Grumman F9F Panther

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F9F_Panther

The Grumman F9F Panther was the manufacturer's first jet fighter and one of the
United States Navy's first successful carrier-based jet fighters. A
single-engined, straight-winged day fighter, it was armed with four 20 mm (0.79
in) cannon and could carry a wide assortment of air-to-ground munitions.

The Panther was used extensively by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the Korean
War. It was also the first jet aircraft used by the Blue Angels aerobatics
demonstration team, from 1949 through late 1954. The aircraft was exported to
Argentina and was the first jet used by the Argentine Naval Aviation.

Total F9F production was 1,382. The design evolved into the swept wing Grumman
F-9 Cougar.

The prototype Panther, piloted by test pilot Corky Meyer, first flew on 21
November 1947. American engines available at the time included the Allison J33
and Westinghouse J34, but these were not considered sufficiently reliable, so
the Navy specified the imported Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet, which was also more
powerful, at 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) of thrust. Production aircraft would have a
Nene, built under license by Pratt & Whitney as the J42. Since there was
insufficient space within the wings and fuselage for fuel for the thirsty jet,
permanently mounted wingtip fuel tanks were added, which incidentally improved
the fighter's rate of roll.

From 1946, a swept-wing version was considered and after concerns about the
Panther's inferiority to its MiG opponents in Korea, a conversion, known as
Design 93, resulted in a swept-wing derivative, the F9F Cougar, which retained
the Panther's designation number.


Role
Fighter-bomber

Manufacturer
Grumman

First flight
21 November 1947

Retired
1958, U.S. Navy
1969, Argentina

Primary users
United States Navy
United States Marine Corps
Argentine Navy

Number built
1,382

Developed into
Grumman F-9 Cougar

The Grumman Panther was the primary US Navy and USMC jet fighter and
ground-attack aircraft in the Korean War. The Panther was the most widely used
U.S. Navy jet fighter of the Korean War, flying 78,000 sorties and scoring the
first air-to-air kill by the U.S. Navy in the war, the downing of a North Korean
Yakovlev Yak-9 fighter. F9F-2s, F9F-3s and F9F-5s, as rugged attack aircraft,
were able to sustain operations, even in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire.
The pilots also appreciated the air conditioned cockpit, which was a welcome
change from the humid environment of piston-powered aircraft.

Despite their relative slow speed, Panthers also managed to shoot down two
Yak-9s and seven Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s for the loss of two F9Fs. On 3 July
1950, Lieutenant, junior grade Leonard H. Plog of U.S. Navy's VF-51 flying an
F9F-3 scored the first U.S. Navy air victory of the war by shooting down a
Yak-9.

The first MiG-15 was downed on 9 November 1950 by Lieutenant Commander William
(Bill) Amen of VF-111 "Sundowners" flying an F9F-2B. Two more MiG-15s were
downed on 18 November 1950.

On 18 November 1952, Lt. Royce Williams of VF-781, flying off USS Oriskany
destroyed four MiGs in a single, 35-minute combat. This unique feat has remained
little-known, due to the involvement of National Security Agency (NSA) – the
existence of which was then top secret – in planning the mission. Following
intelligence provided by the NSA, the MiGs had been intercepted during a series
of air strikes against the North Korean port of Hoeryong, across the mouth of
the Tumen River from the major Soviet naval base at Vladivostok. After losing
contact with his wingman, Williams found himself alone in a dogfight with six
MiG-15s; when he was able to land on Oriskany, his Panther was found to have
sustained 263 hits from by cannon shells or fragments, and to be beyond repair.
Williams' victories were even more notable in that all four MiGs were flown by
Soviet Naval Aviation pilots: Russian sources confirmed Williams' claims, 40
years later, stating that the pilots lost were Captains Belyakov and Vandalov,
and Lieutenants Pakhomkin and Tarshinov.

Specifications (F9F-2 Panther)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 37 ft 5 in (11.3 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 0 in (11.6 m)
Height: 11 ft 4 in (3.8 m)
Wing area: 250 ft² (23 m²)
Empty weight: 9,303 lb (4,220 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,235 lb (6,456 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 16,450 lb (7,462 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney J42-P-6/P-8 turbojet, 5,950 lbf (26.5 kN) with
water injection

Performance
Maximum speed: 500 kn (575 mph, 925 km/h)
Range: 1,353 mi (1,175 nmi, 2,177 km)
Service ceiling: 44,600 ft (13,600 m)
Rate of climb: 5,140 ft/min (26.1 m/s)
Wing loading: 71 lb/ft² (350 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.42

Armament

Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) AN/M3 cannon, 190 rpg
Hardpoints: Underwing hardpoints and provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 6 × 5 in (127 mm) rockets on underwing hardpoints
Bombs: 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs






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