The F-89’s horizontal stabilizer was positioned in a distinctive forward-leaning configuration—which gave the aircraft’s tail its peculiar resemblance to a scorpion’s stinger.
The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was America’s first jet-powered interceptor aircraft. The interceptor role, which became especially relevant during the Cold War, had a simple defensive purpose: as the name implies, it was created to intercept incoming enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. The F-89, first flown in 1948, is humble by modern standards—but it was one of America’s first true fighter jets, and helped to usher in the jet age of military aviation.
How the F-89 Scorpion Got Its Name
Northrop built what would come to be known as the F-89 Scorpion in response to a United States Army Air Force (USAAF) specification issued in August 1945, the very last month of World War II. The new interceptor was built with a narrow fuselage, embedded Allison J35 turbojet engines, and a thin, straight wing. Originally, the aircraft was built with swept wings, but the jet’s performance at low speed was poor, prompting designers to swap these out for straight wings. Of course, the straight wing limited the jet’s performance at high speed, but improved low-speed performance enough to justify the trade-off. Flight testing commenced in 1948, prompting a series of evaluations and upgrades; the initial J35 engine was soon swapped out in favor of a more powerful afterburning engine, the Allison J33-A-21 turbojet.
Another change was implemented to the elevators and rudder, indirectly giving the F-89 its moniker. The original design placed the tail configuration directly in the path of the aircraft’s engine exhaust, causing the horizontal stabilizers to lose effectiveness at high angles of attack. The designers moved the horizontal stabilizer halfway up the tail, as a proposed fix, but this new positioning brought the stabilizers in line with the leading edge of the aircraft’s rudder, which reduced the overall effectiveness of both horizontal stabilizers and rudder.
So the horizontal stabilizer was ultimately moved into a distinctive forward-leaning configuration—which gave the aircraft’s tail a likeness to a scorpion’s tail, causing Northrop employees to begin calling the project the Scorpion. The name stuck, causing the Air Force to adopt Scorpion as the aircraft’s formally designating name. With the new tail segment, new engine, and other improvements including the AN/APG/33 radar and the Hughes E-1 fire-control system, the newly designated F-89 entered service with the newly formed U.S. Air Force.
The F-89 Scorpion’s Service History
Over 1,000 F-89s would be produced, in multiple variants. Only 18 F-89As were made, and they were mostly relegated to test and trial use. The upgraded F-89B, which featured a newer avionics suite, was a significant improvement on the F-89A, but had problems of its own relating to the engine and would eventually be withdrawn from frontline service. The F-89C experienced similar problems.
Finally, the F-89D ironed out many of these issues and offered the plane’s most functional variant. Still, the F-89’s service history was somewhat unremarkable. Its early issues were not resolved until after the end of the Korean War, precluding service in that conflict. And by the end of the Korean War, the widespread adoption of supersonic aircraft within both the Western and Eastern blocs rendered the subsonic F-89 somewhat obsolete.
In less than a decade, more advanced (albeit still trouble-plagued) supersonic aircraft such as the F-102 Delta Dagger would supplant the F-89’s interceptor role. But despite its unremarkable service history and relatively quick replacement, the F-89 will always hold the distinction as the first jet-powered interceptor to ever serve with the U.S. Air Force.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the U.S. Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
