It was the first tailless production fighter in the United States as well as the Navy's first jet equipped with swept wings and the first to be designed with afterburners.

It was initially powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines which were relatively underpowered, contributing to its accident-prone nature; its unreliable hydraulic flight control system was also a source of difficulties.

[3] The Cutlass was developed in response to a competition organised by the United States Navy for a new carrier-capable day fighter that was launched on 1 June 1945.

[2] Reviewing official found the design, despite its unconventional nature, to pose an acceptable level of risk, less so than some of the competing submissions.

[3] On 7 July 1950, Vought test pilot Paul Thayer ejected from his burning prototype in front of an airshow crowd.

[3] Around this time, Vought repeatedly noted its dissatisfaction with the Westinghouse J34 engine to the Navy, alleging that the powerplant was responsible for delivery delays and an inability to perform certain flight tests.

[16] Specific changes included the use of more powerful Westinghouse J46 engines, a stronger airframe that was enlarged by one-third, as well as better maintenance access via additional panels.

[3][17] Test pilot (and later, astronaut) Wally Schirra wrote in his autobiography that he considered the F7U-3 to be accident prone and a "widow maker".

[1] Several positive observations were also recorded by test pilots, such as it being a stable weapons platform, relatively maneuverable, fun to fly, and fairly sturdy with the strengthened airframe.

It featured broad chord, low aspect ratio swept wings, with twin wing-mounted tail fins either side of a short fuselage.

[4] Common nicknames for the F7U amongst naval aviators included the "Gutless Cutlass", the "Ensign Eliminator" and, in kinder moments, the "Praying Mantis".

[3] Allegedly, this was at least partially due to many components having been intended for lower pressure hydraulic systems, resulting in a high rate of failure and thus exacerbating overall unreliability.

[1] During flight testing, aviator John Glenn and various test pilots found the muzzle blast from the 20mm cannons caused the engines to flame out, however this was solved when the US Navy approached weapons expert George M. Chinn who designed a flame-out eliminator,[19][20] a similar device to the Cutts compensator used on the Thompson submachine gun to divert the muzzle blast that solved the problem.

The very long nose landing gear strut required for high angle of attack takeoffs lifted the pilot 14 feet into the air and was fully steerable.

The J34 produced considerably less power than had been originally projected by Westinghouse, yet it was the only engine that could fit the airframe of the Cutlass without extensive reworking.

Both the pilots and ground crews found the aircraft generally unsatisfactory, and it was apparent that the type was still experiencing multiple teething troubles.

[3] Seven F7U-3 Cutlass aircraft are known to have survived: Data from Naval Fighters Number Six,[45] Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation[46]General characteristics Performance Armament