FJ-3 Fury and Sidewinder Shipboard in 1956

After a decade of development, the U.S. Navy began deploying AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles on North American FJ-3 Fury jet fighters and F9F Cougar s in mid-1956.
These Kodachrome color films from the Navy depict early loading and unloading operations with carrier-based FJ-3s in June 1956.
The carrier is the Essex-Class ship, USS Bonhomme Richard, CVA-31.
It appears from these films that the shakedown of Sidewinders included captive carry catapult aircraft launches and abrupt traps of the fighters on landing while carrying missiles to validate the safe carriage of the Sidewinders under operational conditions.
These first Sidewinder-capable Furies were designated FJ-3M, with 80 created. Later FJ-4 Fury models also featured Sidewinder capability.
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[@airailimages]

For more vintage jets, take a look at this video from Oshkosh 2018 on the Airailimages Channel; warbird FJ-4 Fury flying, plus civilian-owned F-5 and more: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJjNgox6paeenNU

[@Iambigdaa]

This video really struck a chord with me. My Father served on board the Bonny Dick in Korea. I worked on Sidewinder programs in the late 70's through the early 90's. We grew up attending the yearly Air Shows at then PMTC Pt. Mugu, Ventura County California. I can see things through Dad's eyes as he answered my questions about his service. Rest in Peace, Dad. I love you.

[@airailimages]

Thank you for watching, and thank you for adding your family story. Good stuff.

[@Melifter]

I was stationed at Pt. Mugu in the early 1990’s. Beautiful base. HCS-5 Firehawks. HH-60H helicopters.

[@ces188charles6]

First footage I have seen of an FJ-3 on a carrier and in action!

[@dragonmeddler2152]

Love watching the ordies doing their usual outstanding job giving the pilots, planes and even the entire carrier task force the ability and fundamental reason for being out there in the first place. Twelve years later I was out there too, in my red jersey, snapping 500 pound bombs onto my squadron's A-4E Skyhawks. Gifts for the folks in Hanoi, Haiphong and for those holed up in the jungles and mountains of northern South Vietnam. Carry on!

[@airailimages]

Thanks for checking in with your carrier experiences, and thanks for watching.

[@sski]

I love this period of military aircraft photography. Takes me back to when this stuff wasn't that old yet and I was child, soaking up all I could. Thanks, Fred!

[@mrjockt]

Always been fascinated by aircraft developments in the 30 year period between the mid thirties and the mid sixties, it went from biplanes armed with a couple of machine guns to supersonic jets armed with cannon and air to air missiles in less than thirty years, incredible.

[@kurtpena5462]

The carrier's nickname was "Bonnie Dick". The blue paint denotes an inert warhead. The orange fins indicate that the missiles are test items. This is amazing footage - Thanks for digging through the archives and sharing it with us!

[@nikonmark37814]

This reminds me of my time on board the USS Independence, CV-62 working on the flight deck, 74-78! The FJ3 was before my time but I grew up in the USAF and have fond memories of seeing the F86's!

[@jimwjohnq.public]

naval version of the F86's.

[@davidwolf226]

I don't know WHERE or how you obtained this excellent color footage, but it really is amazing. The North American FJ-3 and FJ-4 were both excellent fighter jets as were the Grumman F9F Cougar's back in their day. It was kind of amusing to watch the red-shirts try to figure out how to load and unload these sidewinder missiles. I remember how unreliable these first-generation sidewinder missiles were during the first few years in Vietnam. The high humidity in that combat environment really played havoc with the electronics. Over time, they figured out how to make the missiles more robust against that humid environment. Anyway, this footage is stellar. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@jb6027]

To give some historical perspective, in 1956 the USAF was retiring F-86s and moving into the F-100 Super Sabre. Due to many factors that complicated the use of jet fighters on aircraft carriers, the Navy didn't have a jet fighter that matched or exceeded the performance of land based jet fighters until the superlative F-8 Crusader.

[@justachipn3039]

I was 1 month old when this film was made and Dad in the Coast Guard 🤣👍 I was on the Indy 75-79 and FJ reminds me of the A7, and that was a real beast !!!

[@geraldmorain3166]

I was 8 months dad was navy,i did air force 81-86 bg2gs.

[@PittsSZ]

Amazing quality of this film; what a find! I wonder if the missile's designers were cringing when they saw the crewman wiping the seeker head with a dirty rag. That missile must have seemed like science fiction at the time.

[@johnmarlin4661]

Who knew they had refueling probe ? Plus AIM9

[@SkyhawkSteve]

ha! I had that same reaction about the shop rag being used to wipe the missile's seeker. When I was working on A-4M avionics, I saw too many people using rags to wipe the dust and sand off of the HUD lens, with the predictable result of just scratching the lens up. Terrible.

[@Kingwoodish]

The sidewinder was so new that the armorers did not have scissor jacks to naneuver and lift the missile to attach it to the aircraft pylon. The sheer awkward muscleing of missles in tight quarters is interesting to watch.

[@Pwj579]

Great footage , thanks for sharing!

[@airailimages]

You are very welcome! It is satisfying to find this footage and make it available on Airailimages.

[@ChiefAUS]

Another very fine piece of history rescued by you, Fred. Thanks.

[@airailimages]

You are always welcome!

[@chuckcawthon3370]

Excellent Presentation

[@airailimages]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@nanba25]

The music and the slight (it seems to me) slowing down of the original film give a certain nostalgia … Many thanks for sharing this quality Cold War-era document

[@airailimages]

Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@ervinvice1521]

Fantastic channel - especially for the 20th c. military history geeks and vets among us. USMC 85-91.

[@airailimages]

Thanks for watching, thanks for commenting, and thanks for serving.

[@andykettley1927]

Thanks for posting. Great film.

[@airailimages]

Our pleasure!

[@martinpennock9430]

Great video as always. Aside from the evaluation of the ordinance, this shows how busy a carrier deck can be. Thanks again for all you do and God bless you and yours always! 🇺🇸😊👍

[@airailimages]

My pleasure!

[@stanstenson8168]

"ordnance"

[@stanstenson8168]

Cool snippet of history. Thank you. I can't wrap my head around those guys working the deck without a floatcoat.

[@marlenevan4661]

Or a cranial!

[@edwardelliott5756]

Gosh, I was 5 years old. Wonderful time. God bless the USA!

[@MrRiprip56]

I would be born 7 months later. The cardboard over the end is a cap to protect the missles homer lens,,,,It was an Honor to go about the USS Forrestal before it went to South China Sea, I was only 9-10 and the few months between my visit on family day and the fire aboard the Forrestal..many of those sailors only had months to live, Safe on the carrier. DAMN. 7-29-1967

[@flippinnickelproductions298]

Nice!

[@airailimages]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nicholasmaude6906]

1956 was the IOC for the AIM-9A Sidewinder aka Sidewinder 1 which can be distinguished from its much more numerous AIM-9B aka Sidewinder 1A successor by the absence of roll-on tabs on its' wings.

[@delten-eleven1910]

Wow the first aim-9s; introduced in the mid-50s and still the short range IR missle of the U.S. Looked harder, awkward to load onto low wing early jets of the 50s.

[@rocksnot952]

So different. Wood decks, tugs for the planes, and no cranials. Launched with bridles instead of shuttles and bars. No helo for plane guard. No blast deflectors, either.

[@toybuns775]

Launching with the canopy open...wow.

[@billbright1755]

Naval Aviation requirements are all about catapult launch and hard arrester hook landing capabilities. Also perhaps extra anti corrosion elements for saltwater intrusion. Oft with folding wing arrangements for deck storage and elevator room. Adds to complexity of overall design and additional weight. Mobile air field with refueling and rearmament capability making up for any loss of range. Also air refueling capability for additional deployment range. Douglas AD-4 Skyraider in conjunction with possible rotary wing aircraft could augment search and rescue for operations. Amongst other duties for air wing of carrier task force.

[@stellanstellan8708]

Now, this is very interesting. When the Swedish Air force got AIM-9B in late 50s they seem to have used a practice round called TDU-11, a HVAR converted as a target. Four flares were positioned at the end just like these Sidewinders have them. The target round was fired and soon after the Sidewinder was fired, locking onto the flares. So what are we actually looking at here? Are they test missiles with flares so they could be easily detected even after rocket engine burned out? The have an IR-seeker head, no rollerons at the end of aft fins. Comments?

[@Nighthawke70]

Probably both flare and smoke cartridges were carried, since the missile was still largely an unknown outside the Bloc nations. These inert units were designed to float, weighing the same as normal ordinance would. So the smoke and flares were burn until picked up by helo dropped pararescuers.

[@PauloPereira-jj4jv]

Those early models could hit the targer only from behind.

[@michaelchan1081]

with the technology of the 1950's, that in itself was a miracle. give credit where credit is due.

[@glmm2001]

Those are clearly only for captive carrying; note the lack of rollerons in the rear surfaces. Also, apparently there are four flare like tubes attached to the rear of the missiles which aren’t standard either

[@randelhearne530]

Let's you understand how dangerous and difficult it was loading the armament on those carrier aircraft in the past and still is today.

[@dalemullins4562]

Could you imagine an F-18 launching with the canopy open lol

[@CAMDO]

Great footage. Whats that recon bird at 6:21? Couldnt recognize it immediately

[@airailimages]

F2H-2P Banshee. Thanks for watching!

[@makantahi3731]

it takes off with opened canopy but lands with closed canopy

[@motorTranz]

Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!

[@rafaelmoreirafurtado4586]

Amazing! Video and soundtrack! Please, do you know the soundtrack played in 8:17?

[@giljeep]

superbe images!! si je ne me trompe pas ,l'entrée d'air du Fury est un peu différente de celle du Sabre ? merci

[@clydecessna737]

The FJ-4 was a good plane, if a little late in coming; it should not be forgotten. I believe the Fury shared almost no parts with the F-86.

[@SkyhawkSteve]

Cool! I had no idea that they would launch with the canopy open. Also... I'm so accustomed to seeing the deck crew wearing the bone-dome helmets and ears that it seems weird to see crew not wearing the protective gear. When did this gear become standard?

[@airailimages]

I think you will find some kind of bone dome for deck crew in the 1960s. Hey, thanks for watching!

[@larrylister7949]

When I was an ADJ3 in VF 154 (F-8's) in 1960 - 1962, on the Coral Sea, all we had were the cloth helmets and mickey mouse ears. No hard cranial pads on the cloth helmet.

[@ralfmoller2486]

Are these missiles an inert non-flyable training type?I miss the famous rollerons. Greetings from Germany!

[@Shadowfax-1980]

I think they are inert. They’re painted orange and since they were being used more to test the plane’s handling, I would think they would want to risk one exploding or going off in an accident.

[@stanstenson8168]

The warhead, for sure, is inert. It's blue. I'd bet the motor is also. But I don't see a stripe on it to tell one way from an other.

[@pierredecine1936]

I had no idea the AIM-9 went back to the year of my birth ...

[@KB4QAA]

PD: Actually the AIM-9 program went back into the 1940's. The USAF used a few in the last stages of the Korean War, three years earlier than this footage.

[@brucefrytz8611]

I'm a big aviation buff, but I had no idea that the navy used a carrier-borne version of the Sabre.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Not twin brothers, but same basic design.

[@KB4QAA]

@@WALTERBROADDUS North American Aviation developed the straight wing FJ-1, and then the FJ-2 for the Navy, then with USAF interest developed the F-86. The Navy series continued with the FJ-3, FJ-3M and FJ-4.

[@johnbowles4754]

Did the Fury have 4 50 cal guns or 20mm, I believe that they experimented with 20mm cannons on the F86.

[@airailimages]

20mm in the Fury; yes, experimented with 20mm in an F-86 project.

[@johnbowles4754]

@@airailimages thank you. 😎 👍

[@vondumozze738]

VX-4?

[@jorgejefferson8251]

Was the FJ3 Fury a Navy version of the F-86 but with folding wings and beefed up landing gear?. This is the first time that I saw one or knew anything about it.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Sort of......

[@KB4QAA]

@@WALTERBROADDUS No, the FJ-1 and FJ-2 were developed for the USN, then the F-86 was developed for the USAF. Despite the similarities, there is very little commonality of parts between the FJ-3 and the F-86.

[@billbright1755]

FJ - 4 reached 71,000 feet with hydrogen peroxide boost motor above jet exhaust.

[@georgew.5639]

1956. When men were men. And children weren’t.