The XF-108 Rapier is considered one of the most future-forward fighters proposed for the US Air force but only made it on paper. Had it been built, it would have been one of the fastest planes at Mach 3.
Maybe the problem was it had innovations that no other plane would have had in the 1950s when it was supposed to block and destroy Soviet bombers.
It would have been a fighter to reckon with if it did make production, though changes caused it to be canceled even before it flew.
The Mac3 XF-108 Rapier aircraft
The XF-108 Rapier was supposed to be a fighter that would give the Americans a way to take out Soviet bombers during the Cold War, but a shift way nukes would be delivered, which became its death knell.
In the '50s, the USSR had developed ICBMs to attack targets and the Vietnam War that it was not suited for.
But, it was so intense in the elements added to its system that it included a rotary launcher to pack more missiles in its internal weapons bay, reported 19Forty Five.
The Rapier would have excelled in various missions. The XF-108 had more pluses than negatives that would have made it an excellent choice if the environment favored it. Made to reach Mach 3 and made to be a pure high-speed interceptor, but the circumstances never saw it become a working prototype.
The XF-108 Rapier is equipped with General Electric J93 turbojets with afterburners to speed up to 2,000 miles per hour or more. It is supposed to deploy speedily to get on far-flung intercept courses at speed.
One of its missions is to escort the B-70 Valkyrie supersonic bomber, cited by the Drive. Detecting targets would be done by a pulse-Doppler advanced radar system plus infrared search, also trafficking to look for targets. Next, the launcher will fire three GAR-9 Falcon missiles that will travel at Mach 6 and out to 115 miles as its range.
The XF-108 Rapier program was too expensive
When it cost the USAF about $36bn in today's money, it was called in and discontinued the rising expenses. Many military experts have mistakenly thought the Soviets could reach the US, which dialed down the need to build the Rapier. Russian design was not up to par as the US then, which killed a good plane.
There was no way fighters could stop ICBMs, which made its design useless as missiles menaced the US. There is a need to have something else designed to stop it. The Rapier got officially canceled in 1959. It was not very agile and would have made it a sitting duck to air defenses during the Vietnam war, but its features were used by the A-5 Vigilante that went on to serve with distinction, noted the Military Factory.
The XF-108 Rapier was a product of overestimation and fear of getting run over by Moscow during the Cold War. It would have been an odd man out. Other weapon systems were available that proved effective, and Russian MiGs were deadly enemies for US pilots. Some have even suggested different roles, but it was too much a square page.
Related Article : SR-71 Blackbird Legacy: Can the SR-72 'Darkstar' Find its Niche as the Fastest 6th Generation Plane?
