On January 8, 1944, the XP-80 prototype made its first successful test flight. It was the first mass-produced jet fighter in the United States and the first in the world.
A prototype of the jet fighter XP-80 in flight. Work on the development of the XP-80 was carried out under extremely strict secrecy. It is said that of the 130 people involved in the project, only five knew that they were developing a jet.
In the spring of 1945, the first XP-80 squadron was sent to the Italian battlefield. However, due to the end of the war, American jet fighters made only a few flights and did not encounter an air enemy.
The real baptism of battle of the XP-80 took place in the Korean War. On November 1, 1950, the Korean War saw the first air battle between jet fighters. In this battle, Soviet pilot Semyon Khominen flew a MiG-15 and shot down a US Air Force F-80 fighter, and pilot Frank van Sicker was killed.
The jet fighter P-80 carried a drop fuel tank and a 500-pound bomb under the wing when it was on a bombing mission. In the Korean War, the F-80 did not have a good record. American pilots claimed to have shot down 17 enemy aircraft, including six Ilka Yak-9s and three MiG-15s. However, the United States admitted that the battle damage was as high as 127 aircraft, of which 15 were lost in air battles, and the rest of the losses were caused by anti-aircraft fire.
The most interesting thing about the XP-80 is that its two-seater trainer version, the T-33, was more popular, more widespread and more productive than the prototype after it came out in 1948. Only 80 units of the XP-1732 were produced, and production was discontinued in 1950 due to obsolescence. And the T-33 produced 6557 units, which is almost four times more than the XP-80. The production of the T-33 continued until the early 60s of the 20th century. This is unique in the history of world aviation.
A squad of four jet fighters F-80 is flying in formation. The T-33 served in the US Air Force until 1975, in the US National Guard until 1997, and in the US Air Force aerobatic team "Thunderbirds" until the end of the 20th century. In Canada, the T-33 (CT-33) was produced locally and remained in service until 2005. In Bolivia, the T-33 remained in service until July 2017. The T-33s exported by Canada were delivered to Bolivia in 1957, so they remained in service with Bolivia for a full 60 years. This has not been broken so far in terms of the service life of jet aircraft.
Jet fighter F-80 makes a soft landing on a rice field. The T-33 and CT-33 have been used in more than 40 countries not only as trainer aircraft, but also as fighters, reconnaissance and attack aircraft, and can carry missiles and bombs. In 1961, during the failed operation of the American mercenary invasion of Cuba, Cuban pilots flew the T-33 and shot down four American A-26 "Intruder" bombers, which were providing air support for the naval landing in the Cochins Bay.
Both the XP-80 and the T-33 are of great historical importance. They were the pioneers of the jet fighter era and laid the foundation for the development of later jet fighters.
A jet fighter, the F-80, belonging to the 56th Air Wing of the U.S. Air Force, which was stationed in the U.S. occupation zone in western Germany in 1948. The fuselage is painted with the emblems of the countries visited by the aircraft.
A squadron of jet-fighter-bomber F-80C, attached to the 36th Air Wing of the US Air Force, took part in the final phase of the Korean War in 1953.
A T-33 trainer aircraft belonging to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbird aerobatic team in 2007. 
A T-33 trainer aircraft of the Cuban Air Force
A Bolivian Air Force T-33 trainer with a motif painted on the fuselage to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the aircraft's service. 
A Bolivian Air Force T-33 trainer aircraft was decommissioned in 2017. What do you think of today's hot spots