On 29 June 1953, the company received an order to build two prototype aircraft, designated as XF8U-1, and by February 1955, the first of these was ready to transport aboard an Air Force C-124 Globemaster to the U.S.A.F. Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

XF8U-1 (XF-8A) (V-383) – the two original unarmed prototypes. F8U-1 (F-8A) – first production version, J57-P-12 engine replaced with more powerful J57-P-4A starting with 31st production aircraft, 318 built.

Vought’s innovative swept-wing design, powered by the excellent new Pratt & Whitney J57 engine, was selected in May 1953. After a challenging development, the first Crusader was completed at the Vought factory near Dallas and underwent initial ground tests in …

Mar 25, 2025 · The Chance Vought F8U-1 was nearly identical to the prototype XF8U-1. It was a single-place, single-engine swept-wing fighter designed to operate from the United States Navy’s aircraft carriers.

xf8u-1spec - vought.org ... xf8u-1spec

The XF8U-1 was powered by a Pratt & Whitney J57-P11 powerplant, capable of delivering 9,700 pounds of static thrust at sea level, and 14,800 pounds in afterburner.

Jul 2, 2015 · Even though it spent five years as a Vought test aircraft, the very first Crusader XF8U-1 prototype survived well enough that a 20-year restoration process at the Museum of Flight, near Seattle, resulted in a historic static-display artifact.

Produced by Chance Vought Aircraft (later LTV), the XF8U-1 first flew on 25 March 1955, exceeding Mach 1 on its first flight. A production F8U-1 later set an international speed record of 1,015.428 mph.

Mar 25, 2025 · The Chance Vought F8U-1 was nearly identical to the prototype XF8U-1. It was a single-place, single-engine swept-wing fighter designed to operate from the United States Navy’s aircraft carriers.

Mar 24, 2015 · The XF8U-1 aircraft was airborne for 52 minutes and exceeded 1,000 mph on the first flight. Naval Aviation now had a 1,000 mph carrier based day fighter second to none in performance.