A-7 Corsair and F-8 Crusader

[GTX]

Ooo, that needs modeling

regards,

Greg

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

I've just found that while reading my favourite magazine "Le Fana de l'Aviation". Such a beautiful whiff Grin

It's made by Alain Ratinaud, a very cool guy and once member of this community (I don't know if he still post over there)

[reddfoxx]

Great thread!  Lots of ideas in here.

Just finished a book called Innovations in Aircraft Construction that has a section on the F-8.  Plenty of stuff that has already been covered here, about the F8U-3 and all, but also: Lebanon considered purchasing mothballed F-8As.  And the Luftwaffe thought about a modified F-8D (called IF-8, with a J79, more fuel, etc.)  The F-104 won that contest.

[rickshaw]

Great thread!  Lots of ideas in here.

Just finished a book called Innovations in Aircraft Construction that has a section on the F-8.  Plenty of stuff that has already been covered here, about the F8U-3 and all, but also: Lebanon considered purchasing mothballed F-8As.  And the Luftwaffe thought about a modified F-8D (called IF-8, with a J79, more fuel, etc.)  The F-104 won that contest.

You mean Lockheed had deeper pockets don't you?

[Jschmus]

Lebanon considered purchasing mothballed F-8As.

I remember reading that in Air Progress.  The plan was to refit the aircraft with new manufactured F-8E wings, so that the Lebanese machines would have stores capability beyond the basic AAM fit.

[reddfoxx]

You mean Lockheed had deeper pockets don't you?

Well, that's the way it always works...

Wish I had more info.  There wasn't much in the book beyond that mention, and a quick web search reveals little except that the French flew their Crusaders over Lebanon.  Oh, well.

[Mossie]

Think I originally found this on Secret Projects, artists impression of the two seat Spey powered Crusader offered to the Royal Navy as a Phantom alternative.

[TheSybarite]

I've got an A-7 waiting to be done in RN colours, mid-1970s.

[rickshaw]

Re: the F-8 twin seater.  What are the tubes on the fuselage sides?  Zuni rocket launchers?   If it was to be used as a fighter, what BVR missile would it have been armed with?

[McColm]

Would you need the wings from a Mig-23/27 to create the VG version?

[Mossie]

Re: the F-8 twin seater.  What are the tubes on the fuselage sides?  Zuni rocket launchers?   If it was to be used as a fighter, what BVR missile would it have been armed with?

I believe so, here's a real world USN F-8 with a Zuni fit that seems to match the artists impression.
http://thanlont.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/a-brief-history-of-f8u-crusader-armament.html

BVR missiles, probably would be Sparrow or Skyflash as used on British Phantoms.  Whiff wise, the air launched sea dart might be possible.  Am I right in thinking the Crusader didn't field AIM-7's?  I've seen the F8U-3 with them, but never a common or garden F-8.

[pyro-manic]

I don't think the Crusader's radar was able to guide Sparrows.

[PR19_Kit]

I don't think the Crusader's radar was able to guide Sparrows.

This is WhiffWorld, of COURSE it could! 

[rickshaw]

The F-8 was nicknamed "the last of the gunfighters" and didn't have a BVR missile.   It carried Sidewinders and 4 x 20mm cannon.  I wonder how attractive it would have been as an alternative to the F-4 Phantom without a BVR missile?   To really add a BVR missile you'd need a much bigger radar.  What it did have was really pretty short range and low power.

Perhaps a pair of Red Tops on the fuselage sides, instead of the Sidewinder?

[Weaver]

The F-8 was nicknamed "the last of the gunfighters" and didn't have a BVR missile.   It carried Sidewinders and 4 x 20mm cannon.  I wonder how attractive it would have been as an alternative to the F-4 Phantom without a BVR missile?   To really add a BVR missile you'd need a much bigger radar.  What it did have was really pretty short range and low power.

Perhaps a pair of Red Tops on the fuselage sides, instead of the Sidewinder?

Although ironically, it's guns were chronically unreliable (long feed paths) and nearly every kill it got in Vietnam was with Sidewinders...

Some of the radars fitted to Crusaders could designate targets for SARH missiles: the F-8 was the only user of the SARH AIM-9C version of the Sidewinder and the French Navy F-8Ns used the SARH Matra R530.