FJ Fury in Action

The German introduction of jet fighters into combat during the later stages of the Second World War was viewed by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps as a threat to their air superiority in the Pacific. The Navy felt that Japan, with German technical assistance, might introduce jet fighters into the combat zone. To counter this possible threat, the Navy issued a requirement for a carrier based jet fighter. As a result of this requirement, a request for proposals was formulated by the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAir) and sent to a number of aircraft companies.
From the companies submitting proposals in response to the Navy's request, BuAir selected three for further development. Three different companies were selected, because the Navy felt that there was a need to provide for a backup against the possible failure of one or more of the designs. Jet technology was still in its very early stages and each new design broke new ground and had high risks. The Navy felt that it could not take a chance on a single design so three designs were selected for prototype construction.