North American FJ-2/-3 Fury

Après le FJ-1 ( merci BoGi ) les FJ-2 et 3 de North American sur Wikipedia de langue anglaise

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The North American FJ-2/-3 Fury were a series of swept-wing carrier-capable fighters for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Based on the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], these aircraft featured folding wings, and a longer nose landing strut
designed to both increase angle of attack upon launch and to absorb the shock of hard landings on an aircraft carrier deck.

Although sharing a U.S. Navy designation with its distant predecessor, the straight-winged [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the FJ-2/-3 were wholly different aircraft.

The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] was a complete structural redesign of the FJ-3.

Design and development


FJ-2

By 1951, the Navy's existing straight-wing fighters were much inferior in performance to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Soviet [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] then operating in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]; the swept-wing fighters in the Navy's development pipeline, including the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] were not yet ready for deployment.

As an interim measure, the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics ordered a direct development of the swept-wing [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
as the FJ-2.

As the F-86 had not been designed to be carrier-capable, this involved some risk, but Navy pilots had observed that the F-86A actually had a lower landing speed than the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The urgency behind the program was such that 300 (later reduced to 200) FJ-2 fighters were ordered before the prototypes had flown.

Two Furies: A straight-winged North American FJ-1 flying next to a swept-wing FJ-2 in 1952. The FJ-1 design dated back to the Second World War, and only 33 were produced in 1948. The FJ-1 led North American Aviation to the design of the F-86 Sabre ordered by the U.S. Air Force.

In 1951 the U.S. Navy again ordered a navalized version of the F-86, naming it FJ-2, which first flew on 14 February 1952. It was essentially a F-86E with an arrester hook and folding wings.

Reaching squadrons in 1954, the 300 FJ-2s were only used by the U.S. Marine Corps from land bases, and normally not from aircraft carriers. 538 uprated FJ-3s followed, still looking like F-86s, but also widely used by the Navy.

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The first prototype to fly was actually the third aircraft ordered:

Designated XFJ-2B and first flown on 27 December 1951, it differed only from a standard F-86E-10 in its armament, having four 20-mm [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] instead of the six [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] .50 machine guns of the Sabre.

The second and third aircraft to fly were designated XFJ-2 and lacked armament, but were modified to be carrier-capable:
They had an arrester hook and a longer nosewheel leg to increase angle of attack at take-off and landing, and catapult
fittings.

In August 1952 carrier trials were flown on [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], followed by carrier qualification trials on [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in October-December 1952.

Results were less than satisfactory.

Low-speed handling was considered poor, and the arrester hook and nose gear leg were insufficiently strong.

The first production aircraft flew on 22 November 1952.

This FJ-2 incorporated further modifications for carrier operations: The track of the main landing gear was widened by eight inches, the outer wing panels folded upward, and the windscreen was modified to give the pilot a better view during approach.

The FJ-2 also featured an all-moving "flying tail" without dihedral. Because of problems experienced during
launches with steam catapults, a number of FJ-2 later received a stronger nosewheel strut.

Outwardly, the FJ-2 was hard to distinguish from an F-86, apart from Navy paint and the gun muzzles of the 20-mm
cannon.

The engine was the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], a navalized version of the J47-GE-27 used in the F-86F.

The naval modifications of the FJ-2 had increased weight by about 500 kg over the F-86F, but unfortunately had not succeeded in delivering a fully carrier-capable fighter.

A decision had already been made to give it to land-based squadrons of the US Marine Corps.

Construction was slowed due to demand for the F-86 in Korea; the FJ-2 was not produced in large numbers until after that conflict had concluded.

Only seven aircraft had been delivered by then end of 1953, and it was January 1954 before the first aircraft was delivered to a Marine squadron, VMF-122.

The Navy preferred the lighter F9F Cougar due to its superior slow-speed performance for carrier operations, and the
200 FJ-2 models built were delivered to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Marines did make several cruises aboard carriers and tried to solve the type's carrier handling problems, but the FJ-2 was never really satisfactory.

In 1956, the FJ-2 already disappeared from front-line service, and reserve units retired it in 1957.

North American FJ-2 Fury fighters of Marine fighter squadron VMF-235.

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North American FJ-2 Fury fighters of Marine fighter squadron VMF-122 Candystripers on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in 1955.

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FJ-3

Even while development of the FJ-2 was ongoing, the development was planned of a version powered by the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], a license-built version of the British [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] turbojet.

The Sapphire promised to deliver 28% more thrust than the J47, for little gain in weight.

The new version was designated FJ-3, and an order for 389 aircraft was placed in March 1952.

To test the new engine a single FJ-2, BuNo 131931, was modified, but the first true production FJ-3 flew on 3 July 1953.

The only externally visible change required by the new engine was a deeper intake to accommodate the larger mass flow.

Early FJ-3s had the same wing as the FJ-2, but from 1955 onwards the FJ-3 was built with a so-called "6-3" wing, with a leading edge that was extended 6 inches at the root and 3 inches at the tip.

This modification, first introduced on the F-86F, enhanced maneuverability at the price of a small increase in landing speed because the leading edge slats were deleted.

The version introduced on the FJ-3 was different from that fitted to the F-86F, as camber was applied to the underside of the leading edge to improve low-speed handling.

On the FJ-3, the new wing leading edges also held extra fuel.

From the 345th aircraft onwards, the wings were provided with four stations for external loads, up to 1000 lb on the inboard stations and 500 lb on the outboard stations.

A U.S. Navy North American FJ-3 Fury (BuNo 135844) from Fighter Squadron VF-51 Screaming Eagles on the deck of the Airchraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31). VF-51 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 5 (CVG-5) aboard the BHR fro a deployment to the Western Pacific from 12 July to 9 December 1957.

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Deliveries began in September 1954, and the FJ-3 joined the fleet in May 1955.

An FJ-3 was the first fighter to land aboard the new supercarrier[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in 1956.

Problems were encountered with the J65 engine, including failures of its lubrication system under the acceleration of launch or during manoeuvres, and failures of the turbine blades.

Nevertheless the Navy was more satisfied with the FJ-3 than it had been with the FJ-2, and in March 1954 it ordered an additional 149 aircraft.

Because of its more powerful engine, the FJ-3 was superior to most models of the F-86, except the F-86H.

A total of 538 FJ-3s were built. Of these 194 were modified to FJ-3Ms with the ability to carry [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Some FJ-3s were later modified to control [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] target drones.

In 1956 the Navy retro-fitted all its FJ-3s with probe-and-drogue [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] equipment, a long probe being fitted under the left wing.

Variants


XFJ-2

Test and evaluation aircraft; three built.