From exploding prototypes to shattered records, the F-8 Crusader’s rise to dominance was anything but ordinary. In 1955, ...

Seventy years ago today, on March 25, 1955, the Vought F-8 Crusader roared into the skies for the first time, marking the beginning of an illustrious career. Designed in response to the U.S. Navy ...

F-8 Crusader: The Supersonic Jet That Revolutionized Naval Aviation In 1952, the U.S. Navy announced a set of requirements for a new fighter aircraft. The new jet was to have a top speed of Mach 1 ...

Had things gone differently, the U.S. Navy’s top Cold War fighter jet could have been the F-8 Crusader instead of the F-4 Phantom. But not the legendary Crusader that bested MiGs over North Vietnam.

The first several decades of aerial combat were fought with conventional firearms. World War I planes like the Sopwith Camel used dual Vickers .303 caliber machine guns not unlike the machine guns ...