It was submitted to the United States Navy for their request for a single-seat carrier-based fighter powered by a 625 hp (466 kW) Wright R-1510-26 engine.

[1] The XF3J had elliptical fabric covered wings which gave it the appearance of a butterfly.

The fuselage was semimonocoque metallic with an aluminum skin.

The undercarriage was fixed, and would be the last biplane fighter without a retractable gear that the U.S. Navy would test.

[1] Data from [1]General characteristics Performance Armament