FLEET AIR GUNNERY UNIT & PACIFIC (FAGU)

The Fleet Air Gunnery Unit, Pacific, provided aerial gunnery training for Navy and Marine pilots from NAAS El Centro, California, and from MCAAS Yuma after mid 1959. A small number of F8U-ls, FJ-4Bs, A4D-2s, and F4D-ls were used by FAGU. The FAGU F8U-1 pictured below carried a red and white checkerboard stripe on the tail.

THUNDERBIRD AVIATION F-8K N19TB

The Crusader did make it into the 1990s as evidenced by this Thunderbird Aviation F-8K at Miramar in August 1990. Colors were overall grey with blue T-bird, nose number and "N" number. Wing pylon and tail stripe were gold and blue. (Ginter)

NAVAL AIR DEVELOPMENT CENTER (NADC) & NAS JOHNSVILLE & PA.

NADC was originally designated the Naval Air Development Station. Because of continued growth at the station, the Naval Air Development Center, NAS Johnsville, Pennsylvania, was established on 1 August 1949. The Development Center was given the primary mission of providing design and development of air¬craft electronics, aviation armament and pilotless aircraft. To accomplish its mis¬sion, NADC Johnsville flew a mixed bag of fleet aircraft including the Crusader.

NADC flew at least two F-8A Crusaders as shown below. In addition to the fighter variant of the Crusader, NADC Johnsville flew at least four Photo-Eights (see Naval Fighters Number Seventeen, Vought's F-8 Crusader Part Two, Navy and Marine RF-8 Photo-Recon Squadrons). Below, F-8A 145443 stands display duty with a Dou¬glas A-3 Skywarrior in May 1966. Sharkmouth is red with white teeth and black lips. (Besecker) F-8A 144435 in 1965 with the remnants of the base insignia on the tail. (R. Esposito via Clay Jansson)

NAVAL AIR TEST FACILITY (SI) NAS LAKEHURST _ N. J.

The Naval Air Test Center (ships installations) was established at NAS Lakehurst, N. J., on 1 Octo¬ber 1957. Utilizing 11 test sites, the test facilitys primary mission was to develop catapult and arresting sys¬tems for both land and sea.

NATF F-8s wore a red-orange tail triangle bordered by thin white and black stripes. F-8L 145419 below sports an added red tail.

NATF F-8A 143720 launches from a ground-based catapult developed for the Marines. (USN) Ex VC-7 F-8A 145412 was used for barricade tests in 1966. (Esposito) F-8L 145419. (Besecker) F-8D 147046 in 1967; tail is da-glo red. (Esposito via Jansson)

PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE / NAVAL MISSILE CENTER & NMC / PACIFIC MISSILE TEST CENTER & PMTC

F8U-1D 141345 on 4-22-61. (Bill Swisher) DF-8F 144431 on 10-18-64. (Clay Jansson) DF-8F 143703 on 5-15-65. (Bill Swisher) Aircraft 141345 and 144431 were painted with da-glo red outer wings and tail. The F8U-1 D was used as drone director air-craft and the DF-8Fs were target tugs.

NAS Point Mugu, California, is home for the aircraft assigned to PMTC. The basic mission of the test center is to take new and existing missile systems and to develop and refine their usage so they can be integrated into the fleet.

DF-8A 143771 on 10-21-62 with the da-glo tail and outer wings and with the last 3 digits of the BuNo repeated on the nose.
DF-8As were employed as drone control aircraft for the Regulus II missile program. (William Swisher)

DF-8F 144449 on 5-20-67. (William Swisher) DF-8F 143691 in 11-69_ (Harry Gann) Both aircraft have the red tail and outer wings

DF-8F 143693 in 11-69 in drone director colors as described on page 26 and as shown in the color section. (Harry Gann)

F-8.1 150920 (#107) with the Naval Missile Center insignia on the tail. The triangle was white with the lower quadrant red, upper
left navy blue and upper right powder blue. Behind the triangle were two stylized boomerangs with the upper one red and the
lower one navy blue. NMC was painted in red. (Stan Wyckoff)

DF-8F 143699 at Point Mugu on 10-17-70. This target tug was
previously used at China Lake. (via Burger)

DF-8L 145450 at Mugu on 7-6-72. These were drone control
aircraft for QF-86Fs and Hs. (Clay Jansson)

DF-8L 145498 during The Space Fair at NAS Point Mugu on 10-23-72. (William Swisher)

On 26 April 1975 the Test Center adopt¬ed a new insignia as worn on the tail of these Crusaders. The triangle was dark blue with a gold eagle and an¬chor. The stars and the ocean line were white.

PMTC DF-8L with external power plugged in prior to Mugu's 10-76 Air Show. (B. Miller)
DF-8L 145450 in 10-76; tail stripe was medium blue. (Ginter)

DF-8J 150302 being towed at the NAS Point Mugu Air Show in October 1977. The gun ports were black as well as the intake lips and the stripe be¬hind the radome. (via Burger)

DF-8J 150297 at Scott AFB on 9-24-77. Sensors have been added to either side of the intakes and a blade antennae has been added to the ra¬dome. (L. Reynolds via Fred Roos)

NAVAL WEAPONS CENTER & CHINA LAKE & CALIFORNIA

F8U-1 144430 equipped with a Del-Mar tow rig consisting of a wing mounted black target housing and a fuselage mounted sliver wind-driven cable reel. As with 145443, 144430's lower forward fuselage, tail and outer wings were da-glo red. (William Swisher 11.18-61)

The Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, formerly Naval Ord¬nance Test Center (NOTS), is responsible for research, develop¬ment, lest and evaluation of naval air launched weapons and weapon systems. Over the years the center has also been called on to take part in underwater programs such as ASROC. The center has developed and tested the following weapons; 5" WAR, Tiny Tim, Mighty Mouse, Zu¬ni, Shrike, and Sidewinder.

F8U-1 (F-8A) 145331 with CHINA LAKE painted on its tail, fires a red-bodied Sidewinder from its fuselage missile rail during ongoing testing of improved Sidewinders. (USN via Barry Miller)

China Lake-based F8U-1 145443 con-ducting an aerial pick-up or extraction of a ground object, probably a target. The lower fuselage, outer wings, and tail were da-glo red. (R. Harrison, Candid Aero)

DF-8F 143699 with red tail and outer wings and with the last three digits of the BuNo on the nose on 1-28-67. (Jansson)

DF-8F 143813 awaiting scrapping in 1971. Colors were drone director col¬ors, see page 26 for description. (via Burger)

DF-8F 145351 at China Lake on 5-9-70 with red outer wings and tail. (G. Liang via Fred Roos)

F-8H 147057 at China Lake on 11-17-70 with Agile AAM missile mock-ups on the lower "V" fuselage mounts and the wing pylons. (USN)

Three China Lake test aircraft from above, which shows off the location of CHINA LAKE on the upper wings in 1958. Top to bot¬tom; Vought F8U-1 Crusader, McDonnell F311-2 Demon, and Douglas F3D-2 SkyKnight. All three aircraft were armed with two Sidewinders. (USN)

China Lake-based F-8E 150284 on 3-16-67. Tail and outer wings were once again red. Notice how a border of white was painted around the stars-and-bars to help them stand out against the red of the wing. (Clay Jansson)