The Vought O2U Corsair is a 1920s

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

scout and observation aircraft. Developed by Vought Corporation, the O2U was ordered by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

(USN) in 1927. Powered by a 400 hp (298 kW)

Pratt & Whitney R-1340 The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp is an aircraft engine of the reciprocating engine, reciprocating type that was widely used in United States, American aircraft from the 1920s onward. It was the Pratt & Whitney aircraft company's first engine, an ...

engine, it incorporated a steel-tube fuselage structure and a wood wing structure with fabric covering. Many were

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...

s or amphibians. The O2U was the first of several Vought planes to bear the name Corsair. The

Vought SBU Corsair The Vought SBU-1 Corsair was a two-seat, all-metal biplane dive bomber built by Vought Aircraft Company of Dallas, Texas for the US Navy. Its design was based upon the F3U-1 two-seat fighter that was abandoned when the Navy decided not to obta ...

of 1933,

Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Vought, Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production con ...

of 1938, and

A-7 Corsair II The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design wa ...

of 1963 all also bore the name.

Design and development

Two prototypes were ordered in 1926 and tested by the Navy Trial Board before the first production batches were ordered. In 1927, a total of 291 O2Us were produced. The O2U-2, -3 and -4 were ordered in 1928 with minor changes. By 1930 they were being superseded by the O3U which was basically similar to the O2U-4, one variant of which was fitted with the

Grumman The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 19 ...

float, and were manufactured until 1936. A total of 289 were built.Eden and Moeng 2002 Many of them had cowled engines and some had enclosed

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, on the front part of an aircraft, spacecraft, or submersible, from which a pilot controls the vehicle. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls th ...

Operational history

The 600-690 hp (448-515 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1690-42 Hornet engine was used to power Corsairs designated SU-1 to SU-4. The change in designation reflected their role as scouts (their larger engines and heavier weight precluded their use as floatplanes, and USN examples were only used on wheels from either carrier decks or land bases). A total of 289 SU designated aircraft were built for the USN. No fewer than 141 Corsairs were still serving with the

and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

when the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in December 1941. Export versions included the Corsair V-65F, V-66F and V-80F for the Argentine Navy, the V-80P for the Peruvian Air Force, and the V-85G for

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

purchased Corsair variants V-65C and V-92C.

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

purchased 36 aircraft V-65B, some hydroplanes V-66B and 15 V-65F. In March 1929,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

purchased 12 armed aircraft O2U-2M versions with the Wasp engine to quell a military coup; Mexico then built 31 more units under licence, and called them ''Corsarios Azcárate'' O2U-4A. In 1937, Mexico purchased 10 V-99M equipped with the Pratt & Whitney R-1340-T1H-1 550 hp Wasp engine, some of them may have been sent to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

purchased the 42 export versions of O2U-1 from 1929 to 1933, and 21 export versions of O3U between 1933 and 1934 and they saw extensive bombing actions. The O2U-1 versions participated in the

Central Plains War The Central Plains War () was a series of military campaigns in 1929 and 1930 that constituted a Chinese civil war between the Nationalist Kuomintang government in Nanjing led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and several regional military command ...

and in the

January 28 Incident The January 28 incident or Shanghai incident (January 28 – March 3, 1932) was a conflict between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. It took place in the Shanghai International Settlement which was under international control. Japa ...

against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese targets, while the O3U versions first participated in the

Battle of Pingxingguan The Battle of Pingxingguan () was a battle between Chinese and Japanese troops at the Pingxing Pass. The Japanese army defeated the numerically-superior Nationalist army and occupied the pass over the course of a week. This battle also saw coope ...

to support the Chinese ground forces, and later against the Japanese targets in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

purchased two Vought OSUs which were designated UO-1A. Later, in 1929, 12 O2U-1 were acquired. Used first as trainers, they saw action against APRA rebels in the northern areas of the country, and against Colombian ships and aircraft during the Colombia-Peru War. None were lost due to enemy fire, but several were destroyed due to accidents. These aircraft were also used for light bombing and casualty evacuation by the U.S. Marine Corps during the U.S. intervention in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

in the late 1920s.

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

used its Corsairs in the

Franco-Thai War The Franco-Thai War (October 1940 – 28 January 1941, ; ) was fought between Thailand and Vichy France over certain areas of French Indochina. Negotiations shortly before World War II had shown that the French government was willing to alter th ...

and in the

Battle of Ko Chang The Battle of Ko Chang took place on 17 January 1941 during the Franco-Thai War. A flotilla of French warships attacked a smaller force of Thai vessels, including a coastal defence ship. The battle resulted in a tactical victory by the French Na ...

against the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

. The most famous "combat" operation of the O2U was its use in the 1933 film ''

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

'', in which O2Us shoot the giant ape

off of the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story, Art Deco-style supertall skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its n ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Variants

;XO-28: Single example taken on charge by the

U.S. Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

for evaluation with serial ''29-323'',

Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Loc ...

Project Number P-547, powered by a 450 h.p. R-1340-C engine. Destroyed in hangar fire at Wright Field, Ohio, 18 March 1930. ;O2U-1: two prototypes followed by 130 production aircraft for USN with interchangeable wheel/float landing gear and 28 aircraft for other customers. 450 hp (336 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1340-88 Wasp engine ;O2U-2: 37 built, increased span and larger rudder ;O2U-3: 110 built (30 for export), revised wing rigging, redesigned tail surfaces and Pratt & Whitney R-1340-C engine ;O2U-4: 43 built (1 for export. Also seven civilian O2U were built), similar to O2U-3 but with equipment changes ;O3U-1: 87 built as

observation seaplane Observation seaplanes are military aircraft with flotation devices allowing them to land on and take off from water. Their primary purpose was to observe and report enemy movements or to spot the fall of shot from naval artillery, but some were a ...

s incorporating Grumman amphibious float ;O3U-2: 29 built, strengthened airframe,

Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet The Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet was a widely used American aircraft engine. Developed by Pratt & Whitney, 2,944 were produced from 1926 through 1942. It first flew in 1927. It was a single-row, 9-cylinder air-cooled radial design. Displaceme ...

engine ;O3U-3: 76 built, 550 hp (410 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1340-12 Wasp engine. ;O3U-4: 65 built, Pratt & Whitney R-1690-42 Hornet engine. ;XO3U-5: test aircraft with

Pratt & Whitney R-1535 The Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior is an American aircraft engine developed in the 1930s. The engine was introduced in 1932 as a 14-cylinder version of the 9-cylinder R-985, and was a two-row, air-cooled radial design. Displacement was ...

engine ;XO3U-6: test aircraft converted from O3U-3 with NACA cowling and enclosed cockpits ;O3U-6: 32 built, 16 with Pratt & Whitney R-1340-12 Wasp and 16 with Pratt & Whitney R-1340-18 Wasp engines ;SU-1: Scout version of the O3U based on the O3U-2, 28 built"Vought".
''Aerofiles.'' Retrieved: 18 January 2011. ;SU-2: Scout version of the O3U based on the O3U-4, 53 built ;SU-3: Variant of the SU-2 with low-pressure tires, 20 built ;XSU-4: SU-2 converted as a prototype SU-4 variant with a 600 hp R-1690-42 engine, later became an SU-4. ;SU-4: SU-4 re-engined with a 600 hp R-1690-2 engine, 41 built :One United States Navy O2U-3 evaluated by the United States Army Air Corps. ;Vought V-65B: Export version for Brazil - 36 ;Vought V-65C: Export version for Nationalist China ;Vought V-65F: Export version for Argentine Navy ;Vought V-66B: Export version for Brazil ;Vought V-66E: Export version for United Kingdom, powered by Pratt & Whitney Wasp D.1 engine, one brought for evaluation by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, delivered 1933 and discarded 1936. ;Vought V-66F: Export version for Brazil - 15, and Argentine Navy ;Vought V-80F: Export version for Argentine Navy ;Vought V-80P: Export version for Peruvian Air Force ;Vought V-85G: Export version for Germany ;Vought V-92C: Export version for Nationalist China ;Vought V-93S: Export version of the O3U-6 for Thailand. Locally designated B.F.5 () as a trainer and B.J.1 () as an attack aircraft. ;Vought V-99M: Export version for Mexico ;TNCA Corsario Azcárate: 31 O2U-4A aircraft built under license in Mexico. ;Vought AXV1: A single O2U supplied to the

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The (IJNAS) was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired its first aircraft in ...

for evaluation in 1929. ;O1V:

Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...

designation of the O2U-2A. ;O2V: Brazilian Navy designation of the V-66B.

Operators

; *

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...

Argentine Naval Aviation The Argentine Naval Aviation (', COAN) is the naval aviation branch of the Argentine Navy and one of its four operational commands. Argentina, along with Brazilian Navy, Brazil is one of two South American countries to have operated two aircraft c ...

; *

Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...

; *

Chinese Nationalist Air Force Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

Chinese Red Army The Chinese Red Army, formally the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army( zh, labels=no, t=中國工農紅軍) or just the Red Army( zh, labels=no, t=紅軍), was the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1928 to 1937. I ...

- One V-65-C1 was obtained from a defection during the

Long March The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...

and named "Lenin". ; *

Cuban Air Force The Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force () commonly abbreviated to DAAFAR in both Spanish and English, is the air force of Cuba. History Background The Cuban Army Air Force was the air force of Cuba that existed prior to 1959. The a ...

- received at least 14 O2U-1A and O2U-3As from 1929.Hagedorn 1993, p. 10. ; *

Dominican Air Force The Air Force of the Dominican Republic (), is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Navy. History At the end of the United States occupation of the Dominican Republic, whic ...

- received one O2U-1 and two O2U-3SDs.Hagedorn 1993, p. 96. ; - commercial variant (V-85G) used to deliver mail from the ocean liners SS Bremen and SS Europa ; *

Imperial Japanese Army Air Force The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ) was the Military aviation, aviation force of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Its primary mission was to provide tactical close air support for ground ...

; *

Mexican Air Force The Mexican Air Force (FAM; ) is the air service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and as such overseen by the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of the FAM is to defend the integrity, in ...

; *

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force (, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Military of Peru, Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of aerial warfare, air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding i ...

; *

, one V.66E for evaluation ; *

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

one for evaluation *

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

; *

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

had 70 operational aircraft at the time of the

French-Thai War The Franco-Thai War (October 1940 – 28 January 1941, ; ) was fought between Thailand and Vichy France over certain areas of French Indochina. Negotiations shortly before World War II had shown that the French government was willing to alter th ...

Specifications (SU-4 Corsair)

Vought_O2U-2_3-view_Aero_Digest_November_1928

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * *