Supersonic fighter development in the US and Soviet Union

During the early 1950s, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a rapid technological race to develop supersonic fighter aircraft capable of exceeding Mach 1 in level flight.

In the United States, Lockheed designer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson initiated the CL-246 project to meet pilot demands for high speed, climb rates, and maneuverability. This led to the development of the F-104 Starfighter, an aircraft characterized by a long fuselage and extremely thin wings designed to minimize drag for high-speed interception, though these features offered limited lift during low-speed flight.

Simultaneously, Soviet design bureaus such as Mikoyan-Gurevich, Sukhoi, and Yakovlev developed their own responses. The MiG-19 became the first Soviet production fighter capable of breaking the sound barrier in level flight, entering service in March 1955. This era saw a proliferation of supersonic models across both superpowers, including the MiG-21, Su-7, and various American Century Series fighters.