Vought F4U Corsair
| Vought F4U Corsair | |
|---|---|
 AU-1 (F4U-6) of the US Marine Corps 1952 |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane and fighter-bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
May 29, 1940 |
| Commissioning: |
1942 |
| Production time: |
1940 to 1953 |
| Number of pieces: |
12,581 |
The Vought F4U "Corsair" was a fighter aircraft made by the US manufacturer Vought - Sikorsky Aircraft (from 1942 Vought Aircraft ). During the Second World War , the single - engine low- wing aircraft with the characteristic gull wing was used as a carrier aircraft in the US Marine Corps and the US Navy in the Pacific War . From 1940 to 1953, 12,581 machines were built in different versions.
The Corsairs were still used in the Korean War , as well as by the French naval aviators in the wars of the 1950s. Your last missions were in 1969 in the " football war " between Honduras and El Salvador .
development
The prototype of the F4U was designed in 1938. The primary development goals of the F4U were minimum drag and maximum speed. For this purpose, the most powerful engine available - the 18-cylinder double radial engine Pratt & Whitney R-2800 with an output of 1,342 kW (1,824 hp) - was installed in the smallest possible fuselage. In order to convert the power of the engine into speed, a propeller with a diameter of four meters was required, which made it difficult to use a conventional landing gear, since the distance between the propeller tips and the ground, which is necessary for the large propeller, could not be achieved without further changes. Vought's chief engineer Rex B. Beisel therefore provided the machine with an inverted gull wing , which gave the F4U its characteristic appearance.
The first prototype of the design, designated by Vought as the V-166B, was ordered in June 1938. The first flight of the XF4U-1 took place on May 29, 1940. On October 1, 1940, it reached a speed of 648 km / h (405 mph ) in straight flight . In mid-1941, the US Navy ordered several hundred machines, but they should have some modifications. In series production, the F4U still got self-sealing fuel tanks and instead of the R-2800-X-2, the R-2800-8 was used, which had an output of 149 kW (203 hp) higher. In addition, the cockpit was moved 91 cm to the rear. The first series-produced aircraft took off on its maiden flight on June 25, 1942, and the first aircraft were delivered a month later.
The carrier trials, most recently in September 1942 on the USS Sangamon , revealed deficiencies such as difficult landing characteristics and insufficient forward visibility. The Navy did not use the machines on the aircraft carriers until the improved F4U-1A, which was delivered from April 1943, was available. The cockpit of the new machines was raised and a new all-round viewing hood was introduced. The Corsair was manufactured by Vought- Sikorsky in Stratford (Connecticut) , from 1948 also by Chance Vought Aircraft in the new plant in Grand Prairie (Texas) near Dallas, as well as (as F3A) also by Brewster on Long Island and as FG- 1 built at Goodyear in Akron, Ohio.
commitment
Second World War
The first combat missions of Corsairs were carried out very successfully in early 1943 by naval aviation squadrons of the United States Marine Corps as part of the Battle of Guadalcanal . The machine was popular with pilots in the Cactus Air Force because of its amazing acceleration and speed . The use on aircraft carriers was initially rejected because, due to the large fuselage tank between the engine and cockpit, the pilot had a four-meter-long front fuselage in front of him, which severely restricted the view during the approach. The F4U was only introduced on the aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy (from autumn 1943) and the US Navy (from summer 1944) after the pilot's seat and hood were raised by 16 centimeters . However, it was still dangerous to use the F4U on an aircraft carrier. The high torque of the engine was a problem for inexperienced pilots, especially at take-off, because the aircraft rolled much faster to the left than to the right, in extreme cases the aircraft rolled over on its back. The large propeller caused additional difficulties due to the gyroscopic effect (see also precession ). When landing, the machine tended to make difficult-to-control jumps and changes of direction on the deck. The F4U quickly got nicknames like "Ensign Killer", "Ensign Eliminator" or "Ensign Burner" (German: " Ensign Murderer"). Experienced pilots noted, however, that the machine was no more difficult to fly than comparable aircraft. Aside from these difficulties, the Corsair was generally stronger than almost any comparable Japanese fighter. Compared to the modern Japanese interceptor J2M Raiden , the Corsair F4U-1 was 60 km / h faster and had a range that was 650 km longer. The Japanese army's Nakajima Ki-84 was, however, a serious opponent, as it was clearly superior to the F4U at low and medium altitudes in terms of climbing performance, maneuverability and speed. She was also heavily armed.
The popular aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh worked as a trainer for Corsair pilots in the Pacific region from 1944 and also flew against Japanese targets himself.
In the Pacific alone, 2140 Japanese aircraft were shot down in aerial battles with 189 losses of their own. The machine was also used very successfully as a fighter-bomber against ground targets.
Korean War
After the Second World War, the machine was further developed - between 1947 and 1948 the F4U-5 followed as a fighter and the F4U-5N as a night fighter with radar , during the Korean War the US Navy and US Marines mainly relied on the various Corsair versions. In the first ten months of the war, the Corsair took over 82% of all tactical support missions of the US Navy and the Marine Corps. While the F4U-5 was used as a fighter-bomber, the F4U-5N took over the night attacks against supply lines. They also fought against the nightly disruptive attacks by the North Korean Air Force with old Po-2 or Yak-18 aircraft . On September 10, 1952, an F4U-4B managed to shoot down a MiG-15 jet. A small number of F4U-5Ps with cameras were used for reconnaissance. Since the US Marines in Korea urgently needed a ground attack aircraft, Vought developed the F4U-6, a short time later it was renamed the AU-1. This special version received reinforced and expanded armor and could now carry various weapons such as high-explosive bombs, napalm containers or unguided 70 mm, 127 mm and 292 mm missiles at a total of 13 external load stations. A total of 223 copies of the F4U-5 were built; the F4U-5N came to 214 units and the AU-1 to a total of 111 machines. In that war 312 Corsair were lost.
Further use
As the last customer, the French Navy Air Force later ordered 94 F4U-7s as a carrier-based multi-purpose aircraft, which were built until the end of 1952 and were used in Indochina , Algeria and the Suez Crisis . After being withdrawn from service by the USA in December 1955 (the machine remained in reserve status for two years) and later also in France, numerous machines were acquired by smaller air forces. Among other things, the F4U was used on both sides in the football war between Honduras and El Salvador in 1969 .
Military users
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Argentina
- In 1956/57, the Argentine Navy procured 26 former US Navy F4U-5 and -5NL as part of a military aid program. The machines were only used for patrol purposes.
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France
- The French Aéronavale used the F4U-7 and AU-1 variants for close air support in the conflicts in Indochina, Algeria and Suez. The retirement took place in 1964.
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El Salvador
- El Salvador used the FG-1D from 1957. In the aerial battles in the conflict with Honduras, Corsair fought each other for the first and only time. The FG-1D were retired in 1971.
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Honduras
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New Zealand
- Royal New Zealand Air Force
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United Kingdom
- Royal Navy
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United States
- US Navy
- US Marines
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Technical data of the individual versions
The F4U-1 machines with a top speed of 671 km / h and their six 12.7 mm machine guns (alternatively four 20 mm cannons, then F4U-1C) were feared by the Japanese . Under the fuselage, the F4U could carry up to three bombs or a torpedo (from the D version), in addition, up to eight missiles (AU-1 ten missiles) were possible under the wings. Of all F4U-1 variants, 4699 copies were built by Vought. 688 F4U-1 had a low pilot's seat with a heavily braced cockpit. British designation: Corsair Mk.I
- All performance data relate to altitude and standard atmosphere .
F4U-1
First major production version.
- Weight: empty 4025 kg, normally loaded 5388 kg, maximum 6280 kg
- Length / span / height: 9.99 m / 12.49 m / 4.58 m
- Wing area: 29.17 m²
-
Drive : An 18-cylinder double radial engine Pratt & Whitney-R-2800-8 with a starting power of 1470 kW (2000 HP) and a continuous output of 1231 kW (1675 HP) at an altitude of 6858 m
- Three-blade propeller with a diameter of 4.04 m
- Fuel supply: 1366 l as well as a disposable additional tank with 662 l capacity
-
Performance with standard load:
- maximum range: 1722 km
- Maximum range with maximum refueling and additional tank: 2792 km
(at 1500 m altitude at 285 km / h cruising speed) - Top speed: 671 km / h
(at an altitude of 6600 m) - Gradeability: from 0 m to 3000 m in 5 minutes
- Service ceiling: 11,310 m
-
Armament :
- 6 × 12.7 mm MG Browning M2
- Ammunition: 400 cartridges for the four inner machine guns and 375 cartridges for the two outer machine guns
- up to 1800 kg bomb load
F4U-1A
F4U-1 with a raised pilot's seat and a new cockpit. In addition, an 897 liter tank in front of the cockpit and a 235 liter tank in each of the wings were installed. This increased the range with standard armament to 2,425 kilometers. 2066 pieces built.
- Later retrofitting of many F4U-1A with R-2800-8W with water / alcohol injection.
- Many F4U-1As for the United States Marine Corps were shipped with non-foldable wings and no catch hooks.
- Goodyear manufactured an additional 1704 FG-1 and FG-1A, Brewster 738 F3A-1 / F3A-1D (Corsair Mk.IV) .
F4U-1B
- Designation for F4U-1A of the Royal Navy with shortened wingspan to fit in the hangars of British carriers. British name: Corsair Mk.II .
F4U-1C
-532_aboard_USS_Windham_Bay_(CVE-92)_on_12_July_1945_(80-G-262657).jpg)
- 200 aircraft with four 20 mm M2 cannons (instead of the six 12.7 mm MG).
F4U-1D
- serial installation of the P&W R-2800-8W with water-alcohol injection, which increased the top speed to 684 km / h. Removal of the 235 liter wing tanks.
- Launching devices for eight missiles under the wings, equipment with two underwing stations for additional tanks or 407 kg bombs.
- Goodyear delivered another 2303 FG-1D (Corsair Mk.III) .
- Again a higher pilot's seat and new blown pulpit.
F4U-1P
- Conversion of some F4U-1 to photo reconnaissance.
F4U-2
- Conversion of 32 F4U-1 to night fighters with radar, first variant deployed from aircraft carriers, deployed in 1944 by Squadron VF (N) -101 on the carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Intrepid (CV-11) , from VF (N) -75 in the Southwest Pacific.
- Armament reduced to five Browning M2 due to the radar on the right wing leading edge
- Flame suppressors for the exhaust system
XF4U-3
- Three F4U-1s with R-2800-14 and -16 engines with high-altitude turbochargers (2028 hp at 7620 m altitude) flew in 1946, one being an FG-3 built by Goodyear.
- Top speed: 663 km / h at an altitude of 9144 m
- Max. Flight altitude: 11704 m
- Max. Takeoff weight: 5962 kg
F4U-4
_off_Korea,_in_1950_(80-G-419929).jpg)
The F4U-4 was the second main production version. Your prototype took off for the first flight in April 1944 and the first copies were delivered to the US Navy at the end of October 1944. Compared to the first series version, a more powerful engine through water injection, a new carburetor and a new propeller were used. A total of 2357 F4U-4s of all versions were built by 1947.
- Length: 10.26 m
- Span: 12.48 m
- a double radial engine Pratt & Whitney -R-2800-18W with 1567 kW (2130 PS)
- Max. Takeoff weight: 6654 kg
- Top speed: 714 km / h (without external loads)
- Max. Flight altitude: 12,500 m
- Climbing rate: 18.8 m / s
- Armament: 6 × 12.7 mm machine guns, 908 kg bombs, unguided rockets
F4U-4B
- 297 built F4U-4s with four 20 mm M2 cannons
F4U-4C
- F4U-4 with four 20 mm M2 cannons
F4U-4E and F4U-4N
- Night attack aircraft with radar
F4U-4P
- Seven photo scouts
F4U-5
The F4U-5 was the first post-war model of the F4. The F4U-5 was characterized by its engine optimized for high altitudes. Flight tests of the prototype began on April 4, 1946. The various versions were produced until October 1951. A total of 223 pieces were built.
- a double radial engine Pratt & Whitney -R-2800-32W with 1715 kW (2332 HP) takeoff power, 2058 kW (2798 HP) combat power (with water injection)
- Top speed: 756 km / h at 8230 m
- Max. Climbing rate: 24.4 m / s
- Max. Flight altitude: 12,802 m
- Empty weight: 4392 kg
- Max. Takeoff weight: 6627 kg
- Max. Range: 2466 km (with external tanks)
- four 20 mm M3 cannons (231 rounds per barrel)
F4U-5N / NL
- 315 built, night fighter (NL with winter equipment). Teardrop-shaped fairing in the right wing for an AN / APS-19 radar with a range of 8 km.
- Eclipse Pioneer P 1 autopilot
- AN / APN-1 radio altimeter
- APX-2 transponder (friend / foe detection)
F4U-5P
- 30 photo scouts
XF4U-6 / AU-1
The XF4U-6 was the prototype of a version that had been further developed into a fighter-bomber for low-level attacks. It was equipped with armor reinforced by 25 plates and could carry a larger weapon load of up to 1814 kg. Despite some negative reviews by the marine facility NATC, the machine was manufactured in series as the AU-1 from 1952.
- 111 built
- Max. Takeoff weight: 8799 kg
- Double radial engine Pratt & Whitney -R-2800-83W with 1715 kW (2330 PS) for low altitudes, top speed 400 km / h, range 810 km
- Ground attack variant with under wing stations for up to four 407 kg bombs
F4U-7
Last F4U series, built until July 2, 1952. 94 units built for the French Navy, from which they were used until 1964. The airframe of an F4U-6 (AU-1) was combined with the engine of an F4U-4.
- Double radial engine Pratt & Whitney -R-2800-18W with 1567 kW (2130 PS)
- Length: 10.39 m
- Span: 12.48 m
- Top speed: 718 km / h without and 683 km / h with external loads
- Max. Flight altitude: 13,000 m
- Operational range: 1560 km
- Max. Takeoff weight: 8799 kg
F2G
- 28-cylinder quadruple radial engine Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major with 2206 kW (3000 hp)
- Full view pulpit
- Goodyear built five F2G-1 (without foldable wings) and five F2G-2 (with foldable wings) each
- Length: 10.30 m
- Span: 12.50 m
- Top speed: 694 km / h
- Max. Flight altitude: 11,800 m
- Range: 3146 km with additional tanks
- Max. Takeoff weight: 6995 kg
production
Acceptance of the Corsair by the US Navy:
| Manufacturer | version | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vought-Sikorsky, Stratford | XF4U-1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Vought, Stratford | F4U-1 | 178 | 1,780 | 2,668 | 73 | 4,699 | ||||||||||
| Vought, Stratford | XF4U-4 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Vought, Stratford | F4U-4 | 1,973 | 246 | 132 | 2,351 | |||||||||||
| (Chance-) Vought, Stratford | F4U-5 | 71 | 256 | 61 | 107 | 73 | 568 | |||||||||
| Chance-Vought, Stratford | F4U-7 MDAP | 79 | 15th | 94 | ||||||||||||
| Brewster, Johnsville | F3A-1 | 136 | 599 | 735 | ||||||||||||
| Goodyear, Akron | FG-1 | 377 | 1,327 | 1,704 | ||||||||||||
| Goodyear, Akron | FG-1D | 781 | 1,522 | 2,303 | ||||||||||||
| Goodyear, Akron | F2G-1 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Goodyear, Akron | F2G-2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||
| Chance-Vought, Stratford | AU-1 | 111 | 111 | |||||||||||||
| TOTAL | 1 | 0 | 178 | 2,293 | 5,380 | 3,575 | 248 | 204 | 256 | 61 | 107 | 73 | 190 | 15th | 12,581 |
Trivia
Because of their typical whistling flight noise when approaching, which the coolers caused, they were referred to as " Whistling Death " (German: "Whistling Death"). The term “ Whispering Death ” (German: “whispering death”), which is also often attributed to the F4U, refers to the Bristol Beaufighter .
In the US television series Pazifikgeschwader 214 about the Marines squadron 214 , called "the black sheep", six F4U Corsair were used.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael O'Leary: Vought F4U Corsair - Database . In: Airplane Monthly October 2002, p. 44
- ↑ a b c d e FliegerRevue August 2011, pp. 54–57, F4U Corsair
- ↑ Barrett Tillman: Corsair. The F4U in World War II and Korea. Naval Institute Press, 2014, first published 1979, pp. 68ff, 82f.
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946. pp. 94 ff; 1947, p. 115; 1948II, p. 16; 1949, p. 164 ff .; 1951, p. 153 ff .; 1952, p. 153 ff .; 1953, p. 180 ff .; www.uswarplanes.net