Continuing interest by the Navy in upgrading the Crusader series and expanding its role to include an ever growing list of missions led to the development of the -2NE.  F8U-1 BuNo 143710 was modified to serve as the prototype of the -2NE and made its first flight on 30 June 1961.  The inclusion of the AN/APQ-94 search and acquisition fire control radar, with its larger dish (21” diameter) required a larger nose cone, which was circular in cross section and longer than any  previous F-8 nose cones, increasing the overall length of the aircraft by 3”.  The larger nose cone diameter was faired into the existing fuselage contour between the windscreen and the air duct inlet.  This new contour required a new pitot-static system with the pitot tube mounted in the forward point of the nose cone, and the static ports installed in a fiberglas “belly band” plenum chamber wrapped around the lower fuselage.

The growing list of missions envisioned for the F8U-2NE included a limited attack mission, and close ground support.  To provide for carrying the weapons required by these missions, one set of “hard points” was provided on each wing center section, approximately midway between the fuselage and the wing fold.  Removable pylons were mounted on these hard points, providing the capability of carrying a wide variety of weapons, including the AGM-12 Bullpup missiles, 30-missile Zuni rocket pods, standard iron bombs up to and including the MK-84 2,000-pound bomb, or an additional 600 gallons of fuel.  Control and guidance equipment for the Bullpups was mounted on the upper surface of the wing center section and enclosed in a “humpback” fairing.

F8U:

XF8U-1 Innovative Systems
XF8U-1 In The Cockpit
A New Aircraft and a New Coporation
F8U-1 and F8U-1E production Aircraft Changes
Life Extension
Loss of F8U-3 and a New Challenge
Last flight of the F8 (1999)