Grumman F8F
| Grumman F8F Bearcat | |
|---|---|
.jpg) F8F-1 "Bearcat" |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
August 21, 1944 |
| Commissioning: |
1945 |
| Production time: |
1945 to 1949 |
| Number of pieces: |
1,266 |
The Grumman F8F Bearcat was a piston engine - driven, carrier-supported single - seater fighter in all-metal construction, built by Grumman . The production of this series only began towards the end of the Second World War , which is why it was no longer used in war.
The story of the Bearcat
The order
On November 27, 1943, got Grumman Corporation from the US Navy , the G-58 project in the order, prototype stage to bring. The US Navy ordered two prototypes, which were given the type designation XF8F-1. The first prototype had its maiden flight on August 21, 1944.
Equipment and characteristics of the Bearcat
Like the Grumman F6F, the Bearcat was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine, but the design made it around 10% faster. The range was about 1778 km, the rate of climb was 23.2 m / s. The first of the two prototypes made its maiden flight on August 21, 1944 with an R-2800-22W engine. The prototype achieved a rate of climb of 24.4 m / s and a top speed of 682 km / h. The Bearcat was first with four machine guns of caliber mm equipped 12.7 in the wings. Beneath the surfaces, she could carry two 454 kg bombs , four 127 mm missiles, or two auxiliary fuel tanks.
_in_September_1949_(80-G-427668).jpg)
,_in_1952.jpg)
production
On October 6, 1944, Grumman received an order from the US Navy to produce 2,023 F8F-1s. A few months later, on February 5, 1945, Eastern Aircraft (General Motors) received an order to manufacture aircraft under the type designation F8M-1 in 1876. Grumman began deliveries in February 1945. The Bearcats were assigned to the VF-19 Fighter Squadron in Santa Rosa (which was deployed in May 1945) and transferred to the Langley light aircraft carrier.
The Second World War ended without a combat mission by the F8F. The Navy reduced its order to 770 machines, but at the same time ordered 126 machines of the type F8F-1B. Instead of the four 12.7 mm MG M2 and 300 rounds of ammunition each, these were equipped with four 20 mm cannons and 200 rounds of ammunition each. In addition, the machines could carry two or three external loads of up to 908 kg. 15 machines of the original order were converted to F8F-1N night fighters with the APS-6 radar under the wings .
The F8F-2, which took off for its first flight in June 1947, differed from the F8F-1 in that it had a more powerful 2250 hp R-2800-30W engine and the standard installation of 20 mm cannons, as well as an enlarged vertical tail unit. Here, too, there were some conversions in the night fighter F8F-2N (about 15 pieces) and photo reconnaissance aircraft F8F-2P (about 60 pieces). There were also two test aircraft registered as G58A civil.
The Navy continued to scrap the old machines and replaced them with Bearcats . Production ended in May 1949. At that time, twelve squadrons were flying the F8F-1 and another twelve the F8F-2. At the end of 1952, the F8F was decommissioned from the US Navy. The Thai Air Force retired their last Bearcats in 1960.
use
Its use in the US Navy was pretty brief. A total of 384 F8Fs were shipped to Southeast Asia as part of the Mutual Aid Defense Program. The French troops in Indochina received a total of 215 aircraft between 1951 and 1954. Of these, 107 were lost, 41 of them in combat. Of the remaining aircraft, the South Vietnamese Air Force received 70 aircraft, 38 went to Thailand. Thailand itself received 169 Bearcats between 1952 and 1955, that is 207 Bearcats together with the French aircraft. Both air forces retired the Bearcat in 1960.
In the late 1940s, the Bearcat was also used by the US Navy aerobatic team, the Blue Angels .
Racing plane
After the Second World War, the Bearcat enjoyed great popularity as a racing aircraft . The best-known representative is the modification of an F8F-2 called Rare Bear , which has been used successfully for years . This aircraft also holds the speed record for piston-powered aircraft on a 3km course with restricted altitude ( FAI Class C-1 Group 1) at 850.24 km / h.
production
Acceptance of the Bearcat by the US Navy:
| Type | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XF8F-1 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| F8F-1 | 2 | 208 | 341 | 337 | 8th | 896 | |
| F8F-2 | 295 | 70 | 365 | ||||
| G-58A | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| total | 4th | 208 | 341 | 338 | 303 | 71 | 1,265 |
The production numbers break down as follows:
| version | number | comment |
|---|---|---|
| XF8F-1 | 2 | 1944 |
| F8F-1 | 654 | from 1945 |
| F8F-1B / C | 226 | until August 1947 |
| XF8F-1N | 2 | 1945 |
| F8F-1N | 12 | |
| XF8F-2 | 2 | 1947 |
| F8F-2 | 293 | November 1947 to April 1949 |
| F8F-2P | 60 | February 1948 to May 1949 |
| F8F-2N | 12 | |
| G58A | 2 | 1947 and 1949 |
Users
Performance data
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 8.61 m |
| span | 10.92 m |
| height | 4.22 m |
| Wing area | 22.67 m² |
| Elongation | 5.3 |
| Empty mass | 3,207 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 5,873 kg |
| drive | an 18-cylinder double radial engine Pratt & Whitney R-2800 -34W Double Wasp with 1,566 kW (2,100 PS) |
| Top speed | 677 km / h at an altitude of 6,004 m |
| Service ceiling | 11,795 m |
| Range | 1,778 km |
| Armament | four 12.7 mm machine guns , four 127 mm missiles, or two 454 kg (1,000 lbs) bombs |
See also
literature
- KL documentation: The fast Cat. Aircraft report Grumman F8f Bearcat. In: Klassiker der Luftfahrt , 08/2019, pp. 52–59.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b FliegerRevue October 2011. pp. 54–57, F7F Tigercat and F8F Bearcat
- ↑ USAF Statistical Digest 1951 to 1963, table "MDAP Aircraft Deliveries" and table "MDAP Aircraft Attrition by Cause"
- ^ René J. Francillon: Grumman Aircraft Since 1929. London 1989, p. 240 ff.