The F-8 Crusader was a carrier-based air superiority jet fighter built by Vought for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The first F-8's were airborne February 1955, and served principally in the Vietnam War. The F-8 was the last American fighters with guns as the primary weapon, earning it the title "The Last of the Gunfighters". The RF-8 Crusader played a crucial role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, providing essential low-level photographs impossible to acquire by other means. U.S. Naval Reserve units continued to operate the RF-8 until 1987, replaced the the F-18 Hornet.
