Lockheed P-80 / F-80 Shooting Star

The P-80 (redesignated F-80 in 1948) was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. As the primary interceptor of the late 1940s and early 1950s, it was the standard aircraft scrambled to investigate unknown radar tracks during the early years of the flying saucer phenomenon. The aircraft was famously flown by Lt. George Gorman during his 1948 dogfight with a mysterious glowing orb over North Dakota.

F-80s were the primary aircraft scrambled to intercept early UFOs, featuring prominently in Project Sign and Project Grudge files.