The strangely attractive Vought F4U Corsair is widely considered to have been the best carrier-borne fighter of the war, if not the best US fighter period. Designed by a team led by Rex Beisel and Igor Sikorsky, it was the first US aircraft to break the 400 mph barrier as a prototype and included numerous innovations such as being the first US naval aircraft to have fully enclosed landing gear as well as the first to carry the powerful Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp radial which was also later adopted by the Hellcat and Thunderbolt. Its most recognizable characteristic were the inverted gull wings, with the inner leading edges housing the oil coolers and air intakes. This resulted in a relatively streamlined cigar-shaped fuselage. Unfortunately, the position of the cockpit resulted in poor take-off visibility which combined with torque resulted in the USN declaring it unsuitable for carrier operations, relegating it to ground-based Marine squadrons in the Solomon Islands upon its introduction in early 1943. Consequently, the Hellcat would go on to take the credit for the destruction of Japanese naval air power during the USN's drive across the Pacific in 1943-44. In contrast, the Royal Navy was an early champion of the Corsair and was the first to use it operationally on carriers. This prompted a change of mind by the USN and by late 1944, Corsairs began complementing and later replacing the Hellcat on carrier groups where it was much more suitable platform for defending against kamikazes due to its speed as well for ground attack. Eventually the F4U established a kill ratio of 11:1 against the Japanese and was widely regarded by their pilots to be the most formidable enemy fighter at any altitude. Corsairs were later used extensively in the Korean War in the fighter-bomber role and incredibly, the last example was rolled out as late as 1953, fully one decade after it first entered service with the USMC and resulting in the longest production run of any US fighter until the F-4 Phantom. Corsairs were also used by the French during the 1956 Suez Crisis as well as by both Honduras and El Salvador during the 1969 Football War, their last combat actions.

The XF4U-1 prototype was first flown on 29 May 1940 with the intention of matching the smallest possible airframe to the most powerful engine available. It entered service as the F4U-1 which was easily distinguishable due to its original birdcage canopy. The F4U-1A introduced the raised cockpit and clear-view canopy which became characteristic of this aircraft, while the belly window was painted over or removed. It was also capable of carrying a centerline drop tank or bomb. Further modifications resulted in the F4U-1C with 20-mm cannon and the F4U-1D which featured a water-injection boosted engine and significant ground-attack capability with the addition of two under-fuselage pylons for bombs or drop tanks, and HVAR rockets. It was the first USN Corsair variant to be operated primarily from carriers rather than land bases. Early-versions were also manufactured by Goodyear (FG) and Brewster (F3A), the latter which suffered from poor manufacturing quality and were not used in combat by the US though many were provided to the Royal Navy. For photo-reconnaissance duties, the F4U-1P was developed and a night fighter variant was the F4U-2 which only saw limited service, just like the F4U-3 with a turbocharged engine. The final wartime variant was the F4U-4 which featured a slightly downward-sloping nose to improve visibility, along with an uprated engine and a four-bladed propeller. A dedicated attack version was known as the F4U-4B. Both saw extensive service during the Korean War. Post-war versions included the all-metal F4U-5 fighter-bomber and the AU-1 (later redesignated F4U-6) attack aircraft for the USMC with additional armor protection and a massive payload although this came with a major tradeoff in speed. The similar F4U-7 was designed for the French Aéronavale. Sub-variants included the F4U-5N night fighter with AN/APS-4 or -6 radar in a starboard wing radome. Royal Navy aircraft corresponded to US versions as follows: Corsair Mk. I (F4U-1), Mk. II (F4U-1A), Mk. III (F3A-1) and Mk. IV (FG-1).