners were designed in-house by McDonnell engineers using an advanced iris exhaust nozzle. Unusually for such designs at the time, the new afterburners proved quite reliable.
On the same date in
1958, six RF-101s detached to CASF Bravo departed
Shaw AFB for Incirlik AB, Turkey, to monitor developments in Lebanon as the
Middle East was awash in a series of bloody coups in the aftermath of the 1956
Suez Crisis, inspired by the Arab Nationalist movement of Egypt’s Gamal
Nasser. Fearing a communist-inspired
rebellion, the situation in Lebanon turned out to be a sectarian rebellion
against the Lebanese president. The
situation was defused after elections, but the new Lebanese government then
began to align with the Arab Nationalists, along with a number of regional
allies.
In 1961, a
program to modify the MG-13 fire control systems of all F-101B intercpetors to the
final Block 120 standard began under Project Kitty Car, increasing the detection range, ability to defeat
jamming, and overall reliability of the system.
Provision for the radar-guided GAR-1D was dropped, leaving only the
heat-seeking GAR-2A Falcons and MB-1 Genies for armament.
Photo Credit: The Col. Ray W. Schrecengost Archives
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