The second of the 30 production examples of this early carrier jet fighter, assigned to Air Development Squadron 3 (VX-3), NAS Patuxent River, MD from 1949. It featured "Metalite" skin, made from balsa wood sandwiched between two thin sheets of aluminum. Around 1951 it was moved to Socorro, NM for damage trials and weapons testing on a firing range. By 2002 it had been saved by the New England Air Museum and was then trucked to the Vought plant at Hensley Field, TX for restoration by the Vought Aircraft Heritage Foundation, moving to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in 2012

The F6U-1 was the first USN jet aircraft to have an afterburner. 122479 is the only survivor of the 30 F6U-1 a/c built. It was restored over a ten year period (2002 - 2012) by the Vought Aircraft Heritage Foundation. It arrived at the museum in February 2012, and is on display on the flightline area.

The second production F6U Pirate was rescued from the New Mexico desert where it was relegated to weapons testing as a target. Restored by the volunteers of the Vought Aircraft Heritage Foundation, the early jet joined the National Naval Aviation Museum collection in 2012.