Vought F7U-1 Cutlass

Vought · USA · first flew 1948 · fighter

The Vought F7U-1 Cutlass was the initial production variant of the US Navy's radical tailless swept-wing carrier jet fighter. It represented an ambitious leap in naval aviation design but suffered from serious reliability and performance shortfalls.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage	Twin turbojet exhausts at rear fuselage
T — Tail	No tailplane

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Tailless swept-wing carrier fighter
Twin turbojet exhausts at rear fuselage
Sharply swept leading edge with no conventional tail

Distinguished by its completely tailless configuration with sharply swept wings and twin vertical fins at the wingtips; the lack of any horizontal tailplane is the most striking recognition feature.

Specifications

The Vought F7U-1 Cutlass has a length of 13.5 m (44 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.8 m (39 ft).
Its maximum speed is 1094 km/h (680 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The Cutlass originated from a 1945 Navy requirement influenced by captured German swept-wing research. The XF7U-1 prototype first flew in September 1948 and 14 F7U-1 pre-production aircraft followed, but the type proved underpowered with its Westinghouse J34 engines and was never cleared for operational fleet service.

Variants

The F7U-1 was the initial pre-production batch; the definitive F7U-3 replaced it with more powerful engines and a lengthened fuselage. The F7U-3M carried Sparrow missiles.

Where you'll see it

The F7U-1 was used only for training and development within the US Navy and never entered front-line service due to its poor engine performance and handling issues.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.