F7F Tigercat

US Navy F7F-3P
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Grumman
Maiden flight	November 1943
Introduced	1944
Retired	1954
Primary users	United States Navy United States Marine Corps
Produced	1943-1946
Number built	364

The Grumman F7F Tigercat was the first twin-engined fighter aircraft design to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed for the new Midway class aircraft carriers, the aircraft were too large to operate from earlier decks. Although delivered to United States Marine Corps combat units before the end of World War II, the aircraft did not see combat service in that war. Most F7Fs ended up in land-based service, as attack aircraft or night fighters; only the later F7F-4N was certified for carrier service. They saw service in the Korean war, and were withdrawn from service in 1954. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1546x1546, 468 KB) Description: Grumman F7F-3P Tigercat (The Fighter Collection) Source: photo taken by Kogo Date: 10. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... The Grumman logo The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading producer of military and civilian aircraft of the 20th century. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... United States Marine Corps seal The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military, which along with the U.S. Navy, is under the United States Department of the Navy. ... The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading producer of military and civilian aircraft of the 20th century. ... An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The Midway class aircraft carrier was one of the longest lived carrier designs in history. ... United States Marine Corps seal The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military, which along with the U.S. Navy, is under the United States Department of the Navy. ... Combatants Allies: United Kingdom, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, Canada, China, India, Australia, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million... Combatants Western Allied/UN combatants: South Korea, United States Communist combatants: North Korea, Peoples Republic of China, Soviet Union Commanders Douglas Macarthur Park Chang-Ju Jang Tak-Sang Kim Il Sung Oh Chol-Lyong Mun Dong-Gee Choi Un-Hyeok Strength Note: All figures may vary according to source. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Development

The contract for the prototype XF7F-1 was signed on June 30, 1941. Grumman's aim was to produce a plane that out-performed and out-gunned all existing fighter aircraft, and that had an auxiliary ground attack capability. Armament was heavy; four 20 mm cannons and four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, as well as underwing and under-fuselage hardpoints for bombs and torpedoes. Performance met expectations too: the F7F Tigercat was one of the highest-performance piston-engined fighters, with a top speed well in excess of the US Navy's single-engined aircraft - 80 mph (130 km/h) faster than a F4U Corsair at sea level. The opinion of the Navy flight testers read, in part, "in addition to its potentialities as a night fighter, this airplane is the best medium-altitude day fighter, Army, Navy or foreign, yet evaluated." For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... Chance Vought F4U Corsair. ...

All this was bought at the cost of heavy weight and a high landing speed, but what caused the aircraft to fail carrier suitability trials was poor directional stability with only one engine operational, as well as problems with the tail-hook design. Therefore, initial production was only used from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters with APS-6 radar. At first they were single-seater F7F-1N aircraft, but after the 34th production aircraft a second seat for a radar operator was added; these planes were designated F7F-2N.

The next version produced, the F7F-3, and modified to correct the issues that caused the aircraft to fail carrier acceptance, and this version was again trialled on the USS Shangri-La. A wing failure on a heavy landing caused the failure of this carrier qualification too. F7F-3 aircraft were produced in day fighter, night fighter and photo-reconnaissance versions. The USS Shangri-La (CV-38) (also CVA-38, CVS-38) was an Ticonderoga-class aircraft carrier. ...

A final version, the F7F-4N, was extensively rebuilt for additional strength and stability, and this did pass carrier qualification, but only twelve were built.

Marine Corps units flying Tigercats saw action in the early stages of the Korean War, flying night interdiction and fighter missions. This was the only combat use of the aircraft.

Most F7F-2Ns were modified to control drones for combat training, and these gained bubble canopies over the rear cockpit for the drone controller.

Two Tigercats were evaluated, but rejected, by the British Royal Navy in 1945, preferring a navalized version of the de Havilland Hornet. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The The de Havilland Hornet was a development of de Havillands classic Mosquito designed as private venture for a long-range fighter for use in the Pacific Theater in the war against Japan. ...

A number of Tigercats were used as water bombers to fight forest fires in the 1960s and 1970s, and for this reason twelve examples exist today. Six of these are still airworthy. An Air National Guard C-130 Hercules drops fire retardant on wildfires in Southern California Aerial firefighting is a method to combat wildfires using aircraft. ... Fire in San Bernardino, California Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire in wildland often caused by lightning; other common causes are human carelessness and arson. ... The outrageously crowded Woodstock festival epitomized the popular antiwar movement of the 60s. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

Was originally nicknamed the "Tomcat" but this name was rejected as it was considered too suggestive. The nickname would much later be used for the Grumman F-14. Sailors prepare an F-14 Tomcat for flight on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003). ...

Specifications (F7F-4N Tigercat)

Data from Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II^[1] Grumman F7F Tigercat From the Naval Air Station Jacksonville web site. ...

General characteristics

• Crew: two (pilot, radar operator)
• Length: 45 ft 4 in (13.8 m)
• Wingspan: 51 ft 6 in (15.7 m)
• Height: 16 ft 7 in (5.1 m)
• Wing area: 455 ft² (42.3 m²)
• Empty weight: 16,270 lb (7,380 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 25,720 lb (11,670 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp radial engines, 2,100 hp (1,600 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 460 mph (740 km/h)
• Range: 1,200 miles (1,900 km)
• Service ceiling: 40,400 ft (12,300 m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
• Power/mass: hp/lb (kW/kg)

Armament

• 4× 20 mm M2 cannon
• 4× .50 cal Browning M2 machine guns
• 2× 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs under wings
• 1× torpedo under fuselage, in place of bombs

Avionics

• AN/APS-19 radar

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft can achieve flight. ... Pratt & Whitney R-2800 The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp was an aircraft engine, and part of the long-lived Wasp family. ... Radial engine of a biplane. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an airplane can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ... The Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20 mm autocannon was one of the most widely used aircraft weapons of the 20th century, used by British, American, French, and many other military services. ... An M2 machine gun surrounded by spent shell casings The M2 . ...

References

1. ^ ‘The Grumman Tigercat’ in Bridgman, Leonard (ed.), Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II (p. 233). (1946). London: Studio. ISBN 1-85170-493-0.

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