The Vought FU was a biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in service during the late 1920s. Pleased with the company's VE-7, in 1926 the Navy gave Vought a $459,709 contract for 20 convertible land/sea fighters.

The Vought F6U Pirate was the Vought company's first jet fighter, designed for the United States Navy during the mid-1940s. Although pioneering the use of turbojet power as the first naval fighter with an afterburner and composite material construction, the aircraft proved to be underpowered and was judged unsuitable for combat.

Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Aircraft Industries.

The Vought FU was a biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in service during the late 1920s. Pleased with the company's VE-7, in 1926 the Navy gave Vought a $459,709 contract for convertible land/sea 20 fighters.

The FU-1 was a fabric-covered two-bay biplane of wood and steel-tube construction powered by a Wright J-5 (R-790) Whirlwind radial with an integral supercharger and rated at 220hp. By comparison with the UO-1, structural strength was increased to permit unlimited aerobatics and diving speeds of up to 322km/h, and standard fighter armament of ...

A few Navy UO-1s were fitted with FU-1 wings and J-5 engines and were redesignated UO-5. To meet an interim Navy requirement for a catapult-launched floatplane fighter to serve aboard battleships, the original UF concept was revived, and 20 …

The squadron equipped with the Vought FU’s came into daily competition with this FB-5 squadron. It was a striking fact that anywhere above 10,000 feet the little FU was superior in speed, maneuverability, and climb to its competitor, which had approximately three times its sea-level horsepower.

Page details technical specifications, development, and operational history of the Vought FU-1 Shipboard Reconnaissance / Observation Floatplane including pictures.

The Vought FU was a biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in service during the late 1920s. Pleased with the company's VE-7, in 1926 the Navy gave Vought a $459,709 contract for convertible land/sea 20 fighters.

In 1926, with the development of new Boeing and Curtis seaplanes, the United States Navy (USN) commissioned Vought to produce a makeshift seaplane as a stopgap. These will serve on U.S. warships and be launched by catapults, provide over-the-horizon reconnaissance and artillery targeting, and be recovered using on-board cranes.