When in early 1962 the air arm of the French Navy, Aeronautique Navale, began looking for a replacement aircraft for their aging Aquilons, their choice eventually fell on the F-8E, primarily because of the relatively low cost, the high performance characteristics, and the fact that the assembly line in Dallas was still open.   Operation of the aircraft from the smaller French carriers, the Clemenceau and the Foch, dictated a number of design changes required to achieve a lower approach and landing speed.  To accomplish this, a double-acting leading edge droop was designed.  This redesign effectively split the existing droops into two sections along the entire span of the wing.  The forward segment of the center section drooped 35 and the aft segment drooped 8.9.  The forward segment of the outer panel drooped 35 and the aft segment drooped 20.  In addition, the trailing edge flaps drooped 40 versus 20 on the U.S. Navy Crusader.  A third  design change decreased the travel of the two-position wing from 7 to 5.  With the lower landing speed, increased longitudinal control authority was required. This was obtained by increasing the area of the unit horizontal tail surfaces by installing a cuff over the leading edge, which effectively moved the leading edge forward approximately 4” at the inboard end of the surface, and faired it in with the leading edge of the existing tip casting.

The increased camber of the FN wing created by the new double leading edge droops, and the forty-degree flaps and ailerons, also decreased the airspeed at which the boundary layer air wants to become turbulent and separate from the wing surface, thereby destroying aerodynamic lift.  In order to prevent this boundary layer separation, a Boundary Layer Control System was installed.  This system bleeds high pressure/high temperature 16th stage air from the compressor section of the engine.  This air is piped to the wing where it is forced out over the upper surface of the wing through slotted nozzles along the trailing edge of the aft droop and the leading edge of the flap and aileron.  This  high pressure airflow serves to keep the boundary layer attached to the wing surface , thereby increasing the airspeed at which turbulent airflow occurs.  The net result of these various configuration and system changes was a reduction in the approach speed of the F-8E{FN} by approximately fifteen knots below that of the US Navy’s F-8E.   

The F-8E(FN) was intended to be a multi-mission  fighter aircraft.  To fill this requirement, the standard  configuration of four 20-mm. cannons  was retained, as was the fuselage-mounted dual Sidewinder pylons. Additional interceptor capabilities were provided by adding provisions to the fuselage pylon mounts to carry one French MATRA R.530 air-to-air missile on each side.  The pylon mounting provisions in the F-8E wing, together with  associated wiring, were retained, but no pylons were procured. 

The French Navy procured 42 of these aircraft, and assigned them, twelve aircraft to each unit, to Flottilles 12F and 14F, squadrons which had distinguished themselves during the war in Indochina during the 1950’s while flying another famous Chance Vought aircraft, the F4U-7 Corsair. These squadrons were based at the naval air station at Lann-Bihoue.  The depot level maintenance base was established at Base Aeroanutique Navale Cuers-Pierrefue near the naval base at Toulon. Early carrier trials aboard Clemenceau proved out,under operational conditions, all the changes that were made to the aircraft.  The flight characteristics in the approach to the carrier resulted in a sink rate of 11 feet per second and a g-load of less then 3.5 during the arrestment  both much lower than with any of the earlier models of the Crusader.

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)