The North American F-107 was North American Aviation's (NAA) entry in a United States Air Force tactical fighter-bomber design competition of the 1950s. The F-107 incorporated many innovations and radical design features, and was based on the F-100 Super Sabre. The competition was eventually won by the F-105 Thunderchief, and the F-107 prototypes ended their lives as test aircraft.
The aircraft's most distinguishing feature is its dorsal-mounted Variable Area Inlet Duct (VAID). While the VAID was a system unique to the F-107A, it was an early form of a variable geometry intake ramp which automatically controlled the amount of air fed to the jet engine. Although the preliminary design of the air intake was originally located in a chin position under the fuselage (an arrangement later adopted for the F-16), the air intake was eventually mounted in an unconventional position directly above and just behind the cockpit. The VAID system proved to be very efficient and NAA used the design concept on their A-5, XB-70 aircraft and XF-108 Rapier designs. at The WPAFB in Dayton Ohio. Part of the USAF Museum.