Westinghouse j34 turbine jet year production end
The highly placed cockpit was located almost in the very tip of the nose of the figher. The aircraft had a three-strut retractable landing gear and additional wingtip fuel tanks with a capacity of 530 liters (140 US gallons) each. The all-metal airframe of the aircraft had a low wing, and the horizontal tail assembly was located on the keel above the fuselage. The company obtained an order for three experiment aircraft Xf6U-1. 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 turbojet. The company Chance Vought dealt with the development of the jet fighter model V-340 at the end World War II. From all the proposals submitted, BuAer technical desk chose three designs to be developed, including the Chance Vought F6U Pirate.
In late 1944 BuAer sent requests to several manufacturers for jet proposals. This prompted the Navy to issue a requirement for carrier jet fighters. The F6U was underpowered, and was modified to become the first operational jet fighter with an afterburner.Īs more German jets appeared in combat, it became a foregone conclusion that Japan would be producing them too.
#WESTINGHOUSE J34 TURBINE JET YEAR PRODUCTION END SKIN#
The construction was innovative, with use of glassfibre and balsa wood - the skin was Vought's patented Metalite, a core of balsa wood sandwiched between two thin layers of aluminium alloy. The design was conventional- a straightforward "flying stovepipe" with intake in the nose and exhaust in the tail, with straight wings, a blunt nose, small wing root jet intakes, and small additional fins at the tips of the tailplane. The F6U Pirate, a straight-wing jet fighter, was a somewhat ugly and rather unsuccessful aircraft.