Vought XF3U
# Vought XF3U

The Vought XF3U was the prototype of a two-seat, all-metal biplane fighter, built by Vought Aircraft Company of Dallas, Texas for the United States Navy.

## Development and design

The XF3U was designed to meet the Bureau of Aeronautics 1932 Design Specification No. 111, which called for a high-performance fighter with a fixed undercarriage and powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior air-cooled radial engine. Of the seven proposed aircraft the XF3U and the Douglas XFD were chosen. The XF3U was the first all-metal aircraft produced by Vought. The aircraft was also equipped with an enclosed cockpit. During flight testing in 1933, it outperformed the Douglas entry and was chosen the winner.

## Operational history

The Navy no longer was interested in two-seat fighters, and therefore only the one XF3U prototype aircraft was built. The XF3U subsequently evolved into a dive bomber, and became the XSBU prototype for the SBU-1 Corsair.

## Specifications

Data from

General characteristics

* Crew: 2; pilot, navigator
* Length: 27 ft 10 in (8.4 m)
* Wingspan: 33 ft 3 in (10.1 m)
* Height: 11 ft 11 in (3.6 m)
* Wing area: 295 sq ft (27.4 $m^2)$
* Empty weight: 3,435 lb (1,558 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 5,297 lb (2,402 kg)
* Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1535-80 Twin Wasp Jr. 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 700 hp (518 kW)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 208 mph (334 km/h, 181 kn)
* Range: 570 mi (917 km, 500 nmi)
* Service ceiling: 25,300 ft (7,700 m)
* Wing loading: 18 lb/sq ft (88 $kg/m^2)$
* Power/mass: 0.13 hp/lb (0.22 kW/kg)

Armament 3 × .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns

