While Grumman's Hellcat was wresting air superiority from
the Japanese at high altitudes, its low-level performance was still somewhat
behind that of the lighter Japanese types. To fill this gap in Navy fighter
ranks, Grumman undertook the design of a scrappy, light-weight fighter that
would combine nimble maneuverability with rapid climb characteristics. The Navy
expressed its interest in the project by awarding a development contract for two
XF8F-1's on November 27, 1943. Their faith in Grumman's engineering capabilities
is reflected in the fact that no full-scale mock-up was required-just the engine
mounting and a detailed cockpit. Grumman set about their task with such rapidity
that the Bearcat was in the air on August 21, 1944-just ten months after the
contract was approved.
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The Bearcat made an immediate hit with
the pilots and required only moderate revisions to become fully acceptable to
the Navy. The second prototype, delivered in November, already embodied many of
the changes. Most notable among these was the addition of a dorsal fin to
improve its directional stability. Within five months of the XF8F-1's initial
flight, the first production Bearcats were rolling out of the Grumman plant.
Though a few of these planes had reached the Navy before the war had ended, none
were used in combat. |
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The original contract called for 23
Bearcats, but this was upped to 2,023 before the first one was completed. This
was followed by another increase of 4,000 planes. General Motors received a
contract for 1,876 F2M-1 and F3M-1 Bearcats, but these became victims of the
postwar cutback and none were built.
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One Pilot
One Pratt & Whitney R-2800-30W
Engine
Twin-row 18 cylinder Air-cooled Radial
2,250 hp for Takeoff
Four 20mm Cannons
Up to 2,000 lbs of Bombs
or Four 5-inch Rockets
Max. Speed 455 mph @ 28,000 feet
Cruise Speed 185-220 mph
Landing Speed 105 mph
Initial Rate of Climb 6,300
ft/min
Service Ceiling 40,800 ft |
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Grumman engineers included a novel
feature into the design of the Bearcat's wings. In the event of excessively high
"G" loads during maneuvering, the wingtips would break away to allow the
shortened wings to safely withstand a higher "G" factor. The folding portion of
the wing was designed to fail at half the distance to the tip if the plane
exceeded 9 'G's." Problems with this system led to the addition of explosive
bolts along the separation line, If only one tip separated, the explosive bolts
would assure that the opposite side was ejected also. This would allow half of
the aileron area to remain, but greatly reduced the stress on the balance of the
wing structure permitting it to withstand even higher forces. |
After the war, Bearcat production
continued. One hundred of these appeared with four 20 mm cannons replacing the
original Bearcat armament of four .50 cal. machine guns. Thirty-six F8FiN's,
with radar pods suspended from a pylon on the right wing, were ordered as night
fighters. Upgrading the design and increasing the height of the tail brought
about the F8F-2 and an order for 293 copies. The order also included 60 camera
bearing F8F-2P's with only two 20mm cannons.
The Bearcat did not see combat in the
colors of the U.S. Navy; but many of the planes, declared obsolete by the U.S.
government, were delivered to the French for use in Indochina. These were in use
by the Thais and Vietnamese during the conflict in that area.
Power for the nimble F8F came from a
Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W. With 2,100 hp for take off and 1,850 hp for
maneuvering, the Bearcat had a maximum speed of 447 mph in the -2 version-26 mph
faster than the first model. The FSF-1 had a wingspan of 35 feet 10 inches with
an area of 244 square feet. It was 28 feet 3 inches long and stood 13 feet 10
inches high. By comparison, the FSF-2 was 27 feet 8 inches long and 12 feet 2
inches high.
Respective weights of the two were:
FSF1-empty, 7,070 pounds; gross, 9,386 pounds; maximum, 12,947 pounds.
F8F2-empty, 7,690 pounds; gross, 10,426 pounds; maximum, 13,494 pounds. Fuel
capacities were 183 gallons for the -1 and 185 for the -2. The earlier model had
a service ceiling of 38,700 feet and a range of 1,105 miles, compared to a
40,700 foot ceiling and 865 mile range for the -2. The rate of climb was rather
exciting at some 4,500 fpm for the Bearcat.
Had the war continued, there is little
doubt that the Bearcat would have been recorded as one of the combat greats
along with its larger relative, the Hellcat, and the Vought Corsair.
Fortunately, these latter two went a long way to eliminate the need for their
nimble successor.
Aircraft
