Description

F80C Shooting Star Lindberg Models 1:48 Scale Kit

The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943
and delivered just 143 days from the start of the design process, production models
were flying but not ready for service by the end of World War II. Designed with
straight wings, the type saw extensive combat in Korea with the United States Air Force
(USAF) as the F-80. America’s first successful turbojet-powered combat aircraft, it helped
usher in the “jet age” in the USAF, but was outclassed with the appearance of the
swept-wing transonic MiG-15 and was quickly replaced in the air superiority role by
the transonic F-86 Sabre. The F-94 Starfire, an all-weather interceptor on the same
airframe, also saw Korean war service. The closely related T-33 Shooting Star trainer
would remain in service with the U.S. Air Force and Navy well into the 1980s, with the
last NT-33 variant not retired until April 1997. Many still serve in a military role in foreign
air arms or are in private hands.

General characteristics: