What was the Douglas F6D Missileer?

Short answer

A carrier-based fleet air defense fighter project that Douglas Aircraft Company designed in response to a 1959 US Navy requirement, armed with six AAM-N-10 Eagle air-to-air missiles. Subsonic, it would have been able to stay on station for six hours at 150 nmi (280 km) from its carrier.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

AAM N-10 Eagle drawing NAN12 60

A carrier-based fleet air defense fighter

The Douglas F6D Missileer was a carrier-based fleet air defense fighter project designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company in response to a 1959 United States Navy requirement. Its intended armament was six AAM-N-10 Eagle air-to-air missiles.

Subsonic, but with long endurance

The aircraft would have had subsonic performance, with a top speed of 546 mph (879 km/h, 474 kn). In exchange, it would have been able to remain on station for six hours at 150 nmi (280 km) from its carrier.

Legacy in the F-111B and F-14

Despite the program's cancellation, some of its systems—especially the engines, radar, and missiles—continued in development and went on to appear years later in the unsuccessful General Dynamics-Grumman F-111B and in the successful Grumman F-14 Tomcat.