The North American FJ Fury was a single-seat, jet fighter in service with the US Navy during the Cold War period. It was the first operational carrier-based jet fighter in American naval history. It was also the US Navy's equivalent of the Air Force F-86 Sabre. It was also used by the US Marines Corps. Except for the first version, the FJ-1, which had straight wing, all the other variants of the aircraft were swept-wing planes. With a very long career, it would remain in Naval Reserve service well into the 1960s.
The North American FJ Fury first flew, as the prototype XFJ-1, on November 27, 1946. It took only one year of flight tests before it was accepted into US Navy service in September 1947 as the FJ-1 in Navy Squadron VF-5A. It was the only straight-wing version and it was powered by one General Electric J35-GE-2 turbojet engine, which could deliver 3,820 pounds of thrust. This would be followed by the FJ-2 variant, which was the first swept-wing aircraft of the Fury series, with its first flight taking place in late 1951. Not only had the second variant new wing configuration but it also had a more powerful power plant; one General Electric J47-GE-2 turbojet engine, which produced 6,000 pounds of thrust.
The FJ-3 and FJ-4 would be the other two versions of the aircraft, with each of them having sub-variants, such as the FJ-3M and the FJ-4B. The difference lay in their power plants and the capability to carry different sets of armament. They were equipped with one Wright J65-W-48 and one Wright J65-W-16A respectively. However, all variants could fold up their outer wing panel for hangar stowage. A total of 1,350 Fury aircraft were produced, with the first 200 being the straight-wing FJ-1 variant. They marked the beginning of a period of great progress in aviation at the start of the development of jet aircraft and preceded the supersonic age of combat aircraft.
Below, ventral view of an FJ-3 variant of the aircraft as it banks right, in the 1950s. It belonged to one US Marines Corp squadron. Notice the speed brakes at the sides of tail portion of fuselage.
Specifications (FJ-4)
Type: fighter/fighter-bomber
Length: 11.07 m (36 ft, 4 in)
Wing Span: 11.91 m (39 ft, 1 in)
Wing Area: 31.49 m2 (339 sq. ft)
Height: 4.24 m (13 ft, 11 in)
Power Plant: one Wright J65-W-16A turbojet engine.
Maximum Speed: 1,094 km/h (678 mph)
Range: 3,250 km (2,015 miles)
Service Ceiling: 14,265 m (46,800 ft)
Crew: one
Armament: four 20-mm cannons; plus 1,360-kg (3,000-lb) of weapons, which included bombs, rockets, and ASM-N-7 Bullpup, or AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
Below, the first variant, the FJ-1 in flight in 1948.
An FJ-3M model of the aircraft of the VF-142 Squadron from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier.
Below, ventral view of the FJ-4b, carrying three Bullpup missiles, one bomb, and two drop fuel tanks.
Dorsal view of four FJ-3s of VF-191 Squadron in flight.