What do you think?
Rate this book
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass
384 pages, Hardcover
Published September 19, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 6, 2025
While you can argue over whether or not the Vought F7U Cutlass really deserves the luxury publishing treatment, it's great that Crecy, with remarkably little fanfare, is starting a new program of such books for Cold War aircraft, with books on the North American Bronco and the Sepecat Jaguar in the pipeline.
As for the Cutlass itself, the authors make the argument that the Cutlass was a great "what if" story, as if the improved version of the original prototype went into production, the USN might have found itself with a day fighter truly capable of matching up with the MiG 15 in a timely fashion.
Such was not to be though, and the Cutlass wound up being the designated backup for much of the mid-1950s, particularly to the XF10F-1 Jaguar, which had an even more intractable development history. About the only reason that the Cutlass saw any operational service is at all is because the Douglas Skyhawk and McDonnell Demon were also running somewhat behind schedule, and the Cutlass represented capability right now; particularly when it came to the delivery of nuclear weapons.
Besides presenting a casebook study of the convoluted USN procurement process, the authors go to some lengths to debunk most of the myths regarding the service and performance of the Cutlass; putting much of the blame on a lackadaisical transition process which badly underestimated what it would take to put men with great experience in piston-powered machines into the new combat jets in general (not just the Cutlass).
Very few people really need this much information on a rather obscure machine, but it's nice to have, and I hope that global economic conflict doesn't render this new publishing exercise stillborn.
As for the Cutlass itself, the authors make the argument that the Cutlass was a great "what if" story, as if the improved version of the original prototype went into production, the USN might have found itself with a day fighter truly capable of matching up with the MiG 15 in a timely fashion.
Such was not to be though, and the Cutlass wound up being the designated backup for much of the mid-1950s, particularly to the XF10F-1 Jaguar, which had an even more intractable development history. About the only reason that the Cutlass saw any operational service is at all is because the Douglas Skyhawk and McDonnell Demon were also running somewhat behind schedule, and the Cutlass represented capability right now; particularly when it came to the delivery of nuclear weapons.
Besides presenting a casebook study of the convoluted USN procurement process, the authors go to some lengths to debunk most of the myths regarding the service and performance of the Cutlass; putting much of the blame on a lackadaisical transition process which badly underestimated what it would take to put men with great experience in piston-powered machines into the new combat jets in general (not just the Cutlass).
Very few people really need this much information on a rather obscure machine, but it's nice to have, and I hope that global economic conflict doesn't render this new publishing exercise stillborn.
November 2, 2024
This is a hefty, detailed history of the Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, one of the most controversial jet fighters of the late 1950s. It is very thorough, as it was written by Tommy Thomason, whose knowledge of US Navy aircraft and operations is very impressive, and Alfred Casby, who made it a life goal to bring a F7U-3 back to the air. The book covers primarily the F7U-3 day fighter, F7U-3M missile-armed interceptor, and the F7U-3P reconnaissance variant. But not the earlier F7U-1, on which there is a separate monograph. This is already a big, heavy book, with a high quality of production.
It is, in many ways, a defence of the F7U-3, which is somewhat notorious and often derided as underpowered and dangerous. Thomason and Casby do not deny that the type had many shortcomings and a short operational career. But they argue that despite its unconventional tailless configuration the Cutlass wasn’t significantly worse than other jet fighters of the period, and in some ways better. Limited as they were by contemporary knowledge of transsonic aerodynamics and the available engine technology, all fighter aircraft of this generation were extremely dangerous to fly by modern standards, and carrier fighters even more so. They make a good case that the key to operating the type safely was training, plus the introduction of angled-deck carriers and modern landing aids. In any case, there is an impressive litany of accidents and mishaps in the book.
The slow development of the J46 engine and Westinghouse’s failure to develop more reliable and powerful variants of it had a chilling effect on the career of the F7U-3, which was a big, complex and heavy aircraft for a 1950s jet fighter. With more power, Vought might have been able to push forward the development of more capable variants, both all-weather interceptors and ground-attack models. As it was, the development potential of the Cutlass went to waste. But its aerodynamic limitations would have seen it superseded by the F8U sooner rather than later.
The authors document the efforts of Vought and USN to develop the F7U-3 into an effective carrier-based fighter, and describe the technological and strategic context that guided the USN into making its purchasing decisions. But they also take their time to dig deeply into some side-tracks. Such as the phenomenon of post-stall gyration experienced by F7U-3 pilots in some conditions. Or the large experiment the US Navy conducted with not painting aircraft, which turned out to result in a significant amount of corrosion and had to be brought to and end. It's a bit patchy, but interesting.
There also is a chapter with descriptions of every unit that ever operated the F7U-3, and another on the disposal of the airframes after the USN struck them from service. It’s not usually my taste, but they offer curious glimpses of life in early 1960s America, where no children’s playground seemed complete without eight tons of retired jet fighter. Though safety concerns often enough put an end to that!
It is, in many ways, a defence of the F7U-3, which is somewhat notorious and often derided as underpowered and dangerous. Thomason and Casby do not deny that the type had many shortcomings and a short operational career. But they argue that despite its unconventional tailless configuration the Cutlass wasn’t significantly worse than other jet fighters of the period, and in some ways better. Limited as they were by contemporary knowledge of transsonic aerodynamics and the available engine technology, all fighter aircraft of this generation were extremely dangerous to fly by modern standards, and carrier fighters even more so. They make a good case that the key to operating the type safely was training, plus the introduction of angled-deck carriers and modern landing aids. In any case, there is an impressive litany of accidents and mishaps in the book.
The slow development of the J46 engine and Westinghouse’s failure to develop more reliable and powerful variants of it had a chilling effect on the career of the F7U-3, which was a big, complex and heavy aircraft for a 1950s jet fighter. With more power, Vought might have been able to push forward the development of more capable variants, both all-weather interceptors and ground-attack models. As it was, the development potential of the Cutlass went to waste. But its aerodynamic limitations would have seen it superseded by the F8U sooner rather than later.
The authors document the efforts of Vought and USN to develop the F7U-3 into an effective carrier-based fighter, and describe the technological and strategic context that guided the USN into making its purchasing decisions. But they also take their time to dig deeply into some side-tracks. Such as the phenomenon of post-stall gyration experienced by F7U-3 pilots in some conditions. Or the large experiment the US Navy conducted with not painting aircraft, which turned out to result in a significant amount of corrosion and had to be brought to and end. It's a bit patchy, but interesting.
There also is a chapter with descriptions of every unit that ever operated the F7U-3, and another on the disposal of the airframes after the USN struck them from service. It’s not usually my taste, but they offer curious glimpses of life in early 1960s America, where no children’s playground seemed complete without eight tons of retired jet fighter. Though safety concerns often enough put an end to that!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews