| Category. | Statistic. |
|---|---|
| First flight on. | 1955. |
| Retired on. | 1999 in France, plus a few left over serplus in the USA and Philopines by 2000. |
| Major contractor(s). | Vought Industries. |
| Dose it use nukes or cruse missiles. | Nukes. |
| Fight ceiling. | 58,000 ft (17,700 m). |
| Top speed. | Mach 1.86 (1,225 mph, 1,975 km/h) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m). |
| VTOL. | No. |
| Range. | Ferry range: 1,735 mi (2,795 km) with external fuel. |
| Crew. | 1. |
| Nationality(s). | American. |
| Class. | Carrier-based air superiority fighter jet. |
| Rate of climb. | 31,950 ft/min (162.3 m/s). |
| Links. | http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Vought_F-8_Crusader. |
SeaWings The Last of the Gunfighters (F-8 Crusader)-0
SeaWings: The Last of the Gunfighters (F-8 Crusader).
U.S. Navy Lieutenant (junior grade) J.M. Baucom ejects from the cockpit of an Vought RF-8A Crusader (BuNo 145634) of Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VFP-62 on 13 November 1963. He ejected safely and was picked up by rescue helicopter. The helicopter, however, crashed 5 km from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia (USA), due to engine problems, but both the helicopter crew and the rescued pilot were uninjured.
A Vought F-8H Crusader (ex U.S. Navy BuNo 148649) of the Philippine Air Force in flight. The Philippine Air Force operated some 25 F-8Hs from 1978. However, the aircraft quickly became too expensive and difficult to maintain. Due to the lack of any immediate "enemy", the Crusaders were permanently grounded in 1988 stored at Basa Air Base.