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[[File:F9F-2 VF-111 NAN9-52.jpg|thumb|A VF-111 F9F-2 dropping bombs in Korea, 1951/52]]
[[File:F9F-2 VF-111 NAN9-52.jpg|thumb|A VF-111 F9F-2 dropping bombs in Korea, 1951/52]]


F9F-2s, F9F-3s and F9F-5s served with distinction in the [[Korean War]], mainly as attack aircraft, showing noticeable resistance to anti-aircraft fire; despite their relative slow speed, they also managed in downing two Yak-9s and five [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]]s for the loss of two F9Fs. On 3 July 1950, [[Lieutenant, junior grade]] Leonard H. Plog of U.S. Navy's [[VF-51]] flying an F9F-3 scored the first U.S. Navy air victory of the war by shooting down a Yak-9. The first MiG-15 downed was on 9 November 1950 by U.S. Navy [[Lieutenant Commander]] William (Bill) Amen of [[VF-111|VF-111 "Sundowners" Squadron]] flying an F9F-2B. Two more were downed on 18 November 1950, and the other two were downed on 18 November 1952.<ref name="Grossnick">Grossnick and Armstrong 1997</ref> The type was the primary Navy and USMC jet fighter and ground-attack aircraft in the Korean War. Future astronaut [[Neil Armstrong]] flew the F9F extensively during the war, even ejecting from one of the aircraft when it was brought down by a wire strung across a valley. Future astronaut [[John Glenn]] and [[Boston Red Sox]] All Star [[Ted Williams]] also flew the F9F as Marine Corps pilots.
F9F-2s, F9F-3s and F9F-5s served with distinction in the [[Korean War]], mainly as attack aircraft, showing noticeable resistance to anti-aircraft fire; despite their relative slow speed, they also managed in downing two Yak-9s and five [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]]s for the loss of two F9Fs. On 3 July 1950, [[Lieutenant, junior grade]] Leonard H. Plog of U.S. Navy's [[VF-51]] flying an F9F-3 scored the first U.S. Navy air victory of the war by shooting down a Yak-9. The first MiG-15 downed was on 9 November 1950 by U.S. Navy [[Lieutenant Commander]] William (Bill) Amen of [[VF-111|VF-111 "Sundowners" Squadron]] flying an F9F-2B. Two more were downed on 18 November 1950, and the other two were downed on 18 November 1952.<ref name="Grossnick">Grossnick and Armstrong 1997</ref> The type was the primary Navy and USMC jet fighter and ground-attack aircraft in the Korean War. Future astronaut [[Neil Armstrong]] flew the F9F extensively during the war, even ejecting from one of the aircraft when it was brought down by a wire strung across a valley. Future astronaut [[John Glenn]] ,Director [[George Roy Hill]]and [[Boston Red Sox]] All Star [[Ted Williams]] also flew the F9F as Marine Corps pilots.


Panthers were withdrawn from front-line service in 1956, but remained in training roles and with Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve units until 1958, some continuing to serve in small numbers into the 1960s.<ref>Winchester 2004, p. 97.</ref>
Panthers were withdrawn from front-line service in 1956, but remained in training roles and with Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve units until 1958, some continuing to serve in small numbers into the 1960s.<ref>Winchester 2004, p. 97.</ref>

Revision as of 09:24, 3 May 2013

F9F Panther
An F9F-2 of VF-21 on the USS Midway in 1952
Role Fighter-bomber
Manufacturer Grumman
First flight 24 November 1947
Retired 1958, U.S. Navy
1969, Argentina
Primary users United States Navy
United States Marine Corps
Argentine Navy
Number built 1,382
Developed into Grumman F-9 Cougar

The Grumman F9F Panther was the manufacturer's first jet fighter and one of the U.S. Navy's first successful carrier-based jet fighters. The Panther was the most widely used U.S. Navy jet fighter of the Korean War, flying 78,000 sorties and scoring the first air-to-air kill by the US Navy in the war, the downing of a North Korean Yakovlev Yak-9 fighter. Total F9F production was 1,382, with several variants being exported to Argentina. The Panther was the first jet aircraft used by the Blue Angels flight team, being used by them from 1949 through to late 1954.

Design and development

The XF9F-2 and XF9F-3 prototypes in 1948

Development studies at the Grumman company began near the end of the World War II as the first jet engines emerged. The original XF9F-1 design (company designation G-75) was for a quad-engined, two-seat fighter; the improving performance of jet engines allowed for the aircraft to be redesigned as a single-engine, single-seat type as the G-79, given the Navy designation XF9F-2.

The prototype Panther, piloted by test pilot Corky Meyer, first flew on 24 November 1947.[1] Propulsion was an imported Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet, although production aircraft would have a Nene engine built under license by Pratt & Whitney as the J42. Since there was insufficient space within the wings and fuselage for fuel for the thirsty jet, permanently mounted wingtip fuel tanks were added, which incidentally improved the fighter's rate of roll.[2] It was cleared for flight from aircraft carriers in September 1949. During the development phase, Grumman decided to change the Panther's engine, selecting the Pratt & Whitney J48-P-2, a license built version of the Rolls-Royce RB.44 Tay. The other engine that had been tested was the Allison J33-A-16. The armament was a quartet of 20 mm guns, the Navy having already switched to this caliber (as opposed to the USAAF/USAF which continued to use 12.7 mm M2/M3 guns). Panther soon was armed as well with underwing air-to ground rockets and bombs, up to 2,000 lbs.

From 1946, a swept-wing version was considered and after concerns about the Panther's inferiority to its MiG opponents in Korea, a conversion of the Panther (Design 93) resulted in a swept-wing derivative of the Panther, the F9F Cougar, which retained the Panther's designation number.[3]

Operational history

US Navy

A VF-111 F9F-2 dropping bombs in Korea, 1951/52

F9F-2s, F9F-3s and F9F-5s served with distinction in the Korean War, mainly as attack aircraft, showing noticeable resistance to anti-aircraft fire; despite their relative slow speed, they also managed in downing two Yak-9s and five Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s for the loss of two F9Fs. On 3 July 1950, Lieutenant, junior grade Leonard H. Plog of U.S. Navy's VF-51 flying an F9F-3 scored the first U.S. Navy air victory of the war by shooting down a Yak-9. The first MiG-15 downed was on 9 November 1950 by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander William (Bill) Amen of VF-111 "Sundowners" Squadron flying an F9F-2B. Two more were downed on 18 November 1950, and the other two were downed on 18 November 1952.[4] The type was the primary Navy and USMC jet fighter and ground-attack aircraft in the Korean War. Future astronaut Neil Armstrong flew the F9F extensively during the war, even ejecting from one of the aircraft when it was brought down by a wire strung across a valley. Future astronaut John Glenn ,Director George Roy Hilland Boston Red Sox All Star Ted Williams also flew the F9F as Marine Corps pilots.

Panthers were withdrawn from front-line service in 1956, but remained in training roles and with Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve units until 1958, some continuing to serve in small numbers into the 1960s.[5]

Argentine Navy

The only foreign buyer of the Panther was the Argentine Naval Aviation, who bought 24 ex-USN aircraft in 1958. The catapults on the then only Argentine carrier, ARA Independencia (V-1), were considered not powerful enough to launch the F9F, so the aircraft were land-based.

Argentine Navy F9F-2 Panthers saw combat in the 1963 Argentine Navy Revolt, bombing and strafing a column of the Army 8th Tank Regiment which was advancing on the rebelling Argentine Navy base of Punta Indio. The attack destroyed several M4 Sherman tanks, at the cost of one F9F Panther shot down.[6]

The Argentine Panthers were involved in the general mobilization during the 1965 border clash between Argentina and Chile but no combat occurred. They were taken out of service in 1969 due to the lack of spare parts and replaced with A-4Q Skyhawks.[7]

The Argentine Navy operated the Grumman F-9 Cougar as well.

Variants

Two F9F-2Bs of VF-721 over Korea.
F9F-5s of VF-111 on the USS Lake Champlain in 1953.
F9F-5P reconnaissance aircraft
F9F and AJ Savage of the NATC during in-flight refueling tests in 1953
XF9F-2
The first two prototypes
XF9F-3
The third prototype
F9F-2
First production version, powered by Pratt & Whitney J42 engine.
F9F-2B
Version fitted with underwing racks for bombs and rockets. All F9F-2s were eventually so modified, and the B designation was dropped.
F9F-2P
Unarmed photographic reconnaissance version used in Korea.
F9F-3
Allison J33 powered version produced as insurance against the failure of the J42, 54 built. All converted to J42 power later.
XF9F-4
Prototype used in the development of the F9F-4.
F9F-4
Version with longer fuselage with greater fuel load and powered by J33 engine. Most re-engined with J42s. F9F-4s were the first aircraft to successfully employ blown air, extracted from between the engine's compressor and combustion chambers, to energize the slot flaps, thus achieving a decrease in stalling speed of 9 kn for takeoff and 7 kn on power approach for landing.
F9F-5
Variant of F9F-4, but powered by Pratt & Whitney J48 engine, 616 built.
F9F-5P
Unarmed photo-reconnaissance version, 36 built, longer nose.
F9F-5K
After the F9F Panther was withdrawn operational service, a number of F9F-5s were converted into unmanned target drone aircraft.
F9F-5KD
As drone directors for the F9F-5K drones. Redesignated DF-9E in 1962.

Operators

 Argentina
 United States

Aircraft on display

F9F-2
F9F-2B
F9F-5
F9F-5P

Specifications (F9F-2 Panther)

3-side view of an F9F Panther.

Data from [citation needed]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1

Performance

Armament

  • Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) M2 cannon, 190 rpg
  • Hardpoints: Underwing hardpoints , with provisions to carry combinations of:
    • Rockets: 6 × 5 in (127 mm) rockets on underwing hardpoints
    • Bombs: 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs

The Panther played a prominent role in the 1954 movie Men of the Fighting Lady (also known as Panther Squadron). The F9F was featured in the flying sequences in the 1954 movie The Bridges at Toko-Ri, although in the 1953 James A. Michener novel upon which the movie was based, the main character flew a McDonnell F2H Banshee.

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ^ Meyer 2002
  2. ^ Winchester 2004, p. 96.
  3. ^ Taylor 1969, p. 506.
  4. ^ Grossnick and Armstrong 1997
  5. ^ Winchester 2004, p. 97.
  6. ^ Cooper, Tom. "Argentina, 1955-1965." ACIG.org. Retrieved: 24 January 2013.
  7. ^ ."Panther" Template:Es icon. Pictorial and history in Argentine service. Retrieved: 19 July 2011.
  8. ^ "F9F Panther/123050". National Naval Aviation Museum. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  9. ^ "F9F Panther/123072". Warbird Registry. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  10. ^ "F9F Panther/123517". Warbird Registry. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  11. ^ "F9F Panther/123612". Warbird Registry. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  12. ^ "F9F Panther/123653". Warbird Registry. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  13. ^ "F9F Panther/125183". Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  14. ^ "F9F Panther/123526." National Museum of the Marine Corps Retrieved: 2 February 2013.
  15. ^ "F9F Panther/125595". Valiant Air Command Museum Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  16. ^ "F9F Panther/126226". Combat Air Museum Retrieved: 4 March 2013.
  17. ^ "F9F Panther/126275". Battleship Memorial Park Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  18. ^ "F9F Panther/unknown." Planes of Fame Air Museum. Retrieved: 10 November 2012.

Bibliography

  • Grossnick, Roy and William J. Armstrong. United States Naval Aviation, 1910-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Historical Center, 1997. ISBN 0-16-049124-X.
  • Meyer, Corwin H. "Grumman Panther". Flight Journal, October 2002.
  • Schnitzer, George. Panthers Over Korea. Baltimore, Maryland: Publish America, 2007. ISBN 1-4241-7942-4.
  • Sullivan, Jim. F9F Panther/Cougar in action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1982. ISBN 0-89747-127-X.
  • Taylor, John W.R. "Grumman F9F Cougar". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
  • Winchester, Jim, ed. "Grumman F9F Panther". Military Aircraft of the Cold War (The Aviation Factfile). London: Grange Books plc, 2006. ISBN 1-84013-929-3.
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