History
Background
The F3D-1 Skyknight was initially designed in August 1945 to meet the US Navy’s requirement for a jet-powered, radar-equipped, carrier-based night fighter. A contract was awarded to Douglas on April 3, 1946, and the XF3D-1 prototype first flew on March 23, 1948. Following its successful trials, a production contract for 28 F3D-1 aircraft was issued in June 1948.
The F3D-1 incorporated the Westinghouse AN/APQ-35 fire control system, which integrated three separate radars for search, tracking, and gun-laying. This system gave it a detection range of up to 125 miles, essential for night fighter operations.
Design and Development
On May 23, 1949, the Navy issued updated requirements for the Skyknight, seeking enhanced performance via larger engines. Douglas responded by developing the F3D-2, an improved variant to replace the F3D-1.
Initially, the F3D-2 was to be powered by two 4,600-lbf Westinghouse J46-WE-3 turbojets, which would have significantly boosted performance. However, due to developmental issues with the J46, the engine program was canceled before the first F3D-2 flew. As a result, Douglas fitted the aircraft with uprated 3,400-lbf Westinghouse J34-WE-36 engines instead.
Other improvements in the F3D-2 included:
- A General Electric G-3 autopilot
- New wing spoilers for increased roll rate
- Improved air conditioning
- A reinforced, bulletproof windscreen
- Upgraded radar intercept, tail-warning, and gun-targeting radar systems
A total of 237 F3D-2s were produced before production ended on March 23, 1952. The first F3D-2 made its maiden flight on February 14, 1951. Notably, even though the J46 was never adopted, the aircraft retained the enlarged nacelles originally designed for it.
Operational Service - Korean War
Due to their limited production, the 28 F3D-1s were not deployed in combat and were instead used for training new crews. In contrast, the F3D-2 was widely used by US Marine Corps squadrons during the Korean War.
VMF(N)-542 became the first squadron to operate the F3D-2 in Korea, beginning in June 1952. Initially operating from land bases, they had previously flown F7F Tigercats since 1950. When first delivered, the F3D-2s lacked the necessary gun barrel extensions to fire their 20 mm cannons, delaying their combat readiness until August 1952.
As the F3D-2 Skyknight began its first operational missions in North Korea, it began to receive a reputation for being a successful jet night fighter that had shot down enemy aircraft despite facing the adversity of effective hostile jamming from inside North Korea.
The first claimed aerial kill by the F3D-2 Skyknight was recorded on November 2, 1952, when the Skyknight shot down an alleged North Korean Yak-15 (no Yak-15s were reported in Korea, however). It may have been the MiG-15 that the Skyknight shot down, as it was difficult to identify on an almost pitch-black night. Regardless, it was the first successful night radar interception of a jet by another jet.
Another claimed kill was made on November 8, 1952, when another Skyknight shot down the MiG-15 northwest of Pyongyang.
A feat was achieved on December 10, 1952, when the other Skyknight managed to become the first aircraft to shoot down another aircraft without visual contact by using its radar to lock onto a Polikarpov Po-2 biplane; however, it may been the Yakovlev Yak-18 that the Skyknight shot down.
By January 1953, the number of deployed Skyknights in Korea had doubled to 24 aircraft, enabling expanded operational capability. These aircraft were primarily assigned to escort missions, protecting B-29 Superfortresses during their nighttime bombing raids over North Korea. On January 13, 1953, an F3D-2 escorting a B-29 successfully intercepted and destroyed an enemy aircraft attempting to engage the bomber, marking the Skyknight’s fourth confirmed aerial kill during the war.
Although the majority of F3D-2s operated from land-based facilities throughout the Korean War, a limited number were deployed at sea. The only US Navy squadron to operate the Skyknight from aircraft carriers was VC-4, which deployed the aircraft aboard the USS Coral Sea in 1952 and the USS Midway in 1953. Additionally, a detachment of Skyknights operated from the USS Lake Champlain during the final stages of the war.
By the end of the conflict, Skyknight pilots claimed five aerial victories (including probable kills), all achieved under the challenging nighttime conditions.
Post Korean War - F3D-2’s Subvariants
Following the Korean War, the F3D-2 Skyknight began to be phased out of frontline Navy service, gradually replaced by more advanced aircraft equipped with superior radar systems, such as the F4D-1 Skyray.
However, due to its inherent stability and roomy fuselage, the F3D-2 proved highly adaptable for secondary roles. Sixteen airframes were converted into missile-armed interceptors under the designation F3D-2M. These variants had their cannons removed to accommodate a longer nose housing a larger guidance radar, and were equipped with four wing-mounted hardpoints for carrying air-to-air missiles. The F3D-2M played a key role in the development of early missile systems, becoming the first Navy jet to carry an operational air-to-air missile, the Sparrow I (AIM-7A), a beam-riding missile, beginning in 1954.
In the late 1950s, 35 F3D-2s were modified into electronic warfare platforms, replacing their original radar systems with electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment. The first of these conversions was completed in 1955, and the aircraft were redesignated F3D-2Q. Additionally, five were modified into night fighter trainers as F3D-2T, while another 55 were converted into radar operator trainers under the designation F3D-2T2.
Although the Skyknight’s front-line service with the US Navy diminished, it remained active in Marine Corps service throughout the 1960s. These aircraft were repainted in the then-standard gull gray and white scheme. Under the Tri-Service aircraft designation system introduced in September 1962, the F3D-2 was redesignated F-10B. Its variants were similarly renamed: the F3D-2M became MF-10B, the F3D-2Q became EF-10B, and the F3D-2T2 became TF-10B.
The EF-10B became the most widely used postwar variant, continuing in service with Marine electronic warfare squadrons. These aircraft saw action during the Cuban Missile Crisis and were later deployed in the Vietnam War, where they conducted electronic warfare missions until 1969. The Skyknight was officially retired in May 1970, making it the only jet fighter from the Korean War era to also see combat service in Vietnam.
