The F-89 Scorpion Was the First Warplane Armed With a Nuclear Air-to-Air Rocket

The F-89 Scorpion Was the First Warplane Armed With a Nuclear Air-to-Air Rocket

Summary and Key Points: Northrop’s F-89 Scorpion holds two firsts: it was the first purpose-built jet interceptor in U.S. service and the first warplane to carry a nuclear air-to-air weapon, the Genie rocket. But it earned a rocky reputation. In 1952, an F-89 broke apart over a Detroit airshow crowd of 51,000, killing both crewmen. In 1956’s “Battle of Palmdale,” two Scorpions fired 208 rockets at a drone over Los Angeles and missed every time. …