Does the USAF have a dedicated Interceptor?

I been tracing the history of aircafts in the US. Since WW2, the US Air Force has always had one aircraft that was custome design for the air defense and interceptor Mission. I'm not talking about air superiority fighters like the F-15 or F-22. I am looking for a custume built intercepter like the Navy F-14's with the AIM-54 Pheonix Missile or the (Now Retired) F-102's and F-106's with their Genie and Aim-47 Misslies. I'm hoping to study modern inerceptors, and was hoping to get a starting point. Does anyone know of a dedicated USAF interceptor that was design for Air Defence against both aircraft and missiles?

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

F111 was used for dedicated interceptor


[edit on 15-6-2004 by gastric cancer]

F-111? Which version? The versions I'm familiar with were all strike aircraft. Can you porvide me with some info on the interceptor version so I have a better starting point for my search? Thanks!

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

I believe that there is no pure interceptor in service today. To save on costs, most aircraft today are being designed to carry out a wide range of missions. This also increases the AF/Navys flexability. I'd say that the F-22 is about the closest thing the AF has to an interceptor.

Current Air Superiority fighters also cover the traditional role of interceptor now. The threat of hostile heavy bombers is highly diminished from the Cold War era and most of the world's light bombers could easily be taken care of with SAMs and ASF planes.

Presently in the United States the F15, F22 and to a lesser degree the F16 are being used or planned to be used for the interceptor role throughout the AF and AF reserves.

Until just a few years ago the F4 Phantom II was being used by the AF National Guard as an air interceptor, now these planes have all been retired or turned into targeting drones, currently the American National Guard uses F15s and F16s.

The USAF is also developing airbourne laser weapons for use in intercepting incoming missiles, these would be very large scale weapons and are being mounted in speically moded 747s as they are much much too large for a fighter.

~Astral

This is a trick question.

Does the USAF have a dedicated Air Defense Interceptor?

The answer is no. The USAF does not provide for the air defense of the United States thus does not need a dedicated aircraft for that purpose.

100% of the air defense interceptor force is provided by the Air National Guard. They began replacing their f-106's with F-16's in '86.

Quite true - the F-106 Delta Dart was the last purposely design interceptor used by the USAF and the ANG. It was Mach 2 capable and and was the first US aircraft to utilize a fully integrated ground controller computer to vector the A/C into the proper intercept point (SAGE).

My uncle flew them for many years with the MA ANG and I once took a tour of the base and hangers, and got to climb inside on (very tight quarters). Uncle Arthur said they were quite the little hot rod, and could fly circles around F-4's, but they had much more primitive weapons and avionics. His squadron eventually upgrades to F-15C's, and although he though the Eagle was a phenomenal A/C, he still missed his old "Dart". He always felt like the F-15 was too big for the fairly simple ANG mission; he called his plane "Rodan" and had a funny Teradactyl symbol painted on the tail.

Here are a couple of small MPEGs of early F-106 propotional clips:

F-106 Intro

Minot Boy gets a Kill

Dangit - why can I never seem to get this to work?

There we go! Dang, gotta lose these fat fingers!


[edit on 15-6-2004 by Pyros]

[edit on 15-6-2004 by Pyros]

I see it this way Tim, the US feels that we are beyond the ability of others to attack from planes. No one country on the planet (not even a group) is capable of secussfully attacking the US with out being bombed back to the stoneage. As far as intercepting missles (ICBM's) there are a couple.
We have an airborn laser in a 747 sized plane that is supposed to be able to shoot down the missle before it gets to the atmosphere.

www.boeing.com...

We are also rushing to implement an anti-balistic missile missile system.

www.spacedaily.com...

I just hope we never have to use either one becouse that would be the start of a nuclear war and then we all die from nuclear winter.

[edit on 16-6-2004 by mrmonsoon]

actually in a all out nuclear war you have a 50% survival rate....I'm still not sure if thats good news or bad

I also think the F-22 is the closest we have 2 a true interceptor because of its strike range somewher between 150-200 miles.

And im not saying that the JSF is an interceptor but i was reading an article about the JSF being equiped with a laser system to target aircraft.
Ill try and find a link.

Not that everyone would die from the bombs, but those who survive would die in the insuing nuclear winter that would follow. All plant life would die, followed by all animal life.

The US Navy's 'dedicated' interceptor is or was the F-14.
The US Air Force's 'dedicated' interceptor revolves around the F-15 and F-16. Varies per base.



seekerof

USAF dedicated Interceptor is the F-15C for now.
Also F-111A,B,C,D,E,and F are all Fighter Bombers.(and had a hard time with that role) Pivot Pylons,Internal Gun,Terrain Following Radar,Sweep
Wings,Ejection Module(both pilots punch out together) Ejection Module-
Rocket Engines,and the F-111's P&W TF30-P-9 Engines,,All had major
problems,and have keep the A/C grounded in one way or another during
there lifespan ..only reason i say this is because i have alot of time with the D,and E modle.
F-22 will never be built in #'s .So that leaves the future to the USAF's
variant of the JSF .

unless the systems you mentioned work like the military hopes it will and 95% of the nuclear missles are destroyed, then conventional war can be used instead.

Well the amound of radioactivity in the air will probably kill us all eventually so no worries you'll die too. Nuclear war is a really bad thing for everyone, not just most people but absolutly everyone on this planet.
As to the actual topic I wouldn't really say that the U.S. has any current dedicated interceptors, just interceptor versions of jet fighters. Compare to the Mig-31 and you'll see what I mean, it's very well suited to searching and destroying bombers/missiles or any other air target very quickly.

Just thought I would point out a couple of things:

The F-111b was never produced, but was to serve as a fleet defense interceptor for the Navy.

The aircraft did have its problems but filling the role of a fighter bomber was not one of them. Combat in South East Asia (60's/70's), Libya (86), and Iraq (91) while managing one of the highest operational safety records for AF aircraft should speak for itself.

Thank for the feedback. This will help with my search

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

The currently dedicated interceptor for the USAF, is either the F-15E Strike Eagle, or maybe the F-16 Fighting Falcon.