Vought F-8 Crusader

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_F-8_Crusader

The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic,
carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States
Navy and Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass, and for the French
Navy. The first F-8 prototype was ready for flight in February 1955. The F-8
served principally in the Vietnam War. The Crusader was the last American
fighter with guns as the primary weapon, earning it the title "The Last of the
Gunfighters".

The RF-8 Crusader was a photo-reconnaissance development and operated longer in
U.S. service than any of the fighter versions. RF-8s played a crucial role in
the Cuban Missile Crisis, providing essential low-level photographs impossible
to acquire by other means. U.S. Naval Reserve units continued to operate the
RF-8 until 1987.

The Crusader was powered by a Pratt and Whitney J57 turbojet engine. The engine
was equipped with an afterburner that, unlike on later engines, was either fully
lit, or off (i.e. it did not have "zones"). The engine produced 18,000 lb of
thrust at full power, enough to allow the F-8 to climb straight up in clean
configuration. The Crusader was the first jet fighter in US service to reach
1,000 mph; U.S. Navy pilot R.W. Windsor reached 1,015 mph on a flight in 1956.

The most innovative aspect of the design was the variable-incidence wing which
pivoted by 7° out of the fuselage on takeoff and landing (not to be confused
with variable-sweep wing). This allowed a greater angle of attack, increasing
lift without compromising forward visibility. This innovation helped the F-8's
development team win the Collier Trophy in 1956. Simultaneously, the lift was
augmented by leading-edge slats drooping by 25° and inboard flaps extending to
30°. The rest of the aircraft took advantage of contemporary aerodynamic
innovations with area-ruled fuselage, all-moving stabilators, dog-tooth notching
at the wing folds for improved yaw stability, and liberal use of titanium in the
airframe. The armament, as specified by the Navy, consisted primarily of four 20
mm (.79 in) autocannon; the Crusader happened to be the last U.S. fighter
designed with guns as its primary weapon. They were supplemented with a
retractable tray with 32 unguided Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (Mighty
Mouse FFARs), and cheek pylons for two guided AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air
missiles. Vought also presented a tactical reconnaissance version of the
aircraft called the V-392.


Role
Fighter aircraft

National origin
United States

Manufacturer
Vought

First flight
25 March 1955

Introduction
March 1957

Retired
1976 (fighter, U.S. Navy)
29 March 1987 (photo reconnaissance, U.S. Naval Reserve)
1991 (Philippines)
19 December 1999 (fighter, France)

Status
Retired completely in 2000

Primary users
United States Navy
United States Marine Corps
French Navy
Philippine Air Force

Number built
1,219

Developed into
Vought XF8U-3 Crusader III
LTV A-7 Corsair II

The Crusader was not an easy aircraft to fly, and was often unforgiving in
carrier landings, where it suffered from poor recovery from high sink rates, and
the poorly designed, castoring nose undercarriage made it hard to steer on the
deck. Safe landings required the carriers to steam at full speed to lower the
relative landing speed for Crusader pilots. The stacks of the oil-burning
carriers on which the Crusader served belched thick black smoke, sometimes
obscuring the flight deck, forcing the Crusader's pilot to rely on the landing
signal officer's radioed instructions. It earned a reputation as an "ensign
eliminator" during its early service introduction. The nozzle and air intake
were so low when the aircraft was on the ground or the flight deck that the
crews called the aircraft "the Gator". Not surprisingly, the Crusader's mishap
rate was relatively high compared to its contemporaries, the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
and the F-4 Phantom II. However, the aircraft did possess some amazing
capabilities, as proved when several Crusader pilots took off with the wings
folded. One of these episodes took place on 23 August 1960; a Crusader with the
wings folded took off from Napoli Capodichino in full afterburner, climbed to
5,000 ft (1,500 m) and then returned to land successfully. The pilot,
absentminded but evidently a good "stick man," complained that the control
forces were higher than normal. The Crusader was capable of flying in this
state, though the pilot would be required to reduce aircraft weight by ejecting
stores and fuel before landing. In all, 1,261 Crusaders were built. By the time
it was withdrawn from the fleet, 1,106 had been involved in mishaps. Only a
handful of them were lost to enemy fire in Vietnam.

Despite the "last gunfighter" moniker, the F-8s achieved only four victories
with their cannon; the remainder were accomplished with AIM-9 Sidewinder
missiles, partly due to the propensity of the 20 mm (.79 in) Colt Mk 12 cannons'
feeding mechanism to jam under G-loading during high-speed dogfighting
maneuvers. Between June and July 1966, during 12 engagements over North Vietnam,
Crusaders claimed four MiG-17s for two losses. The Crusader would claim the best
kill ratio of any American type in the Vietnam War, 19:3. Of the 19 aircraft
claimed during aerial combat, 16 were MiG-17s and three were MiG-21s. U.S.
records only indicate 3 F-8s lost in aerial combat, all to MiG-17 cannon fire in
1966, but the VPAF claimed 11 F-8s were shot down by MiGs. A total of 170 F-8
Crusaders would be lost to all causes – mostly ground fire and accidents -during
the war.

Specifications (F-8E)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Payload: 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) of weapons
Length: 54 ft 3 in (16.53 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
Height: 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m)
Wing area: 375 ft² (34.8 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 65A006 mod root, NACA 65A005 mod tip
Aspect ratio: 3.4
Empty weight: 17,541 lb (7,956 kg)
Loaded weight: 29,000 lb (13,000 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 34,000 lb (15,000 kg)
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0133
Drag area: 5.0 ft² (0.46 m²)
Fuel capacity: 1,325 US gal (5,020 L)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney J57-P-20A afterburning turbojet Dry thrust:
10,700 lbf (47.6 kN)
Thrust with afterburner: 18,000 lbf (80.1 kN)


Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 1.86 (1,225 mph, 1,975 km/h) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
Cruise speed: 495 kn (570 mph, 917 km/h)
Combat radius: 450 mi (730 km)
Ferry range: 1,735 mi (2792 km) () with external fuel
Service ceiling: 58,000 ft (17,700 m)
Rate of climb: 19,000 ft min
(96.52 m/s)
Wing loading: 77.3 lb/ft² (377.6 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.62
Lift-to-drag ratio: 12.8

Armament

Guns: 4× 20 mm (0.79 in) Colt Mk 12 cannons in lower fuselage, 125 rpg
Hardpoints: 2× side fuselage mounted Y-pylons (for mounting AIM-9 Sidewinders
and Zuni rockets) and 2× underwing pylon stations with a capacity of 4,000 lb
(2,000 kg) and provisions to carry combinations of: Rockets: 2× LAU-10 rocket
pods (each with 4× 5 inch (127mm) Zuni rockets)
Missiles:
4× AIM-9 Sidewinder or Matra Magic (French Navy only) air-to-air missiles
2× AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-surface missiles

Bombs:
12× 250 lb (113 kg) Mark 81 bombs or
8× 500 lb (227 kg) Mark 82 bombs or
4× 1,000 lb (454 kg) Mark 83 bombs or
2× 2,000 lb (907 kg) Mark 84 bombs





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