Teen Series
Encyclopedia
The Teen Series is a popular name for a group of US combat aircraft. The name stems from a series of US
supersonic
jet
fighters
built for the United States Air Force
and the United States Navy
during the late 20th century. The designations system was the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system
, which reset the F-# sequence. The term typically includes the F-14 Tomcat
, F-15 Eagle
, F-16 Fighting Falcon
, and F/A-18 Hornet
.
Unsuccessful experimental and prototype fighters assigned numbers in the teen range (13-19) are generally not considered part of the series. Thus it does not include the YF-17, which later evolved into the F/A-18A. The designations F-13 and F-19 were not assigned.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
jet
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
fighters
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
built for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the late 20th century. The designations system was the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system
1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system
The 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system is a unified designation system introduced by the United States Department of Defense on 18 September 1962 for all the U.S. military aircraft. Prior to this date, each armed service used their own nomenclature system...
, which reset the F-# sequence. The term typically includes the F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
, F-15 Eagle
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
, F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
, and F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
.
Unsuccessful experimental and prototype fighters assigned numbers in the teen range (13-19) are generally not considered part of the series. Thus it does not include the YF-17, which later evolved into the F/A-18A. The designations F-13 and F-19 were not assigned.
See also
- List of military aircraft of the United States
- F-19F-19F-19 is a designation for a hypothetical United States fighter aircraft that has never been officially acknowledged, and has engendered much speculation that it might refer to a type of aircraft whose existence is still classified.-History:...
(hypothetical US fighter aircraft) - Century SeriesCentury seriesThe Century Series is a popular name for a group of US fighter aircraft representing models designated between F-100 and F-106 which went into full production...
(US fighters of the 1950s and early 1960s)
Footnotes
Bibliography- Spick, Mike, ed. The Great Book of Modern Warplanes. St. Paul Minnesota: MBI, 2000. ISBN 0-7603-0893-4.