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In 1946, the Navy embarked on the development of the Chance Vought F7U-1 Cutlass, a high-performance, carrier-based jet fighter that would be equal, if not superior, to any land-based fighter. It was tailless for compactness and weight reduction and incorporated afterburning jet engines for transonic speed performance and unparalleled rate of climb. This is a detailed account of how its bright promise went unrealized because the technology required to fulfill it was not yet mature. More than 200 pictures, many not previously published, and almost 70 illustrations, most created for this monograph by the author, augment the 44,000 words of text.