F9F Cougar

The Grumman F9F Cougar (redesignated the F-9 Cougar in the 1962 joint service aircraft designation system) was a aircraft carrier-based fighter aircraft for the United States Navy. Based on the earlier Grumman F9F Panther, the Cougar replaced the Panther's straight wing with a more modern swept wing. The Navy considered the Cougar a mere new version of the Panther (despite adopting a different official name) and thus Cougars started off as F9F-5 and upwards. Grumman F9F Cougar NASA picture from http://www. ... Grumman F9F Cougar NASA picture from http://www. ... The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading producer of military and civilian aircraft of the 20th century. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... 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 around the globe. ... The Grumman F9F Panther was the manufacturers first jet fighter and the US Navys second. ... The swept wing of an airliner: British Midland Airbus A320-200 A swept-wing is a wing planform used on high-speed aircraft that spend a considerable portion of their flight time in the transonic. ...

Prototypes, modified Panthers, were quickly produced and the first flew on September 20, 1951. To the surprise of the Navy (who had been cautious about adopting swept-wing fighters on the carrier deck) the Cougar was easier to fly from carriers than the Panther. The aircraft was still subsonic, but the critical Mach number was increased from 0.79 to 0.86 at sea level and to 0.895 at 35,000 feet (10,000 m), improving performance markedly. The Cougar, unlike the Panther, would not be outclassed by Russian MiG-15s, but it was too late to see Korean war service. September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Mach number (Ma) (pronounced mack in British English and mock in American English) is defined as a ratio of the speed of an object or flow relative to the speed of sound in the medium through which it is travelling. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (NATO reporting name Fagot) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR. History Design began under the bureau designation I-310, which first flew in 1947. ... Overview map of the Korean War The Korean War from June 25, 1950 to cease-fire on July 27, 1953 (the war has not ended officially), was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ...

Versions

• Initial production (646 airfames) was the F9F-6, delivered from mid 1952 through July 1954. Armament was four 20 mm cannons in the nose and provision for 1000 lb (450 kg) bombs or 150 US gallon (570 L) drop tanks under the wings. Most were fitted with a UHF homing antenna under the nose, and some were fitted with probes for inflight refuelling. Later redesignated F-9F in 1962.

• Sixty were built as reconnaissance F9F-6P aircraft with cameras instead of the nose cannon. After withdrawal from active service, many were used as unmanned drones for combat training, designated F9F-6K, or as drone directors, designated F9F-6D. Both the F9F-6K and the F9F-6D, were both redesignated the QF-9F and DF-9F respectively.

• The F9F-6PD was the redesignation of F9F-6P aircraft converted into drone directors.

• The F9F-9K2 was an improved version of the F9F-6K target drone. Later redesignated QF-9G in 1962.

• F9F-7 referred to the next batch of Cougars that were given the Allison J33 engine instead of the Pratt & Whitney J48. 168 were built, but the J33 proved both less powerful and less reliable than the J48. Almost all were converted to take J48s, and were thus indistinguishable from F9F-6s. Later redesignated F-9H in 1962.

• The F9F-8 was the final fighter version. It featured an 8 inch (200 mm) stretch in the fuselage and modified wings with greater chord and wing area, to improve low-speed, high angle of attack flying and to give more room for fuel tanks. 601 aircraft were delivered between April 1954 and March 1957; most were given inflight refuelling probes, and late production were given the ability to carry four AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles under the wings. Most earlier aircraft were modified to this configuration. A number were given nuclear bombing equipment. Later redesignated F-9J in 1962.

F9F-8s were withdrawn from front-line service in 1958-59, replaced by the Vought F8U Crusader and Grumman F11F Tiger. Reserves used them until the mid-1960s, but none saw Vietnam War service. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aerial refueling, also called in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR), is the practice of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. ... Allison J33-A-35, photo USAF Museum The J33 was a US-produced development of Frank Whittles early Rolls-Royce Derwent, enlarged to produce dramatically more thrust, starting at 4,000 lbf and ending at 4,600 lbf with an additional low-altitude boost to 5,400 lbf with... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sidewinder Missile The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft. ... A US Navy VF-103 Jolly Rogers F-14 Tomcat fighter launchers an AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. ... F-8C digital fly-by-wire testbed (NASA) Two F-8 Crusaders Prepare to Launch from the USS Midway (CV-41). ... The F-11 Tiger was a United States Navy fighter aircraft of the late 1950s and early 1960s. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) United States of America South Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand the Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~420,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead: 1,250,000+ US dead: 58,226 US wounded...

• The YF9F-8B was a prototype for a single-seat attack-fighter aircraft. One F9F-8 was converted into the YF9F-8B protorype. Later redesignated YAF-9J.

• The F9F-8B were F9F-8s converted into single-seat attack-fighters. Later redesignated AF-9J.

• 110 photo-reconnaissance versions, the F9F-8P, were also delivered in 1955-57. They were withdrawn after a short life in 1960, but some remained with reserve squadrons.

• The XF9F-6 was the designation given to the first three prototypes of the F9F Cougar.

1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

Training aircraft

• The Navy acquired 377 two-seat F9F-8T trainers between 1956 and 1960. They were used for advanced training, weapons training and carrier training, and served until 1974. They were armed with twin 20 mm cannon and could carry a full bombs or missiles load. In the 1962 redesignation, these were called TF-9J.

• The YF9F-8T was the designation given to one F9F-8 aircraft converted into a prototype. This two-seat prototype was used in the development of the F9F-8T training aircraft. Later redesignated YTF-9J.

• NTF-9J : This designation was given to two TF-9Js used for special test duties.

1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ...

Combat use

The only version of the Cougar to see combat was, oddly enough, the TF-9J trainer; they were used in the airborne command role, directing airstrikes against enemy positions in South Vietnam during 1966 and 1967. Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ...

Foreign use

The only foreign air arm to use the F9F Cougar was Argentina who used the Panther as well. Two F9F-8Ts trainers were acquired in 1962, and served until 1971. The Argentine Navy, after several failures attempts, get the two airframes delivered due a burocracy designation mistake but the United States refuse to send spare parts during the following years. The Cougar was the first jet to break the sound barrier in Argentina. External Link in spanish with pictures 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Argentine Navy Jack The Navy of the Argentine Republic (Armada de la República Argentina, ARA) is the navy of Argentina. ...

Specifications (F9F Cougar)

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 42 ft 2 in (12.9 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 6 in (10.5 m)
• Height: 12 ft 3 in (3.7 m)
• Wing area: 337 ft² (31.3 m²)
• Empty weight: 11,866 lb (5,382 kg)
• Loaded weight: 20,098 lb (9,116 kg)
• Maximum gross takeoff weight: 24,763 lb (11,232 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney J48-P-8A turbojet, 7,250 lbf dry; 8,500 lbf with water injection (32 kN / 38 kN)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 647 mph (1,041 km/h)
• Range: 1,312 miles (2,111 km)
• Service ceiling: 42,000 ft (12,800 m)
• Rate of climb: 5,750 ft/min (29.2 m/s)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: :1

Armament

• 4x 20 mm cannon
• 2x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
• 4x AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles

The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft can achieve flight. ... The Pratt & Whitney J48 is a Pratt & Whitney licensed-built version of the Rolls-Royce Tay turbojet (not to be confused with the current Rolls-Royce Tay turbofan). ... Turbojets are the simplest and oldest kind of general purpose jet engine. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... Service Ceiling—The maximum density altitude where the best rate-of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet-per-minute climb 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. ... Thrust-to-weight ratio (where weight means weight at the Earths surface) is a dimensionless parameter characteristic of rocket and jet engines, and of vehicles propelled by such engines (typically space launch vehicles and jet aircraft). ... Sidewinder Missile The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft. ...

Related content

Related development

F9F Panther The Grumman F9F Panther was the manufacturers first jet fighter and the US Navys second. ...

Designation sequence

• (pre-1962)

F7F - F8F - F9F Panther - F9F Cougar - F10F - F11F The Grumman F7F Tigercat was the first twin-engined fighter aircraft design to enter service with the United States Navy. ... The Grumman F8F Bearcat (affectionately called Bear) was the companys final piston engined fighter aircraft. ... The Grumman F9F Panther was the manufacturers first jet fighter and the US Navys second. ... The Grumman F10F Jaguar was a prototype swing-wing fighter aircraft offered to the US Navy in the early 1950s. ... The F-11 Tiger was a United States Navy fighter aircraft of the late 1950s and early 1960s. ...

• (post-1962)

F-7 - F-8 - F-9 - F-10 - F-11 The Convair F2Y Sea Dart was a unique seaplane fighter aircraft that rode on twin hydro-skis for takeoff. ... F-8C digital fly-by-wire testbed (NASA) Two F-8 Crusaders Prepare to Launch from the USS Midway (CV-41). ... The F3D Skynight was a jet fighter aircraft in service with the United States Navy. ... An F-11 Tiger sits as a gate guardian at the Intrepid Air and Space Museum in New York, NY. The Grumman F-11 Tiger was a single-seat carrier-based United States Navy fighter aircraft in operation during the 1950s and 1960s. ...

Related lists

List of military aircraft of the United States - List of fighter aircraft This list of military aircraft of the United States includes prototype, pre-production and operational types. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ...