Vought F6U-1 Pirate
Country of origin
United States
United States
ManufacturerVought
The Vought F6U Pirate is an early turbojet-powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Vought. It was the company's first jet powered fighter.
The design process begun in late 1944 to produce a carrier-based fighter powered by the newly-developed Westinghouse 24C (later J34) axial turbojet engine for the United States Navy. First flown on 2 October 1946, it was a relatively small aircraft, being composed largely of "Metalite" and "Fabrilite". Although pioneering the use of turbojet power as the first naval fighter with an afterburner and composite material construction, the aircraft proved to be underpowered and was judged unsuitable for combat, even after the severe aerodynamic issues encountered early on were addressed. Accordingly, production was cancelled in 1950 and no F6Us were ever issued to operational squadrons, the type being instead relegated to development, training, and test roles.
The design process begun in late 1944 to produce a carrier-based fighter powered by the newly-developed Westinghouse 24C (later J34) axial turbojet engine for the United States Navy. First flown on 2 October 1946, it was a relatively small aircraft, being composed largely of "Metalite" and "Fabrilite". Although pioneering the use of turbojet power as the first naval fighter with an afterburner and composite material construction, the aircraft proved to be underpowered and was judged unsuitable for combat, even after the severe aerodynamic issues encountered early on were addressed. Accordingly, production was cancelled in 1950 and no F6Us were ever issued to operational squadrons, the type being instead relegated to development, training, and test roles.
