S1989 E1 • Great Planes: F-100 Super Sabre

Though somewhat difficult to handle, the Super Sabre afforded so much lifting power that it could carry the same payload as a WWII bomber, a load that it could deliver with incredible speed and precision. Adapted as a fighter bomber, the F-100 would be supplanted by the Mach 2 class F-105 Thunderchief for strike missions over North Vietnam. The F-100 flew extensively over South Vietnam as the Air Force's primary close air support jet until replaced by the more efficient subsonic A-7 Corsair 2. The F-100 also served in several NATO air forces and with other US allies. In its later life, it was often referred to as "the Hun," a shortened version of "one hundred."

S1989 E2 • Top Wings: SR-71 Blackbird - The Secret Vigil

See how the SR-71 super plane was designed and built.