On April 16, 1949, the YF-94 prototype model took to the air for the first time. The F-94 Starfire was produced in several versions. In May 1950, the initial production version designated as F-94A entered into service. It was followed by the F-94B in January 1951.

The F-94C was a greatly improved version of the original Starfire. It can accommodate two crew members and has an external length of 13.56 meters, an external height of 3.1 meters, and a fuselage diameter of 1.4 meters. It has a tail height of 4.55 meters and a wheelbase of 5.3 meters. To enhance its performance, the version is fitted with a slimmer wing with a wingspan of 12.93 meters and a wing area of 21.63 square meters. The aircraft has an empty weight of 5,764 kg, a gross weight of 8,300 kg, and a maximum takeoff weight of 10,970 kg. The maximum payload is 800 kg and the fuel tank capacity is 1,526 US gal.

The F-94C is powered by a single more powerful Pratt and Whitney J48-P-5 engine, a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Tay. It is a turbojet engine with water injection, a single-stage double-sided centrifugal compressor, nine interconnected can combustion chambers, a single-stage axial turbine, and a pressure spray oil system.

It produces a dry thrust of 6,350 lbf and an afterburning thrust of 8,750 lbf. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 560 knots. The standard range is 700 nautical miles while the ferry range is 1,108 nautical miles. It can fly up to 51,400 feet and has a rate of climb of 7,980 feet per minute. The F-94C could be armed with twenty-four or forty-eight 70 mm Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets (FFAR) and was fitted with AN/APG-40 radar antenna.