The F-100 Super Sabre was a sleek, swept-back-wing fighter that gave the United States a supersonic Air Force. Since May 1953, when the first prototype model, the YF-100, bettered the speed of sound on its first flight, the versatile fighter set numerous records for speed, endurance, range and maintenance. Late production models of the F-100D and F-100F had the capability of being launched from remote areas in the manner of manned missiles. Of the 2,290 Super Sabres produced, 1,274 F-100Ds included the first autopilot designed for a supersonic jet. Powered by a 16,950-pound-thrust afterburning jet engine, the F-100 was armed with four 20-millimeter cannons, two GAM 83A Bulldog missiles, four Sidewinder missiles, rockets, special stores, and/or 7,040 pounds of bombs.To demonstrate the ability of its pilot and aircraft, the Air Force chose F-100 Super Sabres to perform throughout the world in aerial precision demonstration flights. The famed Thunderbirds, a four-man aircraft team, were viewed by over 19 million people as the storied pilots performed intricate precision maneuvers at low altitude.