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Grumman F6F Hellcat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F6F_Hellcat
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy (USN) service. The Hellcat competed with the faster Vought F4U Corsair for use as a carrier based fighter. The Corsair had significant issues with carrier landings which the Hellcat did not, allowing the Hellcat to become the Navy's dominant fighter in the second part of World War II, a position the Hellcat did not relinquish. The Corsair instead was primarily deployed to great effect in land-based use by the U.S. Marine Corps. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat in some ways, it was a new design,[4] powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800, the same powerplant used for both the Corsair and the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters. Some military observers tagged the Hellcat as the "Wildcat's big brother".[5] The F6F was best known for its role as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter which was able, after its combat debut in early 1943, to counter the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific Theater. Such was the quality of the basic simple, straightforward design, that 12,200 were built in just over two years.[6] Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.[7][Note 2] This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft.[9] Postwar, the Hellcat was phased out of front line service but remained in service as late as 1954 as a night fighter. Role Fighter aircraft National origin United States Manufacturer Grumman First flight 26 June 1942 Introduction 1943 Retired 1960 Uruguayan Navy[2] Primary users United States Navy United States Marine Corps Royal Navy French Navy Produced 1942–45 Number built 12,275 Unit cost $35,000 in 1945 The U.S. Navy much preferred the more docile flight qualities of the F6F compared with the Vought F4U Corsair, despite the superior speed of the Corsair. This preference was especially noted during carrier landings, a critical success requirement for the Navy, in which the Corsair was fundamentally flawed in comparison. The Corsair was thus released by the Navy to the Marine Corps who without the need to worry about carrier landings, used the Corsair to immense effect in land-based sorties. The Hellcat remained the standard USN carrier-borne fighter until the F4U series was finally cleared for U.S. carrier operations in late-1944 (the carrier landing issues had by now been tackled largely thanks to use of Corsair by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm).[37] In addition to its good flight qualities, the Hellcat was easy to maintain and had an airframe tough enough to withstand the rigors of routine carrier operations.[38] Like the Wildcat, the Hellcat was designed for ease of manufacture and ability to withstand significant damage. The U.S. Navy's all-time leading ace, Captain David McCampbell USN (Ret), scored all his 34 victories in the Hellcat. He once described the F6F as "... an outstanding fighter plane. It performed well, was easy to fly and was a stable gun platform. But what I really remember most was that it was rugged and easy to maintain."[46] During the course of World War II, 2,462 F6F Hellcats were lost to all causes; 270 in aerial combat, 553 lost to anti-aircraft ground and shipboard fire, and 341 were lost to operational causes. Of the total figure 1,298 were destroyed in training and ferry operations, normally outside of the combat zones Specifications (F6F-5 Hellcat) General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 33 ft 7 in (10.24 m) Wingspan: 42 ft 10 in (13.06 m) Height: 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) Wing area: 334 ft² (31 m²) Airfoil: NACA 23015.6 mod root; NACA 23009 tip Empty weight: 9,238 lb (4,190 kg) Loaded weight: 12,598 lb (5,714 kg) Max. takeoff weight: 15,415 lb (6,990 kg) Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W "Double Wasp" two-row radial engine with a two-speed two-stage supercharger, 2,200 hp (1,491 kW[91]) Propellers: 3-blade Hamilton Standard Propeller diameter: 13 ft 1 in (4.0 m) *Fuel capacity: 250 gal (946 L) internal; up to 3 × 150 gal (568 L) external drop tanks Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0211 Drag area: 7.05 ft² (0.65 m²) Aspect ratio: 5.5 Performance Maximum speed: 330 kn (391 mph, 629 km/h) Stall speed: 73 kn (84 mph, 135 km/h) Combat radius: 820 nmi (945 mi, 1,520 km) Ferry range: 1,330 nmi (1,530 mi, 2,460 km) Service ceiling: 37,300 ft (11,370 m) Rate of climb: 3,500 ft/min (17.8 m/s) Wing loading: 37.7 lb/ft² (184 kg/m²) Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (260 W/kg) Time-to-altitude: 7.7 min to 20,000 ft (6,100 m) Lift-to-drag ratio: 12.2 Takeoff roll: 799 ft (244 m) Armament Guns: 6× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, with 400 rounds per gun, (All F6F-3, and most F6F-5) or 2 × 0.79 in (20 mm) An/M2 cannon, with 225 rounds per gun and 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns with 400 rounds per gun (F6F-5N only) Rockets: 6 × 5 in (127 mm) HVARs or 2 × 11¾ in (298 mm) Tiny Tim unguided rockets Bombs: up to 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) full load, including: Bombs or Torpedoes: (Fuselage mounted on centreline rack) 1 × 2,000 lb (907 kg) bomb or 1 × Mk.13-3 torpedo; Underwing bombs: (F6F-5 had two additional weapons racks either side of fuselage on wing centre-section) 2 × 1,000 lb (450 kg) or 4 × 500 lb (227 kg) 8 × 250 lb (110 kg) * |
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Grumman F6F Hellcat
Sidewinder practice
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Grumman F6F Hellcat
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