Scale aviation modeller international

T

he Vought F-8 Crusader

was a direct response

to a United States Navy requirement

for a modern supersonic, carrier-based fighter. Utilising nearly

the identical powerplant of the North American F-100 Super

Sabre and looking like the big brother of the A-7 Corsair, the

F-8 Crusader became the world’s first carrier-based aircraft to

break the speed of sound. The Crusader was quickly pressed into

service over the skies of Vietnam with the growing American

commitment in Southeast Asia, where it served with distinction

with US Navy and US Marine Corps. As a predominantly cannon-

armed fighter, the F-8 has been seen by many as the end of the

line for all-cannon-armed fighter jets - making the F-8 the ‘last

of the gunfighters’. The Navy went on to utilise the Crusader in

the more of a traditional dogfighting interceptor role, whilst

the US Marines operated it as a limited strike/attack aircraft.

The Crusader was also fielded as a dedicated reconnaissance

version the RF-8, along with a two-set trainer, as well as a Drone

Controller aircraft and also served with NASA as a flying test bed.

The Crusader eventually proved its worth through action and resiliency

and found frontline service across four decades including service with

the French Navy. The Philippines Air Force was the third and final

operator of the F-8 and these were retired in 1991. The XF8U-3 was

a highly-modified offshoot of the F-8 Crusader line, and this version

became known as ‘Crusader III’, however, the prototypes competed

unsuccessfully against the McDonnell Douglas offering that would

eventually become the F-4 Phantom. The F-8 Crusader remains one of

the icons of 20th Century aviation, and the ‘last of the gunfighters’ is

showcased and celebrated here in this new Datafile from

SAM Publications.

CRUSADER

THE VOUGHT F-8

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

By Andy Evans

pre-- order

now

32

M D F

F-8 CRUSADER

ORDER HOTLINE: 44 (0)1234 211245

ORDER ONLINE: http://www.sampublications.com

F-8 CRUSADERM D F^32

CRUSADER

THE VOUGHT F-8

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans

THE VOUGHT F-8 CRUSADER

SAM Publications

Modellers Datafile • 32

000-CoverFront-MDF-OUTPUT-FRONT_MDF32-Cover.Crusader.indd 1 14/09/2018 12:45

Cover: Illustration Purposes Only

MDF 32

CRUSADER

£24.99

+ P&P

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