North American FJ-1 Fury

North American FJ-1 Fury
Country	USA
Role	Fighter aircraft
First flight	11 September 1946
Built	31

The North American FJ-1 Fury is the first operational jet aircraft in United States Navy service, and was developed by North American Aviation as the NA-135. The FJ-1 was an early transitional jet of limited success which carried over similar tail surfaces, wing and canopy derived from the piston-engined P-51D Mustang. The evolution of the design to incorporate swept wings would become the basis for the land-based XP-86 prototype – itself originally designed with a very similar straight-wing planform to the FJ-1 airframe – of the United States Air Force’s enormously influential F-86 Sabre, which itself formed the basis for the Navy’s carrier-based North American FJ-2/-3 Fury.

Source: North American FJ-1 Fury on Wikipedia

North American FJ-1 Fury Walk Around
Photographer	Cees Hendriks
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	38

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North American FJ-1 Fury Walk Around
Photographer	Dave Williams
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	21

The Navy’s Transitional Trailblazer

The North American FJ-1 Fury was the first operational jet aircraft to be deployed by the United States Navy. Introduced in the late 1940s, it served as a critical bridge between the piston-engine fighters of WWII and the swept-wing jet fighters of the 1950s. While it shared some visual “DNA” with the legendary P-51 Mustang—specifically in its wing and tail design—the FJ-1 was a dedicated jet platform designed to prove that high-performance turbojets could safely operate from the decks of aircraft carriers.

Attribute	Technical Specification (FJ-1)
Role	Carrier-based Fighter
Crew	1 (Pilot)
First Flight	September 11, 1946
Powerplant	1 × Allison J35-A-2 turbojet
Thrust	4,000 lbf (17.8 kN)
Maximum Speed	547 mph (880 km/h)
Armament	6 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns
Service Ceiling	32,000 feet (9,753 m)

Design Innovations and Naval Adaptations

The “Kneeling” Nose Gear: To maximize limited deck space on aircraft carriers, the FJ-1 featured a unique “kneeling” nose strut. This allowed the aircraft to lower its nose and lift its tail, enabling it to be “stacked” closer to the aircraft parked behind it.
Straight-Wing Heritage: Despite the emerging trend of swept wings (which North American would soon master), the FJ-1 used a straight, laminar-flow wing derived from the P-51. This provided predictable handling at the low speeds required for carrier landings.
Central Nose Intake: To keep the fuselage streamlined and maximize engine efficiency, the FJ-1 used a straight-through air intake in the nose. This gave the aircraft its distinctive, “barrel-like” appearance.
External Fuel: To compensate for the short range of early jet engines, the FJ-1 was often seen with large, permanent wingtip fuel tanks.

Legacy: The Grandfather of the Sabre

Pioneering the Deck: On March 10, 1948, the FJ-1 made history when it performed the U.S. Navy’s first operational carrier landing with a jet aircraft at sea aboard the USS Boxer.
Evolution into a Legend: The land-based version of the Fury design, the XP-86, eventually evolved into the world-famous F-86 Sabre. In a complete circle, the F-86 was then “navalized” to become the swept-wing FJ-2 Fury.
Short Front-Line Career: Because jet technology was moving so fast, the FJ-1 was retired from front-line service after only 14 months, replaced by the more advanced Grumman F9F Panther.
Rare Survivors: Only 31 FJ-1s (including prototypes) were built. Today, only two remain—one at the National Air and Space Museum and another at the Yanks Air Museum in California.