After failing to design a suitable replacement for the Sud-Est Aquilon, the French looked towards the U.S. for a naval fighter. The French Navy would later select the Vought F-8 Crusader, a single-seat fighter that could serve aboard the smaller French carrier vessels. This required a few airframe modifications, like a larger tailplane and more responsive control surfaces. The F-8E(FN) would keep the four 20 mm cannons and the ability to fire AIM-9Bs; however, it was modified to also launch the Matra R530. France ordered 42 Crusaders and used them for over 30 years until they were replaced by the Dassault Rafale.

Introduced in Update "Direct Hit", the F-8E(FN) (France) represents the first entry of the French carrier-based air force into the supersonic era. The Crusader is a relatively difficult aircraft to master, especially when considering the opponents at its battle rating. It has excellent flight performance, being a reasonably fast but extremely agile aircraft, allowing it to easily train its powerful suite of 20 mm cannons on targets or utilise one of its two R550 Magic 1s to take out more evasive opponents. However, with only two missiles at its disposal (or four significantly less effective AIM-9Bs), as well as a lack of defensive features such as countermeasures or RWR, the F-8E(FN) may struggle when facing common opponents armed with all-aspect IR- or SARH-guided missiles.