EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif -- The Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray arrived for evaluation of the stability and control of the Navy’s first delta-winged fighter. The XF4D was a small aircraft with rounded delta wingtips, and went on to operational use with shipboard squadrons.
The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray) is an American carrier-based fighter/interceptor built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Although it was in service for a relatively short time (1956–1964) and never entered combat, it was the first carrier-launched aircraft to hold the world's absolute speed record, at 752.943 miles per hour, and was the first United States Navy and United States Marine Corps fighter that could exceed Mach 1 in level flight. It was the last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company before it merged with McDonnell Aircraft and became McDonnell Douglas. The F5D Skylancer was an advanced development of the F4D Skyray that did not go into service.