F-94 Starfire units of the United States Air Force

The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was the first United States Air Force jet-powered day/night all-weather interceptor. It was also the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an Afterburner. Introduced in February 1950, its primary user was the Air Defense Command. It also saw service in the Korean War, replacing the F-82G Twin Mustang used by Far East Air Force in 1952. The aircraft had a relatively short operational life, being retired by the active-duty Air Force in November 1957 and the Air National Guard by June 1959.

Models
The F-94 Starfire had three models in active and Air National Guard service:
 * The F-94A, introduced in May 1950 with the 317th Fighter-All Weather Squadron, was the initial production version. 109 were manufactured, however it was plagued with engine and electronics problems that were never fully solved.
 * The F-94B, introduced in April 1951 with the 61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, was the first United States jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War in January 1953. It served with distinction until being replaced by the Northrop F-89 Scorpion.  355 built.
 * The F-94C was almost a completely new aircraft, being derived from the Lockheed YF-97.   Renamed F-94C for political reasons, it was introduced in June 1953 with the 437th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.  It had a longer nose, its gun armament being replaced with nose mounted rockets and had a provision for mounting underfuselage JATO rockets.  It was also the first production all-weather fighter capable of breaking the sound barrier, although it was only capable of achieving Mach 1 in a dive with full afterburner.  387 built.

Korean War service
The F-94B was the first United States jet-powered day/night all-weather interceptor to participate in combat. Starfires were sent to Far East Air Force (FEAF) beginning in March 1951, equipping the 68th Fighter-All Weather Squadron (FAWS) at Ashiya Air Base, Japan. It replaced the propeller-driven F-82F Twin Mustangs, primarily for air defense against Soviet bombers with the F-82s flying long-range reconnaissance and occasionally night interdiction missions over Korea. The F-94s also equipped the 4th and 339th FAWS during 1951. The Starfighters were there solely for air defense of Japanese airspace, and were not allowed to be used in combat over Korea, less their classified systems fall into communist hands.

In March 1952, the ADC 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron deployed from Moses Lake AFB, Washington to Suwon AB (K-13) South Korea. The 319th FIS was sent for the air defense of the Seoul area only. However, with the F-82s being phased out of service and the Communists successfully developing night interceptor tactics against B-29 Superfortress raids, the F-94s in both Japan and South Korea began flying night combat missions into North Korea. The Starfires flew interceptor screens between the Yalu and Chongchon Rivers, helping to protect the B-29 from enemy interceptors. One aircraft, (51-5503) from the 319th FIS was lost in combat near Cho Do Island on west coast of North Korea on 13 June 1953