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Grumman AF Guardian

1950 COLD WAR KOREAN WAR

Grumman AF Guardian Story

After its introduction in 1950, the Grumman AF Guardian series became the US Navy's first purpose-built, purpose-built Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft, acting as a "fighter" and another in a "killer"-attack role. Before being retired in 1955, the model had a relatively short lifespan in the U.S. Navy and was not exported.

Production was 389 units.

The Guardian's origins lie in the new torpedo bomber design of World War II (1939-1945), when the US Navy was looking for a successor to its classic Grumman TBF Avenger fleet. Initial work began in 1944, as the war raged and the U.S. Navy required large, well-equipped aircraft with the usual carrier masses (reinforced landing gear, folding wings, snap hooks) and a 3,600-pound bomb load. As a carrier-based system, range is also an important quality, with the US Navy projecting a minimum range of 3,700 miles.

The resulting design became the XTB2F, but the development was too big for American Airlines at the time, and the program was scrapped as early as 1945.

Grumman, a longtime aircraft supplier to the US Navy, launched its own private venture capital program, resulting in the "G-20" corporate model. Engineers opted for a hybrid engine layout, with a conventional radial-piston engine at the front and a turbojet at the reara combination that would provide the power and lift-off time needed for a carrier launch. The radial engine of choice was the Pratt & Whitney "Double Wasp" series combined with a Westinghouse 19XB turbojet. The fuselage is arranged so that two crew members sit side by side under a canopy, sharing the workload of the aircraft. It had an estimated war load of about 4,000 pounds, and standard armament was 2 x 20mm guns on the wings.

The internal bomb bay can hold anything from torpedoes to conventional bombs and depth charges. The landing gear adopts a "tail" design consistent with the carrier-based aircraft at that time.

Once brought to the attention of the USN, the promising G-20 received the designation XTB3F. However, the hybrid radial/turbojet arrangement was quickly abandoned as too impractical within the design confines. This led to the revised designation XTB3F-1S, covering the first airworthy prototype.

The series' first flight was finally completed on December 19, 1945, although the war was over by then and US Navy requirements began to develop in the postwar world.

U.S. Navy authorities now envision an entirely new role for the XTB3F, as a dedicated carrier-based submarine hunter. However, the changes required for the aircraft -- and all the necessary technology inherent in the submarine's role -- could not be properly applied to the Grumman airframe. This led to the decision to produce two models of the same brand - an unarmed airframe (equipped with sensitive equipment) as a fighter platform, and an armed airframe as an attack platform.

The planes will work together to attack enemy submarines in a "one-two strike" approach. The search and track aircraft received modified internal arrangements to carry two additional crew members (four in total). It also houses a large spherical pod under its belly that houses the APS-20 search radar.

The bomb bay of the combat platform still carried a heavy war load, but it lost strafing capability when the 20mm cannon was removed to save weight and interior space.

The change of direction significantly delayed the official commissioning of the line, as the first flight of the prototype was recorded in November 1948. The search aircraft was designated XTB3F-1S, while the attack aircraft was designated XTB3F-2S.

The -2S type first entered service in January 1949.

Both were eventually admitted after completing their studies. The -1S model was changed to USN name AF-2W, and the -2S model was changed to AF-2S. Both have used the "Guardian" moniker throughout their respective careers.

The series entered service on September 27, 1950, initially with the VS-24 squadron.

When completed, the aircraft design was kept in line with the aircraft of the time. Mounted radially at the front of the aircraft, it drives a large four-bladed propeller. The cockpit is located directly behind the engine, with a framed front windshield and a sliding rear headliner. The fuselage spine has been raised to accommodate the required interior fittings, including mission equipment, bomb bays and crew quarters.

Main-wing aircraft are straight attachments with truncated tips, mounted in the middle of the sides of the fuselage. The tail is one of the Guardian's more unique physical features, with traditional vertical tail fun and low horizontal planes, but these are fitted with smaller vertical tail surfaces that give the Guardian a three-fin tail layout.

The aircraft carries a war load of up to 4,000 pounds, which may include air-launched torpedoes, depth charges, and dropped bombs. Working in tandem with the submarine fighter model, the attack version is capable of dropping deadly munitions at enemy submarines.

Additional fire support is provided by 16 x 5" (127 mm) HVARs (High Speed ??Aircraft Rockets), all under the wings.

153 submarine-hunting AF-2W variants with radar and 193 AF-2S attack variants were produced, all powered by the 2,400 hp P&W R-2800-48 radial engine. A third form was introduced in 1952 - the AF-3S - which introduced a retractable MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) boom.

These 40 stocks continued to strengthen USN stock. The last delivery was in March 1953. The fighter-killer combination proposed by Grumman - company model G-90 - did not help.

The Guardian served during the Korean War (1950-1953) on maritime (water) patrol missions. The big plane quickly proved to be a clumsy performer, lacking the strength needed for the porter role. This and an unusually high accident rate made the type unpopular with pilots and aircrews and contributed to the series' short lifespan in the U.S. Navy.

The final form was discontinued in August 1955 and replaced by the Grumman S2F "Tracker" series. Some keepers remained until 1957, while others enjoyed longer aerial lives as fire platforms in the 1970s.

At the time, the Guardian was the largest single-engine carrier-based aircraft in service. Its dimensions include a length of 43.3 feet, a wingspan of 60.7 feet and a height of 16.1 feet.

A surviving example can be seen at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, USA, where visitors can truly appreciate the grandeur of this historic aircraft.