The Crusader was built around guns at a point when missiles were expected to make close manoeuvring combat obsolete. Its variable-incidence wing, all-moving tail, and extensive use of titanium gave the airframe features associated with much later fighters. Service with the US Navy, US Marine Corps, French Navy, and Philippine Air Force linked American carrier aviation with allied Cold War forces. The engine dominates the aircraft's shape, and its purpose is plain: manoeuvre until the four cannon can be brought onto a target.
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Why the Crusader was the last gunfighter
The F-8 was designed around getting four cannon onto a target, while still carrying missiles: the Cold War fighter often called the last gunfighter.