It absolutely was one-engine, straight-winged big date fighter equipped with five 20mm (0.79 inside the) cannons and may carry rockets and you may bombs. This new Panther was used by United states Navy and you may You Aquatic Corps on Korean Combat the spot where the Panther considering air defense to possess propeller combatant bombers F4U Corsairs and you may Ad Skyraiders. It absolutely was and additionally employed by the us Deep blue Angels and the Argentine Navy.
On concluded for a few solitary engine prototypes designated while the XF9F-dos
Into the step 1 June 1945, Grumman obtained an overview specification to possess a high abilities evening fighter. Their advised routes design try a level mid-side, two-chair (Pilot and you may Radar Agent), nights fighter run on four Westinghouse 24C turbojet motors put up when you look at the pairs lower than for each and every wing. It may be catapulted out-of companies and take regarding unassisted from an obvious patio. It can already been armed with five 20mm cannons which have 250 rounds for each and every gun as found in the nostrils. There would be arrangements having twist-stabilized rockets that will getting transmitted in throughout the nacelle fillets. Getting shops for the carriers, the brand new external wing parts folded and also the nose gear carry out kneel right down to allow the nose to move up under the end otherwise side of another aircraft. On eleven April 1946, Grumman try awarded an agreement additionally the You Navy gave the brand new Grumman construction the new designation XF9F-step 1 and that stood getting, X=experimental, F=fighter, 9=ninth method of, F=Grumman’s builder page designation and you will -1=first design.
The brand new XF9F-step 1 would was actually fifty foot enough time with a span of 55 foot and you may a burden out of 32,306 lbs having a projected rates out of 585 mph.
Another benefit of the fresh new Moves-Royce Nene system build was just about it did not leave any tell-story smoking path to your opponent to understand
During the time, this new XF9F-step one was a student in competition together with other night fighter activities regarding Douglas, Curtis and you may Fleetwings. The united states Navy considered the newest Douglas proposition as being the top framework (and this after became the F3D Skyknight) and you will made a decision to cancel brand new XF9F-1 bargain. When you’re work had been complete toward XF9F-step one, some other Grumman build class are concentrating on habits to have a single engine naval spray fighter to-be run on the british Goes-Royce Nene turbojet engine. Rather than canceling the new XF9F-1 bargain, Grumman confident best interracial dating sites the us Navy to enhance the present package to accommodate the newest routes structure rather than cancelling the latest package outright. The initial trip of model taken place into twenty four November 1947. Without major alter being needed, this new F9F-dos Panther ran on the development. The initial production F9F-2 made their maiden flight on the twenty-four November 1948 precisely year after.
The fresh new Panther was made within the Moves-Royce RB.41 Nene turbojet engine but the motors one ran for the manufacturing F9F-2s were not United kingdom centered. They were signed up produced in the united states by Pratt & Whitney and you may is appointed the latest J42-P-six. It produced 5,100000 pounds away from push dry and you will 5,700 weight out of thrust wet however it didn’t come with afterburner. Access to the latest engine towards all the Panthers try attained by removing this new end part of the aircraft hence launched the complete motor and exhaust tail tubing. The us F-80, F-84 and you may F-86 spray fighters although not leftover long trails out of black tobacco cigarette hence generated positive identification so easy to possess challenger pilots. Even though, the british performed sold the new Nene engine into Soviets whom therefore reverse designed a healthier duplicate and that pushed brand new MiG-fifteen.
The latest F9F-dos got a blank weight from 9,303 lbs and you will an optimum terrible pounds of 19,five hundred lbs. An internal power stream away from 923 gallons try transmitted and you may considering a variety more than 1,a hundred kilometers. Better speed are up to 525 miles per hour therefore could ascend to help you ten,000 legs in under 70 moments. To help in company landings, the new Panther had vanguard flaps for the wings which have been a separate ability at the time. These devices assisted lessen the landing price of the flights.