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The Century Series is a popular name for a group of US combat aircraft. The name stems from a series of early US supersonic jet fighters built for the United States Air Force during the 1950's and early 1960's. The designations systems was of the then-new USAF, but the number series stretched back to the 1920s as it was used for the former P- series (pursuit aircraft). In 1962 the fighter number sequence was reset under the 1962 United States tri-Service aircraft designation system. The term "Century Series" was popular due to the combination of the type, role, and era of aircraft was matched by similar designations in the series. Numbers both before and after were still used, and the sequence would continue sequentially up to the F-111, after which aircraft started using the reset-sequence again with the exception of the F-117 Nighthawk. The unifying characteristic of Century aircraft was advanced performance and avionics when they were introduced. The F-100 was the first aircraft in USAF capable of exceeding the speed of sound in level flight. The F-101 was the first aircraft in USAF capable of exceeding 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h). The F-102 was the first aircraft in the world to utilize area rule in its design. Three of the Century Series aircraft — F-101, F-102, and F-106 — were armed with nuclear air-to-air missiles. F-102 and F-106 were the only aircraft in USAF arsenal at the time in which a nuclear weapon was under control of a single person (during a mission). (Wikipedia)