Crusader: the F-8's last war:

[Matt Wiser]

The F-8 has one more fling...

F-8 Crusader in World War III


The LTV F-8 Crusader had been largely retired from U.S. Navy service, and completely retired from USMC service, at the outbreak of the Third World War. However, RF-8G Photo-reconnaissance versions were still in U.S. Navy Reserve service with Squadrons VFP-206 and VFP-306 when hostilities began, and stored fighter versions were brought out of desert storage and issued to newly established U.S. Navy squadrons for both carrier deployments and for service from land bases. In addition, French Navy F-8E(FN) Crusaders saw service enforcing French neutrality rights at sea, and saw limited combat when NATO reformed in 1988-89 against Soviet forces. The Philippine Air Force's Crusaders had been largely in storage when the war began, and after the Marcos regime secured the continued presence of the USAF's 3rd TFW at Clark AB to defend against Soviet attacks staged via Cam Ranh Bay, the PAF's Crusaders were returned to the U.S. This work will only mention those Crusader variants that saw active service during the war.

F-8H: Rebuilt F-8D version with strengthened airframe and landing gear. In storage at war's outbreak, some returned to service for training with USN Squadron VF-121 det C (for Crusader), most used for parts, including returned Philippine AF aircraft.

F-8J: Improved E version with “wet” wings and BLC (Boundary Layer Control) similar to F-8E(FN), J-57P-20A engine, and improved radar. Carrier service off of U.S.S. Oriskany (CV-34) (VF-191 and -194) and U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) (VF-53 and -162). VF-191 and -194 became F-14D squadrons postwar, while VF-53 and 162 transitioned to the F/A-18.

F-8K:Upgraded F-8C with J-57P-20A and Bullpup AGM capability. Land-based service with USN only.

F-8L: Upgraded B with underwing hardpoints. Used for training only.

F-8E(FN): French Navy version for operations from carriers Foch and Clemenceau. Replaced 1999 by Rafale M.

RF-8G: Upgraded RF-8A photo-reconnaissance aircraft. Used by VFP-206 and VFP-306 from both carriers and land bases. A VFP-306 aircraft had the distinction of being the last USN aircraft shot down over the Brownsville Pocket in 1989. Replaced by RF-18A in USN service postwar.

[Wolfman]

The Last of the Gunfighters… and Ivan laughed about them, until they had to face them in combat…

Even FLANKER drivers had to treat the F-8 with respect…

[Wolfman]

I thought that VF-53 and VF-162 also went Tomcat postwar…

[Poohbah]

The Last of the Gunfighters… and Ivan laughed about them, until they had to face them in combat…

Even FLANKER drivers had to treat the F-8 with respect…

A member of the class of '82 at Henry became a Tomcat driver, and she laughed at the Crusader while at the West Coast RAG until she went up against one in DACM.

She got beaten like a rented mule.

So she comes back from Oklahoma for REFTRA. She goes up against a Crusader, she figures she knows how to handle it.

And this time, she applied all she'd learned after a couple years of getting shot at and returning the favor.

She got beaten like a rented mule . . . that had been rented by the red-headed stepchild.

Turns out the second time round, she went up against CDR Hoser Satrapa himself.

[Wolfman]

Satrapa? Didn’t he run VF-191 during the war?

[Poohbah]

Satrapa? Didn’t he run VF-191 during the war?

Yes.

[Wolfman]

Then he must have ended his tour before the squadron did Hornet transition… because there’s a story that says he turned the air blue from the amount of swearing he did when he got the news that the squadron was going to be flying the Hornet after retiring the Crusader.

[Wolfman]

So what about CVW-16 off the Lexington and CVW-19 off the Shangri-La?

[TheMann]

Then he must have ended his tour before the squadron did Hornet transition… because there’s a story that says he turned the air blue from the amount of swearing he did when he got the news that the squadron was going to be flying the Hornet after retiring the Crusader.

I can confirm that story as both of us were operating in the Gulf at the time from land bases. He was NOT happy to have to transfer to the Hornet instead, and even when his XO tried to tell him about how much better the electronics in the Hornet were, he still barked out "Until I have to actually fight with the fucking thing, then the radars don't mean shit!" A few years before then that statement would have gotten laughs, but enough of us had done crazy shit over the Gulf by that point that we all knew exactly what he meant by that. For all the electronics, we all had at least a few cases where the Mk1 eyeball did more than anything else did.

[Bernard Woolley]

Least the gun on the Hornet doesn’t have a habit of jamming like the Crusader.

[TheMann]

Least the gun on the Hornet doesn’t have a habit of jamming like the Crusader.

Good point, that one. I personally rather liked the Hornet, but then I transferred to one from the F-4 so.....