The engine of choice became the General Electric J-47-GE-2 which outputted at 6,000lb thrust. This allowed for a maximum speed of 675 miles per hour with a range out to 860 miles, a service ceiling of 46,800 feet and a rate-of-climb of 7,230 feet per minute. Performance numbers were slightly below that as offered on the F-86 but naval fighter aircraft had to deal with design challenges all their own. On the whole, the new aircraft - designated by the USN as FJ-2 while retaining the "Fury" name, followed the same design form as the F-86 in USAF service.
In post-testing, more changes greeted the design as the nosewheel was strengthened and the canopy revised for better vision. The wings were now made to fold along a hinge for improved carrier storage - a feature lacking in the earlier FJ-1 models. The tail unit was revised to incorporate all-moving surfaces for better controlling. The undercarriage track was widened for better ground running on deck.
In practice, the FJ-2 - as with the FJ-1 before it - did not end up as the long-term solution sought by the USN. It was a heavy aircraft lacking the required performance and capabilities for serious carrier work and the F-86 conversion process had not produced the type of fighter envisioned. Delays and resource allocation to the USAF F-86 also promoted a late service date for about five aircraft were available by the end of the Korean War in 1953 - leaving no impact on the war. Production was therefore curtailed and only 200 of the expected 300 airframes were ultimately procured and the USN was quick to pass these on to the USMC to be used as land-based fighters instead. The USN made due with its mixed crop of straight-winged and some other swept-winged jet fighters for the duration of the war. USMC FJ-2 Furys were already out of circulation by 1958.
Participants in the FJ-2 program were not blind to the limitations inherent in the original product for work on an improved form - the FJ-3 - was already ongoing even as the FJ-2 was picking up steam. It was decided that an altogether different powerplant be used and this based on the successful British Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet design which appeared (under local license) in America as the Wright J65. Beyond that, the aircraft largely stayed faithful to the FJ-2 before it for simplicity's sake. First flight of a production-quality airframe with the new J65 engine was on July 3rd, 1953 and the USN ordered 389 of the type (back in March of 1952). Deliveries commenced during September of 1954 - though arriving too late for service over Korea.
First-use actions of the FJ-3 proved promising enough though the J65 engine offered up problems all its own. However, overall performance was deemed more than adequate for USN fighter needs aboard its decks and the branch lived with the temperamental engines for the foreseeable future. New wings were eventually adopted from F-86F models into the FJ-3 Furys which expanded maneuverability of the line. Ordnance-carrying capabilities were later added as well which increased tactical value by incorporating a fighter-bomber quality for the aircraft - going far beyond the single-minded fighter approach originally envisioned. This included the addition of four underwing hardpoints, two per wing, and cleared to carry conventional drop ordnance and launch rockets.
The USN returned to North American for another 149 aircraft which ultimately resulted in 538 FJ-3 models being procured. An improved version - the FJ-3M - was later introduced that supported the carrying (and firing) of the AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile. 194 of this mark were obtained from conversion of existing FJ-3 airframes. An in-flight refueling capability was later included to some of the FJ-3 fighters by way of an underwing probe fitted from 1956 onwards. A few other forms were then modified for use in the air control role for drone and missile work.
The FJ-2 and FJ-3 Fury were never exported and only served under the USN and USMC banners. Due to the large scale 1962 aircraft designation change by the American military, Furies were redesignated to the "F-1" standard and the FJ-3 model became the F-1C, the FJ-3M was the MF-1C, the FJ-3D Regulus missile control model became the DF-1C, and the FJ-3D2 target drone controller was the DF-1D. The line was eventually evolved into the North American "FJ-4" Fury form - an altogether different aircraft despite its general appearance mimicking that of the FJ-2/FJ-3 line. The type appeared in 1954 and was procured in 374 examples for the USN and USMC - it is detailed elsewhere on this site.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.