Vought XF8U-3 Crusader III

The Vought XF8U-3 Crusader III was a single-seat Mach 2 interceptor developed by Chance Vought as the successor to the F-8 Crusader and as a rival to the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II in the Navy fleet defense competition of the late 1950s. Despite its name it shared few parts with the earlier Crusaders. It was larger, powered by a Pratt and Whitney J75 afterburning turbojet, and had a swept-forward Ferri scoop air inlet and two large ventral fins that folded for takeoff and landing; provision was made for an added rocket motor. It first flew on 2 June 1958 and reached Mach 2.39 in tests. Fly-offs showed it more maneuverable than the Phantom, but the Navy chose the two-seat Phantom for its payload and multirole ability. Five aircraft were built before cancellation, and the survivors went to NASA for atmospheric testing before being scrapped.