North American FJ-2-3 Fury

The FJ Fury was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft manufactured by North American Aviation. Developed as a naval adaptation of the successful F-86 Sabre, the Fury served as the Navy's first operational jet fighter with swept wings, entering service in the early 1950s. The aircraft played a significant role in the Navy's transition from propeller-driven fighters to jet-powered combat aircraft during the Cold War era.

The FJ Fury series featured various specifications across its models, with the FJ-3 significantly improving over earlier variants. A typical FJ-3 had a single-seat configuration. The aircraft was powered by a Wright J65-W-4 turbojet engine producing about 7,200 pounds of thrust, allowing a maximum speed of approximately 675 mph and a service ceiling of 42,000 feet. Standard armament included four 20mm cannons mounted in the nose, capable of carrying up to 2,000 pounds of external ordnance, including bombs and rockets, on four underwing hardpoints.

The U.S. Navy deployed the FJ Fury primarily as a day fighter and fighter-bomber from aircraft carriers throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. Naval aviators appreciated the Fury's improved carrier landing characteristics compared to earlier jets, featuring an increased wing area and strengthened landing gear. While the FJ-3 variant saw limited deployment during the latter stages of the Korean War, the FJ-4 became more widely used during the peacetime Navy of the mid-to-late 1950s.

The FJ Fury was an evolutionary step in naval aviation, bridging the gap between the Navy's first generation of straight-wing jets and the more capable fighters that would follow. The last operational Fury was retired from Naval Reserve service in 1962, after which many airframes were converted to unmanned QF-9 target drones.