The F6F was a low-wing monoplane with wing-mounted, rearward-retracting
landing gear. The cockpit was above the main fuel tank which placed the
canopy high on the fuselage. Down-thrust of three degrees for the engine and
propeller improved the forward visibility. While many details changed as
improvements were made, the configuration changed very little for all the
production Hellcats overall.
Grumman F6F Hellcats saw World War II action for the first time in a
September 1, 1943, attack on Marcus Island, flying from the carrier
Yorktown. More aerodynamic and better armored than its Wildcat predecessor,
the Hellcat took a frightful toll of Zeros.
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Design of the F6F followed closely the lines of the F4F. Where the F4F was
originally intended as a biplane design - and therefore developed the stout look
to the fuselage – the F6F was entirely a monoplane fighter from the start. The
cockpit was situated just above the low-mounted large wings (as opposed to the
mid-mounted ones found on the F4F) and forward in the design, though just aft of
the engine placement, and offered up adequate visibility through a framed
canopy. Power came from the mighty Pratt & Whitney R-2800 series radial piston
engine delivering some 2,000 horsepower and providing speeds in excess of 375
miles per hour. The engine cowling dominated the front of the design while a
conventional single-vertical tail surface rounded out the empennage. Landing
gear were unique in that they retracted in a backwards fashion.
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Fact File:
Grumman F6F Hellcat
Excellent shipborne fighter / bomber and night fighter
The Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat began to appear in service with the British Fleet
Air Arm in July 1943 and with the US Navy a month later. Operating predominantly
in the Pacific, this aircraft was the first US fighter capable of defeating the
Japanese Zero. The F6F was bigger and more powerful than its forerunner the F4F
Wildcat, and beat the Zero by virtue of its superior speed, altitude and dive
capability. The F6F-3 had a maximum speed of 376 mph at 22,000 feet, could climb
15,000 feet in less than eight minutes and operated easily up to 37,000 feet. In
addition to its six Browning ,M2 machine-guns (three on each wing), the aircraft
could carry two 1,000 lb bombs plus a 167 gallon drop tank. This extra fuel
enabling the F6F-3 to fly 1,500 miles made it a valuable reconnaissance aircraft
and long-range escort.
Altogether 4,646 F6F-3s, including 18 F6F-3Es and 205 F6F-3N night fighters
were delivered to the US Navy, a further 252 being supplied to the Royal Navy as
Hellcat Is. Improvements were made by Grumman before the F6F-5 entered
production in 1944 and it was able to operate in the fighter-bomber role with under-wing weapons. Of these
some 6,436 were manufactured, nearly one-fifth of them being F6F-5N night
variants and approximately 930 were Royal Navy Hellcat IIs.
Hellcats in the
Pacific were credited with nearly 5,000 victims - some 80 per cent of all enemy
aircraft destroyed in air-to-air combat in that area. The 19:1 kill-to-loss
ratio for the same theatre of operations was a phenomenal success story. Even
when compared to the faster P-51 Mustang and F4U Corsair, the Hellcat was
considered a more effective fighter by the Japanese. The F6F-3 was powered with
one 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 Double Wasp radial engine. Span: 42 ft 10
inches (13.06 m). Length: 38 ft 7 inches (10.24 m). Height: 14 ft 5 inches (4.39
m). Normal range in fighter role: 1,090 miles (1,754 km). The production of
Hellcats ceased after the war on 19th November 1945, though they continued in
service after the war and some were used as pilotless 'flying bombs' in the
Korean War, 1950-53, launched with control aircraft from carriers.
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