FJ Fury
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Image:FJ Fury.jpg 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 design was also the basis for the design of the XP-86 prototype of the USAF F-86 Sabre.
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Development
Straight wings were seen at the time as the only way to ensure the low speed and stability needed for carrier landings. The first flight of the XFJ-1 took place on September 11, 1946, with the first of thirty deliveries beginning in October of 1947. The Fury’s first landing aboard an aircraft carrier was made March 10, 1948 aboard USS Boxer. Flown operationally by Navy squadron VF-5, the FJ-1 pioneered jet-powered carrier operations and underscored the need for catapult-equipped carriers. The FJ was capable of launching without catapult assistance, but on a crowded flight deck the capability was of small practicality.
Service
In 1951 the Navy’s existing straight-wing fighters were much inferior in performance to the swept-wing Soviet MiG-15 then operating in Korea, and its swept-wing fighters in the development pipeline, including the F7U Cutlass and F9F Cougar, were not yet ready for deployment. The Navy purchased three F-86E Sabres with Navy-specific equipment and strengthened airframes, re-designated them XFJ-2, and began flight testing in December 1951. Production was slowed because of demand for the F-86 in Korea, and that conflict ended before the FJ-2 began to be produced in numbers. By then, because of a weak nose gear and arrestor hook on the FJ-2, the Navy preferred the Grumman Cougar with its superior slow-speed performance for carrier operations, and the 200 FJ-2 models built were delivered to shore-based Marine Corps, as had been the case of the F4U Corsair during World War II.
Image:Fj-fury.jpg The development of the FJ-3, which was to be powered by a license-built version of the new Rolls-Royce Sapphire turbojet, resulted in its first flight in July 1953. Deliveries began in September 1954, and the FJ-3 joined the fleet in May 1955. An FJ-3 was the first fighter to land aboard the new supercarrier USS Forrestal in 1956. 538 FJ-3s were built, including 194 FJ-3M's with Sidewinder AAM capability. Some FJ-3s were later modified to control Regulus and F9F-6K Cougar target drones. In 1955 the Navy added the 6-3 wing which had been successful on the F-86F, providing space for additional fuel, and in 1956 retro-fitted all its FJ-3s with probe-and-drogue air refueling equipment.
The final versions of the FJ were the FJ-4 and FJ-4B, which were more capable than the 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.
Redesignation
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 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 accepted by the Navy and Marine Corps.
General characteristics (FJ-4)
Template:Airtemp</ref> |crew=1 |span main=39 ft 1 in |span alt=11.9 m |length main=36 ft 4 in |length alt=11.1 m |height main=13 ft 11 in |height alt=4.2 m |area main=338.66 ft² |area alt=31.46 m² |empty weight main=13,210 lb |empty weight alt=5,992 kg |loaded weight main=20,130 lb |loaded weight alt=9,130 kg |max takeoff weight main=23,700 lb |max takeoff weight alt=10,750 kg |engine (jet)=Wright J65-W-16A |type of jet=turbojet |number of jets=1 |thrust main=7,700 lbf |thrust alt=34 kN |max speed main=680 mph |max speed alt=1,090 km/h |max speed more=at 35,000 ft (10,670 m) |ceiling main=46,800 ft |ceiling alt=14,300 m |range main=2,020 mi |range alt=3,250 km |range more=with 2× 200-gallon (760 L) drop tanks and 2× AIM-9 |climb rate main=7,660 ft/min |climb rate alt=38.9 m/s |loading main=69.9 lb/ft² |loading alt= 341.7 kg/m² |thrust/weight=.325 |armament=
- 4× 20 mm cannons
- 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) of underwing ordnance, including 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles
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References
<references/>
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft
- FJ Fury DVD