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Subject: Grumman F6F Hellcat
Date: 5 Aug 2016 17:39:52 -0700
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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
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)
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)
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)
drop tanks
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0211
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)
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:
F6F-3, and most F6F-5) or
mm) Browning machine guns with 400 rounds per gun (F6F-5N only)
Rockets:
Bombs: up to 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) full load, including: Bombs or Torpedoes:
Underwing bombs: (F6F-5 had two additional weapons racks either side of fuselage
*
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