High Gallery
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Military Aircraft F6U-1 Pirate Photo By Coll B. Thouanel |
| With its F4U firmly established in production and service, Vought was well placed to respond to the US Navy's request for an interceptor powered by a single 3,000-lb thrust Westinghouse J34 turbojet. The company responded with its V-340 design for a conventional straight winged aircraft with a skinning of Vought's patented Metalite, a core of balsa wood sandwiched between two thin layers of aluminum alloy. The navy ordered three XF6U-1 prototypes, and the first of three flew in October 1946 with a J34-WE-22 engine as a low wing monoplane with retractable landing gear and its cockpit sited toward the nose of the bluff fuselage. During its trials, the XF6U was subjected to five major modifications. These were required mainly to remedy a lateral stability problem, especially after the installation in a lengthened rear fuselage of the Solar afterburner required to boost performance to acceptable levels. The navy finally ordered 65 F6U-1 production aircraft, which entered service in August 1949. By this time the Pirate was obsolete, and only 30 aircraft were delivered. These were used mainly for training. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Specifications |
| Manufacturer: Vought | Length: 37 ft. 7 in. |
| First Flight: October 1946 | Height: 12 ft. 11 in. |
| Model: F6U-1 | Wing Span: 32 ft. 10 in. without wing tip tanks. |
| Crew: One | Wing Area: 203.5 sq. ft. |
| Nickname: Pirate | Empty Weight: 7,320 lb. |
| Basic Role: Carrier borne interceptor. | Max. Weight: 12,570 lb. |
| Other Versions: F6U-1 Pirate Sole production model. | Armament: Four 20-mm cannon. |
| Principal User: USA |
Propulsion |
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Performance |
Power Plant: West house J34-WE-30A turbojet |
| Range: 1,150 miles. | Horsepower: 4,225-lb reheated thrust. |
| Max. Speed: 564 mph. at 20,000 ft. | No. Of Engines: One |
| Ceiling: 46,300 ft. | |
| Climb Rate: |