The Vought F-8 Crusader is an American airborne fighter and attack aircraft of the post-war period. The drive in the F-8E version was provided by one Pratt and Whitney J57-P-20A engine with a thrust of 47.6 kN without an afterburner. The first flight of this machine took place in 1955. Soon its mass production began. More than 1,200 cars of this type were produced in total. The length of the plane was 16.53 meters with a wingspan of 10.87 meters. In the F-8E version, the on-board armament consisted of four 20 mm Colt Mk.12 guns. The machine could also take a load of bombs, unguided and guided missiles. The Vought F-8 Crusader was developed for the US Navy as a successor to the utterly unsuccessful Vought F-7U-1 Cutlass. It featured a much more conservative design, but was also much easier to pilot, control and operate. Equally important, it also proved to be significantly less prone to failure than its predecessor. It also had a much better top speed (the first production supersonic carrier-based fighter!), maneuverability and good take-off and landing characteristics from the deck of an aircraft carrier. In general, a very successful aircraft was created, which remained in service with the US Navy as a fighter until 1976, and with the French naval aviation - until 1999! During series production, many versions of this aircraft were created, including: F-8U-1 (first production version), F-8U-2N (night fighter) and F-8E (FN)[wersja dla marynarki francuskiej] . Vought F-8 Crusader aircraft took an active part in several armed conflicts, but were especially intensively used during the Vietnam War of 1964 / 1965-1975.
