Vought FU: Difference between revisions
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|type = Floatplane fighter |
|type = Floatplane fighter |
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|national origin = [[United States of America]] |
|national origin = [[United States of America]] |
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The '''[[Vought]] FU''' was a [[biplane]] [[fighter aircraft]] of the [[United States Navy]] in service during the late 1920s. |
The '''[[Vought]] FU''' was a [[biplane]] [[fighter aircraft]] of the [[United States Navy]] in service during the late 1920s. |
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Revision as of 02:02, 2 December 2008
| FU | |
|---|---|
| Role | Floatplane fighter |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Vought |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
| Number built | 20 |
| Developed from | Vought UO |
The Vought FU was a biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in service during the late 1920s.
Pleased with the company's VE-7, in 1926 the Navy gave Vought a $459,709 contract for convertible land/sea 20 fighters. Vought already had a two-seat observation plane, the UO-1, basically a VE with additional fuselage streamlining and a Wright J-3 radial engine. This was made into a fighter simply by covering over the front cockpit of the observation plane, mounting machine guns in that area, and upgrading to a 220 hp Wright R-790 Whirlwind with a supercharger. With the help of the supercharger, the newly-designated FU-1 was able to reach a speed of 147 mph at 13,000 ft.
The FU-1s were delivered to VF-2B based in San Diego, California. With their float gear mounted, one was assigned to each of the battleships of the Pacific Fleet, where they were launched from catapults. They spent 8 months in this role, but as the squadron went to aircraft carrier operations, the further-aft cockpit proved to a visibility problem when maneuvering around a carrier deck. In response, the forward cockpit was re-opened, the result being designated FU-2.
By this time they were no longer state-of-the-art, and the two-seaters primarily served as trainers and utility aircraft.
Specifications (FU-1)
Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Airfoil: Navy N-9
Performance
- Climb to 5,000 ft (1,520 m): 5 minutes
Armament
- Guns: 2 x .30 in machine guns
References
- Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Naval Fighters. Fallbrook CA: Aero Publishers, 1977, ISBN 0-8168-9254-7), pp. 53-54.
- Swanborough, Gordon and Bowers, Peter. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. London:Putnam, Second edition, 1976. ISBN 0 370 10054 9.