Grumman F6F Hellcat
Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War.Powered by a 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, the same powerplant used for both the Corsair and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, the F6F was an entirely new design, but it still resembled the Wildcat in many ways.It subsequently established itself as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter, which was able to outperform the A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific theater.[13] Throughout early 1942, Leroy Grumman, along with his chief designers Jake Swirbul and Bill Schwendler, worked closely with the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) and experienced F4F pilots,[14] to develop the new fighter in such a way that it could counter the Zero's strengths and help gain air dominance in the Pacific Theater of Operations.[20] Based on combat accounts of encounters between the F4F Wildcat and A6M Zero, on 26 April 1942, BuAer directed Grumman to install the more-powerful, 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine – which was already in use with Chance Vought's Corsair since 1940 – in the second XF6F-1 prototype.[21] Grumman complied by redesigning and strengthening the F6F airframe to incorporate the 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) R-2800-10, driving a three-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller.[25] The later F6F-3N, first flown in July 1943, was fitted with the AN/APS-6 radar in the fuselage, with the antenna dish in a bulbous fairing mounted on the leading edge of the outer right wing as a development of the AN/APS-4; about 200 F6F-3Ns were built.[20] The F6F-5 featured several improvements, including a more powerful R-2800-10W engine employing a water-injection system and housed in a slightly more streamlined engine cowling, spring-loaded control tabs on the ailerons, and an improved, clear-view windscreen, with a flat armored-glass front panel replacing the F6F-3's curved plexiglass panel and internal armor glass screen.[12][20] In addition, the rear fuselage and tail units were strengthened, and apart from some early production aircraft, most of the F6F-5s built were painted in an overall gloss sea-blue finish.[34] Two XF6F-6s (70188 and 70913) were converted from F6F-5s and used the 18-cylinder 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) Pratt and Whitney R-2800-18W two-stage supercharged radial engine with water injection and driving a Hamilton-Standard four-bladed propeller.[38] 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."[47] During the course of World War II, 2,462 F6F Hellcats were lost to all causes – 270 in aerial combat, 553 to antiaircraft ground and shipboard fire, and 341 due to operational causes.[48] Hamilton McWhorter III, a Navy aviator and a flying ace of World War II, was credited with shooting down 12 Japanese aircraft.[49] Arthur Van Haren, Jr., a Navy combat Hellcat ace of WWII from Arizona, was credited with shooting down 9 Japanese planes.[58] The Hellcat was used for second-line USN duties, including training and Naval Reserve squadrons, and a handful were converted to target drones.These were painted in Gloss Sea Blue, similar to post-World War II US Navy aircraft until about 1955, but had a modified French roundel with an image of an anchor.
Carrier-basedfighter aircraftManufacturerGrummanUnited States NavyUnited States Marine CorpsRoyal NavyFrench NavyUruguayan NavyWorld War IIF4F WildcatMitsubishi A6M ZeroPacific WarVought F4U CorsairPratt & Whitney R-2800 Double WaspUnited States Army Air ForcesRepublic P-47 ThunderboltPacific theaterFleet Air Armnight fightersSto-WingWright R-2600 Twin Cyclonelanding gearGrumman FFLeroy GrummanJake SwirbulBureau of AeronauticsButch O'HareHamilton StandardUSS Essexself-sealing fuel tankM2/AN Browningmachine gunshardpointdrop tankHigh Velocity Aircraft RocketsAN/APS-4aileronsturbochargerUSS BenningtonOkinawaUSS IndependenceKawanishi H8Kflying boatTarawaRabaul, New BritainBattle of the Philippine SeaKawanishi N1KU.S MarineYokosukaNakajima Ki-84Mitsubishi J2MCaptainDavid McCampbellHamilton McWhorter IIIflying aceArthur Van Haren, Jr.ArizonaDistinguished Flying Crosses1840 SquadronLend-Lease ActGannet1844 Naval Air SquadronHMS IndomitableBritish Pacific FleetVJ-Day889 Squadron FAARAF WoodvaleVE DayHMS TrouncerHMS RavagerAtomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiWilliam Stevensontarget droneF8F BearcatNaval Reservetarget dronesUSS BoxerAD SkyraiderBlue AngelsUSS Saint PaulAéronavaleIndochinaFrench Air ForceNormandie-NiemenWright R-2600M2 Browning machine gunsCanadian VickersFranceFrench Naval AviationUnited Kingdom706 Naval Air Squadron709 Naval Air Squadron731 Naval Air Squadron778 Naval Air Squadron891 Naval Air Squadron1847 Naval Air Squadron800 Naval Air SquadronHMS Emperor804 Naval Air SquadronHMS AmeerHMS ShahHMS Ravager808 Naval Air SquadronHMS Khedive888 Naval Air Squadron896 Naval Air SquadronHMS Empress898 Naval Air SquadronHMS AttackerHMS Pursuer881 Naval Air Squadron892 Naval Air SquadronHMS Premier1832 Naval Air Squadron885 Naval Air SquadronHMS Ruler1839 Naval Air Squadron1840 Naval Air SquadronHMS SpeakerUnited StatesUruguayFleet Air Arm MuseumRNAS YeoviltonCollings FoundationStow, Massachusetts