Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia

The Vought F7U Cutlass is a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer Chance Vought. It was the first tailless production fighter in the United States as well as United States Navy's first jet equipped with swept wings and the first to be designed with afterburners.

The Cutlass was developed during the late 1940s and early 1950s as Vought's entry in a United States Navy competition. Their design team, which was influenced by design information obtained from Nazi Germany, opted for a tailless configuration paired with low aspect ratio swept wings, which was regarded as a radical departure from traditional aircraft design for the era. Vought's submission was favoured by Navy officials and was declared the winner in 1946. On 29 September 1948, the prototype performed its maiden flight; all three prototypes would be lost during the flight test programme. It was initially powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines which were relatively underpowered, contributing to its accident-prone nature; its unreliable hydraulic flight control system was also a source of difficulties.

The Vought F7U Cutlass was a carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber. It featured broad chord, low aspect ratio swept wings, with twin wing-mounted tail fins either side of a short fuselage. As there was no horizontal tail surfaces, there were no flaps. The cockpit, which was pressurized, was situated well forward to provide good visibility for the pilot during aircraft carrier approaches. The pilot was provisioned with an ejector seat. Common nicknames for the F7U amongst naval aviators included the "Gutless Cutlass", the "Ensign Eliminator" and, in kinder moments, the "Praying Mantis".

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Vought F7U Cutlass "Praying Mantis"

General Info

Crew: 1 Length: 41 ft 3.5 in (12.586 m) Wingspan: 39 ft 8 in (12.1 m) * Span wings folded: 22.3 ft (6.80 m) Height: 14 ft 0 in (4.27 m) Wing area: 496 sq ft (46.1 m²)

Powerplant

Empty weight: 18,210 lb (8,260 kg) Gross weight: 26,840 lb (12,174 kg) Max takeoff weight: 31,643 lb (14,353 kg) Powerplant: 2 × Westinghouse J46-WE-8B after-burning turbojet engines, 4,600 lbf (20 kN) thrust each dry, 6,000 lbf (27 kN) with afterburner

Performance

Maximum speed: 606 kn (697 mph, 1,122 km/h) at sea level with Military power + afterburner
Cruise speed: 490 kn (560 mph, 910 km/h) at 38,700 ft (11,800 m) to 42,700 ft (13,000 m)

93.2 kn (173 km/h) with approach power for landing

Combat range: 800 nmi 1,500 km)
Service ceiling: 40,600 ft (12,375 m)

Armament

Guns: 4x 20mm M3 cannon, 180 rpg
Hardpoints: 4 with a capacity of 5,500 lb (2,500 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
- Missiles: 4 AAM-N-2 Sparrow I air-to-air missiles

Special Links LTV-Chance-Vought

Links to Youtube & Others

The very long nose landing gear strut required for high angle of attack takeoffs lifted the pilot 14 feet into the air and was fully steerable.[3][21] The high position of the nose relative to the flight deck posed visibility difficulties for the pilot.

LTV-Chance-Vought
F7U Cutlass

The initial models of the Cutlass were powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines

Youtube Link

The F7U-3M model was the first aircraft in US Navy service to be capable of firing the AAM-N-2 Sparrow I air-to-air missile.

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F7U Cutlass

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F7U Cutlass

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F7U Cutlass "Praying Mantis"

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F7U Cutlass "Praying Mantis"