Ordered by the Navy in 1946 as a high-performance carrier-based nuclear strike aircraft, the AJ "Savage" was destined to replace the P2V "Neptune" in this role. Equipped with two 2,400 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines as well as a 4,600 lb thrust Allison J33 auxiliary jet in the tail, the first AJs were delivered to the Navy in 1949. With the completion of carrier suitability tests in 1950, the AJ was introduced into operational service with the fleet as the largest (at the time) nuclear strike aircraft to fly from an aircraft carrier.

The "Savage" displayed its great range capability in the first trans-Atlantic flight by carrier type aircraft when five AJ-1s in company with three P2V-3Cs flew from Norfolk to Port Lyautey, French Morocco. A sixth AJ-1 failed to complete the trip when it was grounded at Lajes, Azores, one of the scheduled en route stops.

In addition to the nuclear strike role, the "Savage" was also modified for use as a carrier-based flight-refueling tanker. Some were fitted with five cameras in a redesigned nose and employed as photo-reconnaissance aircraft. These modifications were in response to the arrival of a new nuclear-strike aircraft, the Douglas A3D, which had beaten out a turbine powered variant of the "Savage" (A2J) in a design competition. AJs remained in service as tankers until the mid-1960s.

Source: National Naval Aviation Museum