×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Scale (2024) Special Forces

North American FJ-1 Fury


Carrierborne Fighter Aircraft


United States | 1947



"Though serving in limited numbers for a limited time, the FJ-1 Fury was a major stepping stone in American jet fighter design."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the North American FJ-1 Fury Carrierborne Fighter Aircraft.
1 x Allison J35-A-2 turbojet engine developing 4,000 lb of thrust.
Propulsion
547 mph
880 kph | 475 kts
Max Speed
32,005 ft
9,755 m | 6 miles
Service Ceiling
1,498 miles
2,410 km | 1,301 nm
Operational Range
3,300 ft/min
1,006 m/min
Rate-of-Climb
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the North American FJ-1 Fury Carrierborne Fighter Aircraft.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
34.4 ft
10.50 m
O/A Length
32.2 ft
(9.80 m)
O/A Width
14.8 ft
(4.50 m)
O/A Height
8,841 lb
(4,010 kg)
Empty Weight
15,598 lb
(7,075 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the North American FJ-1 Fury Carrierborne Fighter Aircraft .
STANDARD:
6 x 12.7mm machine guns in forward fuselage sides
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the North American FJ-1 Fury family line.
FJ-1 "Fury" - Base Series Designation
XFJ-1 - Three prototype aircraft with General Electric J35-GE-2 turbojet engine of 3,820lb thrust.
FJ-1 - Production model outfitted with Allison J35-A-2 turbojet engine of 4,000lb thrust; 30 examples produced.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/03/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

As with the post-World War 2 United States Air Force (USAF), the United States Navy (USN) benefitted from jet technology furthered in America, Britain, and Germany. The service was slower to adopt carrier-based jet aircraft than its USAF brethren but nonetheless begat generation after generation of capable fighter types in time. One of the more overlooked achievements was the North American FJ "Fury" line which appeared after the war and managed only limited production numbers. However, the type was very influential in the design and development of the Korean War-era classic North American F-86 "Sabre" still to come.

Jet technology of the war years revolved around the "turbojet" and it was the Germans that were first to the skies with their famous Messerschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe" fighter. The British followed a short time later with the introduction of the Gloster Meteor while the Americans managed only the limited stock Bell P-59 Airacomets (66 were built) before settling on the improved Lockheed P-80 Shooting Start - production totaling 1,715 fighters. With jet technology still at its infancy, there was always room for improvement in engine reliability, thrust output, and endurance leading to a sharp scale of advance during the post-war period benefitting the West greatly due to the captured German data on jets and swept-wing technology.

With jets already the perceived future of aerial warfare as far as the Americans were concerned, authorities were already laying down the groundwork for fleets of new jet-powered fighters and bombers. A request during the late-war years called for a straight-wing, jet-powered, single-seat fighter and a North American design was selected of competing designs from Douglas and Vought. North American would forever be tied to the wartime successes of its P-51 Mustang but that prop-driven fighter had seen its technological end by the end of the war. The USN selected the North American submission as the "XFJ-1" and ordered in prototype form during late 1944. Three were completed and powered by a single General Electric J35-GE-2 turbojet of 3,820lb thrust.

North American moved ahead in its construction and manufactured a flyable XFJ-1 prototype which first took to the air on September 1th, 1946. By this time, the World War was over and many military programs curtailed or cancelled outright. The XFJ-1 was advanced enough and in need that it was allowed to remain in development. Satisfied with its new product, the USN commissioned for 100 of the type as the FJ-1 with the nickname of "Fury" shortly thereafter. These were to be powered by an Allison J35-A-2 turbojet engine of 4,000lb thrust. Armament was settled on 6 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns - a U.S. fighter tradition dating back to World War 2. Some 1,500 x rounds of 0.50 caliber ammunition were carried for all guns. Initial deliveries then commenced during October of 1947 with the first recipient becoming squadron VF-5A. The 100-strong order was then trimmed to thirty airframes and these were used primarily in a development role out of Naval Air Station North Island, California.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.


The FJ-1 did not end up the long-term USN solution for a jet fighter. It lacked many essentials accepted widely today such as folding wings and swept-back wings. Folding wings allowed space-strapped carriers to stock more than a handful of aircraft on a single ship while swept-back wings gave the appropriate performance and stability in high-speed flight. Folding wings could not be instituted into the Fury's straight appendages due to the dive brake spans. To work around the storage issue, engineers added a "nose-down" feature to the nose leg in which the aircraft could be lowered at its front when stored. This alleviated some of the profile excess of the aircraft on USN carriers but was not a popular solution on the whole. American carriers were also still of the World War 2-era which lacked catapult-launching support for its aircraft. The Fury was able to get airborne under its own power but the take-off phase taxed the turbojet engine to its maximum and the ascent was a slow process unsuitable for carrier warfare - particularly in the intercept role.

Performance numbers of the FJ-1 included a maximum speed of 547 miles per hour, a range out to 1,500 miles, a service ceiling of 32,000 feet and a rate-of-climb of 3,300 feet per minute.

The FJ-1 was never exported beyond the United States and managed a career up to 1953. Its final flying days were with the USN Reserve as frontline USN units began receiving the straight-wing Grumman F9F Panther fighters which saw combat service in the Korean War (1950-1953) with USN and USMC forces.

During its short time aloft, the Fury managed some highlights - earning the Bendix Trophy Race during September 1948 and becoming the first USN jet-powered carrier-based fighter to reach squadron-sized strength.

The related FJ-2, FJ-3, and FJ-4 Furies were swept-wing versions of the original FJ-1 with enough changes to become wholly their own aircraft designs. All are detailed elsewhere on this site.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the North American FJ-1 Fury. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 33 Units

Contractor(s): North American Aviation - USA
National flag of the United States

[ United States ]
1 / 1
Image of the North American FJ-1 Fury
Image from the United States Navy History Center.

Going Further...
The North American FJ-1 Fury Carrierborne Fighter Aircraft appears in the following collections:
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
COLD WAR AIRCRAFT
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)