U.S Navy’s Vought F7U Cutlass

The Vought F7U Cutlass manufactured by Chance Vought is an American carrier-based jet fighter and bomber from the early Cold War era. The F7U Cutlass was the first swept-wing US Navy fighter to be adopted into service and was also the first tailless American fighter aircraft. The F7U Cutlass design featured broad chord, low aspect ratio, swept wings, with twin wing-mounted tail fins on either side of a short fuselage. The F7U’s performance suffered due to a lack of sufficient engine thrust consequently, its carrier landing and takeoff performance was notoriously poor. The J35 was known to flame out in rain, a very serious fault. The maiden flight of the F7U Cutlass took place on the 29th of September 1948 and it went into service on July 1951. Primary user was the United States Navy. There were approx. 320 F7U Cutlass produced between 1948 and 1955. The F7U Cutlass retired from service on the 2nd of March 1959.