A Vought F-8 Crusader of Fighter Squadron VF-194 'Red Lightnings' rockets off the catapult aboard USS Ticonderoga (CVA/CVS-14), afterburner blazing, during Vietnam War flight operations. Known to aircrews as 'the last of the gunfighters,' the supersonic F-8 combined cannon armament with air-to-air missiles and served as a frontline Navy fighter over Southeast Asia. Deck crewmen in duty-colored jerseys — a system still used today to identify each sailor's flight-deck role — stand ready as the jet clears the bow. Project: 218063