Vought F6U
| Vought F6U Pirate | |
|---|---|
 Vought F6U-1 |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
October 2, 1946 |
| Production time: |
1944 to 1950 |
| Number of pieces: |
33 |
The Vought F6U Pirate (factory designation "V-340") was a fighter aircraft that was developed from 1944 to 1950 for the United States Navy . Production was discontinued in 1950 due to completely inadequate flight performance.
development
On September 5, 1944, the US Navy wrote out a new aircraft carrier-based fighter that was to be powered by a Westinghouse 24C engine. Vought constructed the V-340, a low-wing aircraft with air intakes under the wings and an engine in the stern. The pilot sat far forward in the fuselage, which promised a very good view on carrier landings. A special technical feature was the material of the outer skin called Metalite , which consisted of two layers of light metal and a layer of balsa wood glued in between . Fabrilite, a similar material with fiberglass instead of metal, was used for the vertical stabilizer . The air inlets were made of glass fiber reinforced plastic .
Vought received the order for three prototypes on December 29, 1944. When the Pirate flew for the first time on October 2, 1946, it turned out, however, that the built-in Westinghouse J34 -WE-22 engine with 13.34 kN thrust was far too weak. In addition, there were stability problems and the rudder efficiency of the tail unit was too low, which made modifications necessary. The third prototype was therefore the first US Navy aircraft to be equipped with an engine with a Solar A-103A afterburner , a Westinghouse J34-WE-30 with 18.78 kN of thrust. Despite this engine, the flight performance remained completely unsatisfactory.
The first production version F6U-1 flew for the first time on March 5, 1949. The US Navy accepted 30 series aircraft from August 1949, before the order was canceled on October 30, 1950. The aircraft were used for tests on the Naval Air Test Center's VX-3 development squadron and, for a short time, on a reserve squadron. As early as November 1950, the remaining 27 machines were only being used as training objects on the ground.
Versions
- XF6U-1
- three prototypes, two with Westinghouse J34-WE-22 engines ( BuNos 33532, 33533), one with Westinghouse J34-WE-30 engines with afterburner (BuNo 33534).
- F6U-1
- Series version with afterburner, 30 built (BuNo 122478-122507), 35 more were canceled.
- F6U-1P
- Conversion of an F6U-1 as a reconnaissance aircraft (BuNo 122483).
production
Acceptance of the Chance-Vought Pirate by the US Navy:
| version | 1949 | 1950 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| XF6U-1 | 3 | 3 | |
| F6U-1 | 22nd | 8th | 30th |
| TOTAL | 25th | 8th | 33 |
Technical specifications
| Parameter | F6U-1 data |
|---|---|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Crew: | pilot |
| Length: | 11.46 m |
| Wingspan: | 10.00 m |
| Height: | 3.39 m |
| Wing area: | 18.90 m² |
| Empty weight: | 3,320 kg |
| Maximum take-off weight: | 5,850 kg |
| Top speed: | 959 km / h |
| Rate of climb: | 40.95 m / s |
| Service ceiling: | 14,100 m |
| Range (max.): | 1,880 km |
| Drive: | Westinghouse J34-WE-30 jet engine with afterburner (14.0 / 18.78 kN) |
| Armament: | four 20 mm M3 cannons |
literature
- Peter M. Bowers : United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 . Naval Institute Press, Annapolis (Maryland) 1990, ISBN 0-87021-792-5 , p. 533.
- Paul Eden, Moeng Soph (Ed.): The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft . London 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1 .
- William Green, Gordon Swanborough: The Complete Book of Fighters . New York 1998, ISBN 0-7607-0904-1 .
- Richard Koehnen: Chance Vought F6U Pirate (Naval Fighters 9) . Simi Valley (California) 1983, ISBN 0-942612-09-4 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Bill Norton: US Experimental & Prototype Aircraft Projects - Fighters 1939-1945 . Specialty Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-58007-109-3 , p. 240.
- ↑ Eden, p. 1126.
- ↑ a b Flieger-Revue February 2012, pp. 52–55, The transition to jet propulsion - FH-1 Phantom, FJ-1 Fury, F6U Pirate
- ^ Bowers, p. 533.
- ↑ Green, p. 587 f.
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1949, p. 164 ff.
- ↑ Green, p. 588
See also
Web links
- F6U on Globalsecurity.org (English)