The F-8 Crusader was the last U.S. fighter designed with guns as its primary weapon. So, let me quote a Crusader pilot anecdote that should spell out just how maneuverable the F-8 was against the MiG-17, its principal foe: she does fall together pretty easily. U.S. fighter aircraft are once again being fitted with guns, largely due to the Vietnam airwar experience. The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass, and for the French Navy. US Navy F-8 Crusader vs F-4 Phantom: Whereas the F-4 Phantom was designed purely to use air-to-air missiles to attain air superiority in an interdiction mission, the F-8 Crusader relied upon a mixture of its own native guns and missiles. The F-8 Crusader was the last fighter designed for the US Navy that utilized guns as its primary weapon. The Crusader mentioned in that article bore very little resemblance to the Crusader shown in the headline pics, so to compare the very odd looking super crusader to the normal F8 is to miss the point imho. A 'day fighter,' the Crusader was one of many jets restricted to flights and dogfights in the day time. This program is practically a promotional video for the pilot pleasing F-8 Crusader. The effectiveness of this aircraft in early engagements against the MiG-17 including Dick Sahaffert's 10 minute dogfight are described in exquisite detail.

Home F-8 Crusader F-8 Crusader. Variants of the F-8 remained in use with the world's air forces and navies into the 1990s. ... How to survive in a dogfight, alone against six MiGs: the lesson learned from Richard Schaffert dogfight. The F-8 served principally in the Vietnam War. i spent way too much time getting the skins perfect... but … hey korgroth- those MiG-21 plans are my design. Entering service in 1957, it saw combat during the Vietnam War both as a fighter and ground-attack aircraft. Crusader fans always loosely paraphrase pilot anecdotes from Crusader pilots that flew rings around Phantom pilots in mock dogfights. via Wikimedia Commons And fight she did eventually, over Vietnam.

Missile-only aircraft were at a distinct disadvantage in the environment many thought passé — the dogfight . This is the Crusader in that article. The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and the Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass.After the Navy's disappointing experience with the Cutlass, the Crusader was referred to by some as "Vought's Last Chance" after company founder Chance M. Vought. The first F-8 prototype was ready for flight in February 1955. Combined with deft maneuvering, it was not considered an easy aircraft to pilot, but it was admired by the pilots who flew it.