Republic XF-103

E721909

The Republic XF-103 was an experimental American Cold War–era interceptor aircraft project intended to achieve very high supersonic speeds using advanced materials and propulsion, but it was cancelled before a prototype was completed.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Republic XF-103 canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf experimental interceptor aircraft
prototype military aircraft project
aircraftCategory jet-powered fighter (planned)
airForceUser United States Air Force (intended)
airframeDesign optimized for sustained high supersonic cruise
airIntakeType nose intake (planned)
armament air-to-air missiles (planned)
configuration single-seat fighter
countryOfOrigin United States
crew 1 (planned)
designedFor high-altitude interception
designedToCounter high-speed bomber threats
designFeature fuselage optimized for supersonic flight
internal weapons bay (planned)
very thin, highly swept wings
designGoal Mach 3-class performance (planned)
designOrganization Republic Aviation design team
developmentPeriod 1950s
era Cold War
firstFlight never flown
historicalSignificance example of unrealized high-speed interceptor concepts of the 1950s
intendedMission air defense interception
intendedServiceBranch USAF Air Defense Command (planned)
linked to: Air Defense Command
intendedSpeedRegime very high supersonic speeds
landingGear retractable tricycle landing gear (planned)
manufacturer Republic Aviation
notableAspect advanced materials for thermal protection
ambitious mixed-propulsion concept
programOutcome cancelled before prototype completion
programResult remained on paper and mock-up stage
projectType research and development interceptor program
propulsionConcept turbojet plus ramjet (planned)
propulsionType mixed-power propulsion (planned)
prototypeCompleted no
reasonForCancellation changing defense priorities
high projected cost
technical complexity (planned systems)
role interceptor aircraft
status cancelled project
tailConfiguration conventional tail (planned)
usedMaterials advanced high-temperature materials
titanium (planned)
weaponsSystemType guided missile interceptor (planned)

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Alexander Kartveli designed Republic XF-103