The F-80 Shooting Star was an American straight-wing jet aircraft. It was the first American-designed jet fighter to enter service, and served for a short time in the Korean war before being replaced by the more capable F-86 Sabre. The aircraft was designed in just 143 days, and as a result, suffered from many critical issues; the aircraft was responsible for the deaths of several test pilots, including Richard Bong, America's highest scoring WWII ace. The aircraft, originally intended to fight the Me-262 over the skies of Europe, arrived too late to see service in the Second World War. However, the plane would go on to serve in the Korean War, where it was the first American jet to see combat.

It was introduced in Update 1.39. The plane was redesignated from the P-80A-5 to the F-80A-5 in Update 1.79 "Project X". The main purpose of the F-80 is to teach a pilot how to fly jets in general. If a pilot is doing well in the F-80, they're ready to move to higher-ranked jets. Never give up your speed: it is the plane's insurance. Only trade it for the altitude in zoom climbs. Be careful that the jet is up-tiered quite a lot. When this happens, strictly adhere to the rules outlined in this article or you will be at a great disadvantage. One thing to take note of is the M2 Brownings. Sadly, they are insufficient for high-speed combat due to the low rate of fire and subsequently limited damage output; be aware, however, that they still pack a punch in partial head-ons with 262s, 229s, and the like. The issue is later on fixed with the M3 Browning on the successor F-80C Shooting Star, but the ammunition load still remains low, like on the P-51D. As for piston planes: they are capable of setting enemy piston planes on fire in a short burst. All of the guns are mounted in the nose, making them deadly accurate when performing head-ons, especially once the "new 12 mm MGs" modification is installed. For ground attack, there is the usual complement of ordnance for the USAF: HVAR rockets and standard 1,000 lb bombs.