New Defensive Team

This spring formation flights over Moscow of Russian intercontinental jet bomb ers startled the Air Force into a second look at the jet fighters scheduled to take over U.S. air defense in the next few years. Last week a new production sched ule for Air Force supersonic fighters was revealed:

P: The supersonic F-100 (TIME, Oct. 26, 1953), North American's Super-Sabre jet, already in operational units, will be produced at Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio at the same rate.

P: The F-101, McDonnell's twinjet, supersonic Voodoo (TIME, Dec. 6), was de signed as a bomber escort, but tests were a surprise, showed that the Voodoo was an excellent all-round fighter. Production of the F101 will be greatly increased.

P: The F-102, a delta-winged Convair interceptor loaded with Hughes Aircraft electronic equipment, was planned as the mainstay of U.S. air defense from 1957 until 1960. Outperformed in most categories by the Voodoo and found full of bugs, it was redesigned and is at last in production, but the F-102 program will not be accelerated.

P: The F103 by Republic Aviation has been dropped.

P: The F-104, Lockheed's bantam (seven-ton) daytime interceptor, which may go as fast as 1,500 m.p.h., will share star billing with the F-101. Production will be sharply stepped up.

P: The F-105, Republic's powerful fighter-bomber, is still in the developmental stage.

To pay for increased production of the F101 and F-104 without increased appropriations, the Air Force plans to cut production of the F-84 and F-86 (the famous Sabre jet that outshot the MIG 14-1 over Korea).

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