North American F-107

The North American F-107 was a prototype supersonic fighter-bomber, North American Aviation's entry in a 1950s United States Air Force tactical fighter-bomber competition, developed from the F-100 Super Sabre as the NA-212 and first designated F-100B. Its most distinctive feature was a variable-area intake duct mounted on top of the fuselage behind the cockpit, chosen because the Air Force wanted a semi-conformal nuclear weapon carried under the belly. The ejection seat fired through the canopy to clear the intake. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney YJ75 turbojet, the first prototype flew on 10 September 1956 and reached Mach 2 in November. The Tactical Air Command nonetheless chose the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and cancelled the pre-production order. Of nine prototypes ordered only three were built, two were lent to NACA for research, and surviving aircraft are at the Pima Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of the United States Air Force.