Gutless on the first attempt |
Vought F7U-1 Cutlass In June 1945, U.S. Navy launched a competition for a fighter able to fly at a speed of 600mph. Vought submitted the Model V-346 design which was based upon German Arado’s tailless fighter documents. Vought’s engineers believed that deleting the tailplane would solve some aerodynamic problems to increase maximum speed. In June 1946, the U.S. Navy chose Vought’s design as the winner and ordered three prototypes, designated XF7U-1 Cutlass. The first prototype made its first flight in September 1948. Performance was excellent but embarrassed with engine problems as early jet-engines were not reliable at that time. With the outbreak of the Korean War, the U.S. Navy urgently needed this super fighter to enter the service even after all the three prototypes crashed during accidents. Totally 14 production aircrafts were built but continuing fatal accidents kept them from further use in the U.S.Navy. In 1951, in hope to improve the F7U-1, Vought redesigned the aircraft to become the F7U-3. The remaining F7U-1s were grounded and assigned to training command in 1952. The Blue Angels Navy aerobatics team flew two F7U Cutlasses as a side act during their 1952 show season in an effort to promote the new aircraft, but did not use them as part of their regular formation act. Both the pilots and ground crews found the aircraft generally unsatisfactory. General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 39 ft 7 in Wingspan: 38 ft 8 in (11.79 m) Height: 11 ft 10 in Wing area: 496 ft² (46.1 m²) Empty weight: 18,210 lb (8,260 kg) Max takeoff weight: 31,642 lb (14,353 kg) Powerplant: 2× Westinghouse J34-WE-34 turbojets, 4,600 lbf (20.46 kN) each Maximum speed: Clean: 602 mph (540 knots, 995 km/h) Range: 660 mi (570 nm, 1,060 km) Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,000 m) Rate of climb: 13,000 ft/min (67 m/s) Wing loading: 64 lb/ft² (312 kg/m²) Thrust/weight: 0.29 Armament Guns: 4× 20 mm (0.787 in) M3 cannons above inlet ducts, 180 rounds/gun Hardpoints: 4 with a capacity of 5,500 lb (2,500 kg) USN 08 René Hieronymus Scale 1:72 Building time 21 hrs. |