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Subject: Grumman TBF Avenger
Date: 9 Jul 2016 12:18:48 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_TBF_Avenger
The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General
Motors) is an American torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States
Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval aviation
services around the world.
The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle
of Midway. Despite the loss of five of the six Avengers on its combat debut, it
survived in service to become one of the outstanding torpedo bombers of World
War II. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s
Grumman's first torpedo bomber was the heaviest single-engined aircraft of World
War II, and only the USAAF's P-47 Thunderbolt came close to equalling it in
maximum loaded weight among all single-engined fighters, being only some 400 lb
(181 kg) lighter than the TBF, by the end of World War II. The Avenger was the
first design to feature a new "compound angle" wing-folding mechanism created by
Grumman, intended to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier; the F4F-4
and later models of Wildcat received a similar folding wing and the F6F Hellcat
(both designed by Grumman) employed this mechanism as well. The engine used was
the Wright R-2600-20 Cyclone 14 twin-row radial engine (which produced 1,900
hp/1,417 kW). The aircraft took 25 gallons of oil and used one gallon per minute
at start-up.
Role Torpedo bomber
National origin United States
Manufacturer Grumman
General Motors
First flight 7 August 1941
Introduction 1942
Retired 1960s
Status Retired
Primary users United States Navy
Royal Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Number built 9,839
In June 1943, future-President George H. W. Bush was commissioned as the
youngest naval aviator at the time.[8] Later, while flying a TBM with VT-51
(from the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)), his Avenger was shot down on 2 September
1944 over the Pacific island of Chichi Jima.[9] However, he released his payload
and hit the radio tower target before being forced to bail out over water. Both
of his crewmates died. He was rescued at sea by the American submarine USS
Finback (SS-230). He later received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Specifications (TBF Avenger)
General characteristics
Crew: 3
Length: 40 ft 11.5 in (12.48 m)
Wingspan: 54 ft 2 in[28] (16.51 m)
Height: 15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)
Empty weight: 10,545 lb (4,783 kg)
Loaded weight: 17,893 lb (8,115 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 275 mph[29] (442 km/h)
Range: 1,000 mi (1,610 km)
Service ceiling: 30,100 ft (9,170 m)
Rate of climb: 2,060 ft/min (10.5 m/s)
Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb (0.17 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns:
Rockets:
up to eight 3.5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets, 5-Inch Forward Firing
Aircraft Rockets or High Velocity Aerial Rockets
Bombs:
Up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs or
*
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