Sabre with an edge |
North American FJ4-B Fury VA-146
The North American FJ Fury was the first operational jet aircraft in United States Navy service. Ordered in late 1944 as the XFJ-1 in competition with proposals from Douglas and Vought, the Fury began as a straight-wing, tricycle gear fighter with a single turbojet passing through the fuselage. The wing, empennage and canopy strongly resembled that of the piston-engined P-51 Mustang, North American Aviation's highly successful World War II fighter. The design was also the basis for the design of the XP-86 prototype of the United States Air Force's F-86 Sabre. The final versions of the Fury were the FJ-4 and FJ-4B, which featured several improvements on previous versions. Internal fuel capacity was increased, necessitating a distinctive, taller 'razorback' rear deck. The tail was modified, as were the wings, to provide more positive control and stability during carrier landings, and the landing gear was widened. Delivery of FJ-4s began in February 1955, and except for one squadron which trained Navy FJ-4B pilots, FJ-4s were used exclusively by the Marine Corps. The FJ-4B was a fighter-bomber version, capable of carrying double the underwing stores, including nuclear weapons on a single station. 152 FJ-4s and 222 FJ-4Bs were produced. With the new designation system adopted in 1962, the FJ-4 became the F-1E and the FJ-4B the AF-1E. AF-1Es served with United States Naval Reserve units until the late 1960s. The FJ Fury was the first aircraft of the VF-84 incarnation of the legendary Jolly Rogers Squadron. A total of 1,115 Furies were received by the Navy and Marine Corps over the course of its production life. Crew: 1 Length: 36 ft 4 in (11.1 m) Wingspan: 39 ft 1 in (11.9 m) Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.2 m) Wing area: 338.66 ft² (31.46 m²) Empty weight: 13,210 lb (5,992 kg) Loaded weight: 20,130 lb (9,130 kg) Max takeoff weight: 23,700 lb (10,750 kg)Powerplant: 1× Wright J65-W-16A turbojet, 7,700 lbf (34 kN) Performance Maximum speed: 680 mph (1,090 km/h) at 35,000 ft (10,670 m) Range: 2,020 mi (3,250 km) with 2× 200-gallon (760 L) drop tanks and 2× AIM-9 missiles Service ceiling: 46,800 ft (14,300 m) Rate of climb: 7,660 ft/min (38.9 m/s) Wing loading: 69.9 lb/ft² (341.7 kg/m²) Thrust/weight: .325 Armament Guns: 4× 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon Missiles: 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles Bombs: 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) of underwing ordnance, including missiles USN 81 René Hieronymus Scale 1:72 Building time approx: 35 hrs. |