The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first American Jet Fighter. When Germany’s Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter appeared over European war zones in 1943, it was clear that jet power would soon be critical in the battle for aerial dominance. Inspired to action, Clarence “Kelly” Johnson of Lockheed’s Skunk Works developed the P-80 Shooting Star in just 143 days.
The P-80 first flew on January 18, 1944, but the slow supply of the Goblin engines from the British meant the war was over before the P-80 saw combat. Although it was the primary jet fighter at the beginning of the Korean War, its straight wing design eventually took a back seat to the newer, swept wing F-86 Sabre Jet.
