Here are some images of Trumpeter's 1/32 scale Chance Vought F-8 E Crusader.
Frome Wikipedia"
The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and the Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass.
After the Navy's disappointing experience with the Cutlass, the
Crusader was referred to by some as "Vought's Last Chance" after company
founder Chance M. Vought. The first F-8 prototype was ready for flight in February 1955, and was the last American fighter with guns as the primary weapon, principally serving in the Vietnam War. 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.
In September 1952, the United States Navy announced a requirement for a new fighter. It was to have a top speed of Mach 1.2
at 30,000 ft (9,144.0 m) with a climb rate of 25,000 ft/min
(127.0 m/s), and a landing speed of no more than 100 mph (160 km/h). Korean War
experience had demonstrated that 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns were
no longer sufficient and as the result the new fighter was to carry a
20 mm (0.79 in) cannon. In response, the Vought team led by John Russell
Clark, created the V-383. Unusual for a fighter, the aircraft
had a high-mounted wing which necessitated the use of a fuselage-mounted
short and light landing gear.
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 afforded increased lift due to a greater angle of attack without compromising forward visibility because the fuselage stayed level.
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. Power came from the Pratt & Whitney J57
afterburning turbojet. 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-382.
Major competition came from the Grumman F-11 Tiger, the upgraded twin-engine McDonnell F3H Demon (which would eventually become the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II), and lastly, the North American F-100 Super Sabre hastily adapted to carrier use and dubbed the "Super Fury".
In May 1953, the Vought design was declared a winner and in June, Vought received an order for three XF8U-1
prototypes (after adoption of the unified designation system in
September 1962, the F8U became the F-8). The first prototype flew on 25
March 1955 with John Konrad at the controls. The aircraft exceeded the
speed of sound during its maiden flight.
The development was so trouble-free that the second prototype, along
with the first production F8U-1, flew on the same day, 30 September
1955. On 4 April 1956, the F8U-1 performed its first catapult launch
from Forrestal.
The Crusader was not an easy aircraft to fly, and was often unforgiving
in carrier landings where it suffered from yaw instability, and the
poorly-designed, castoring nose undercarriage made steering on the deck
problematic. It earned a reputation as an "ensign killer" 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, absent minded 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 prior to
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.
LTV built and delivered the 1,219th (and last) U.S. Navy Crusader to VF-124 at NAS Miramar on 3 September 1964.
The last active duty Navy Crusader fighter variants were retired from VF-191 and VF-194 aboard Oriskany in 1976 after almost two decades of service, setting a first for a Navy fighter.
The photo reconnaissance variant continued to serve for yet another 11 years with VFP-63,
flying RF-8Gs up to 1982, and with the Naval Reserve flying their RF-8s
in two squadrons (VFP-206 and VFP-306) until the disestablishment of
VFP-306 in 1984 and VFP-206 on 29 March 1987 when the last operational
Crusader was turned over to the National Air and Space Museum.
The F-8 Crusader is the only aircraft to have used the AIM-9C which
is a radar-guided variant of the Sidewinder. When the Crusader retired,
these missiles were converted to the AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radiation missiles used by United States attack helicopters to knock out enemy radars.
Why does it have GBU-8s?
ReplyDeleteBecause HOBOS were used in Vietnam and Crusaders used them.
ReplyDeleteAnd besides they came with the kit.
ReplyDelete