McDonnell F2H Banshee

MacDonald F2H Banshee Tale

The road to an effective carrier-based jet fighter for the United States Navy (USN) was long and arduous after the end of World War II in 1945, when the first all-jets landed on the decks of a US Navy aircraft carrier. New norm for the service Prompting McDonnell to continue his work, the company responded with a larger, more powerful "Banshee" F2H series based on the FH.

Unlike the Phantom, which was limited in production due to the end of World War II, only 62 were produced, while the F2H was more successful with around 895 produced.

Subsequent designs were initially on the drawing board even before the FH went into full production, as they believed the base design could be improved from start to finish - that's how jet-powered aircraft technology changed at the time. As such, the aircraft was initially more of an evolution of the existing Phantom, but the new USN requirements forced changes to produce what was essentially an entirely new product line. One of the major improvements was the selection of Westinghouse J34 series turbojets (relative to the original FH J30 model), which promises to improve overall thrust and thus performance. The engine will work with the Banshee design for maximum concentrated power - albeit at the expense of using two gas-guzzling powerplants.

That engine puts out 3,000 pounds compared to the J30's 1,600 pounds.

The F2H-3 evolved into an all-weather fighter with a longer nose, more internal fuel, external weapons support, improved tail design and APQ-41 radar. 250 variants were produced. These later became the F-2C during the reorganization of the US military in 1962.

The F2H-3P was originally intended to be a photo reconnaissance version of it, but was never implemented.

The F2H-4 is an upgraded version of the F2H-3 fighter, this model is equipped with 2 Westinghouse J34-WE-38 turbojets, each with 3,600 lbs of thrust. In addition, APG-37 radar equipment was introduced and 150 aircraft were contracted. This version became the F-2D in 1962.

The proposed swept-wing model appeared as the F2H-5, but this design was not further developed.

Only two global carriers have appeared on Banshee, the US and Canada. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) operates the F2H-3 variant, the only jet fighter in service, in a total of three squadrons, one of which is a test facility. For Americans, the Banshee was the standard sight in stock in the 1950s, and both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) relied on this type.

20 USN squadrons were formed around the type, and 7 USMC squadrons appeared.

The introduction of the Banshee took place in August 1948, which meant it was widely used during the 1950-1953 Korean War. Deployed from the decks of U.S. carriers stationed offshore, they were able to escort larger, bulky and high-flying U.S. bombers, while also supporting ground forces through on-call tactical dispatches (although in most cases inclement weather/ cloudy limit) .

While air superiority originally belonged to the United Nations, by 1950 the Banshee lived up to its expectations. However, that all changed in November 1950 when the Soviet-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter (detailed elsewhere on this page) appeared on the scene with its swept wings and very high performance. This puts the Banshee at a crucial disadvantage in the future, as the straight-wing mounts of the 1940s couldn't hold their own in head-to-head duels - especially when the MiG-15 was being secretly flown by Soviet pilots. As a result, the Banshee was quickly relegated to more friendly combat operations, leaving air combat to newer, more advanced artillery platforms such as the North American F-86 Sabre (described in detail elsewhere on this site). Aside from ground attacks, the Banshee quickly proved to be an exciting player in photo reconnaissance for the U.S.

Marine Corps, and its combat altitude was an advantage.

In the entire conflict in which the Banshee survived active duty from start to finish, not a single plane was lost to enemy fighters. However, the series itself did not result in an airstrike, and about three people were killed by ground fire.

The Korean War was the only combat action Banshee family planes had ever seen.

Over time, this line was replaced by more powerful mounts, and the US Navy and US Marine Corps eventually began to introduce more powerful swept wing products to keep pace with the enemy. The Banshee existed in the active-duty inventory of the U.S. Navy and U.S.

Marine Corps until 1959, with the Reserve relinquishing their mounts in 1961. RCN followed in 1962, officially ending this type of global use.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes