The Vought F7U Cutlass carrier-based jet fighter was one of the most unusual designs ever produced for the United States Navy. Created as Vought's entry into a 1945 day-fighter design competition, it was partially based on aerodynamic data from German companies responsible for World War II’s Nazi aircraft. Vought designers denied the German link at the time. When the revolutionary Cutlass first came into the U.S. Navy service in April 1954, the tailless, swept-wing jet fighter represented a leap