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Vought F7U Cutlass

1949 COLD WAR

History of the Walter F7U machete

The Vought F7U "Scimitar" is a US Navy fighter aircraft during the Cold War. It was the US Navy's first swept-wing fighter jet and the US's first "tailless" fighter jet. The type led to a difficult developmental existence and an even more difficult life, so much so that only a few hundred aircraft were procured, with several fatalities during their short service life. Her designs made her as memorable as her resume made herit became the legacy of the Scimitar Fighter program.

The aircraft inevitably earned the nicknames "Mantis," "Ensign Eliminator," and "Dareless Scimitar"that's how it made a lasting impression on pilots.

In December 1945, the US Navy submitted the OS-105 specification, calling for a new carrier-based jet-powered day fighter to join its post-World War II ranks. The requirement specifies a top speed of 600 mph (with afterburners adding about 50 mph), a rate of climb of 6,500 feet per second, a combat radius of 345 miles, and a combat service cap of 40,000 feet. Design proposals came from Curtiss, Douglas, Martin, McDonnell, North American, and Vought, who selected Vought's twin-engine tailless engine (as "Type V-346A") on June 25, 1946.

Vought engineers reportedly used wartime data obtained from the German focus on Arado, the well-known manufacturer of the Ar 234 Blitz jet bomber. Water's proposal subsequently appeared in three prototypes under the designation "XF7U-1", and the entire line was dubbed the "Scimitar" in due course.

As mentioned earlier, the F7U is an all-cannon aircraft with 4 x 20mm M3 cannons mounted directly above the air intakes, each can fire 180 rounds. Only a later model - the F7U-3M - introduced support for 4 x Sparrow jet medium-range air-to-air missiles under the wings.

The aircraft has been cleared of up to 5,500 pounds of external munitions.

The first flight of the production line took place on September 29, 1948, and further testing revealed excellent performance as well as many technical and aerodynamic deficiencies. Separately, the US Navy awarded Vought a production contract for about fourteen aircraft under the guise of the "F7U-1" - largely faithful to the prototype design (powered by 2 Westinghouse J34-WE-32 engines) . These proved to be so problematic in testing - mainly due to the underpowered and underpowered J34 engine - that the models never reached operational status, but were instead relegated to experimental rigs and training. Despite attempts to produce the upgraded "F7U-2" brand, engine problems forced a wider redesign of the F7U-3 variant, which soon became the final machete brand (the F7U-2 brand never went into production ).

Changes to the new design include a number of additional access panels to relieve ground crew of mechanical work, thereby reducing maintenance time and costs. The canopy has been enlarged and the nose has been redesigned several times to improve cockpit visibility. In terms of power, the more powerful Westinghouse J46-WE-8 engine was selected, and the overall structure of the aircraft was strengthened to meet the stringent requirements of aircraft carrier operations.

The nose landing gear has also been strengthened and partially lengthened to deal with greater abuse. The original 16 F7U-3 prototypes were equipped with non-Afterburner Allison J35-29 series engines, despite the switch to new Westinghouse engines.

Only subsequent F7U-3 production models were fitted with Westinghouse turbojets.

Scimitar production spanned from 1948 to 1955, with a total of 320 airframes completed by then. These aircraft were only in service with the U.S. Navy, and for a limited time, and proved very accident prone due to their advanced design.

Its engine doesn't help either, as some have been known to shut down in rainy or wet weather conditions. Pilots noted the aircraft's complex control scheme, especially during takeoff and landing. The F7U Cutlass continues to store 13 USN carrier squadrons on deck, including USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14), USS Intrepid (CVA-11) and USS Lexington (CVA-16).

Official entry into service in July 1951, while the more refined F7U-3 model did not arrive until 1954. It was followed by the F7U-3P special photo reconnaissance version with an extended nose and the missile-equipped F7U-3M. Twelve P-type prototypes were procured, but none reached operational service.

The M model appeared in 98 examples, of which 48 existing F7U-3 models were upgraded to the new standard.

By 1956-1957, most F7U aircraft had been phased out of frontline service with the US Navy as newer and better replacements emerged - the famous Vought F8U "Crusade". So their brief time in the air meant that the F7U series didn't serve in any Cold War era war - perhaps the better option given the myriad of published issues. About 25 percent of the planes produced are said to be lost in accidents - a rather unforgivable rate for a fighter jet. Even its three original prototypes were lost in the accident.

The F7U series was officially discontinued on March 2, 1959. A form of ground attack - this is the "A2U-1" - was proposed from the basic F7U design, but the order for about 250 aircraft was eventually cancelled - which may have been a better option.

A surviving F7U-3M model can be seen at the National Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida.