The base fighter-bomber was then followed by 222 dedicated ground-attack, Close-Air Support (CAS) models in the FJ-4B mold. These included dive brakes for quick slowdowns, reinforced undercarriages for the added weight caused by the implementation of two additional underwing hardpoints (bringing the total to six) for a broaden munitions-carrying battlefield role. The aircraft were cleared for conventional drop ordnance and rocket launching against ground targets and support was granted for carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles. One oft-forgotten aspect of the F-4B was its capability of delivering a nuclear bomb - a required quality of most Cold War aircraft - and appropriately outfitted with specialized delivery equipment. Total ordnance loads for the FJ-4 could reach 3,000lbs.
There was only one other major - though limited - variant designation the "Fury 4" family. This was two conversions of FJ-4 fighter-bombers to use a hybrid propulsion design featuring an American Rocketdyne AR-1 rocket engine situated above the regular engine exhaust port for an additional 5,000lbs of thrust. The arrangement was limited to short-dash flying but could prove suitable in the quick-reaction interception role. The USN wanted six FJ-4s converted in this manner for testing though only two were ultimately realized in the end.
Following the services-wide move to a new aircraft designation system, the FJ-4 became the F-1E. The attack-minded FJ-4B was the AF-1F.
With its J65 engine, the FJ-4 exhibited a maximum speed of 680 miles per hour. Range was augmented with the carrying external drop tanks out to 2,020 miles. A refueling probe under the portside wing also allowed for in-flight refueling measures for longer mission endurance. The aircraft's service ceiling was listed at 46,800 feet while rate-of-climb was 7,660 feet per minute.
Ultimately, the JF-4 Fury model ran through its service career in short order - such was the nature of the early turbojet fighters. The last form was retired during the 1960s and none were exported beyond USN/USMC usage. A total of 374 of the type were built.
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