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Grumman F6F Hellcat

Grumman F6F Hellcat History

The F6F Hellcat is the successor to the powerful F4F Wildcat series of aircraft carriers used by the US Navy in the Pacific theater of World War II, and a logical progression. During the conflict, the Hellcat served under the flags of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and Royal Navy British Fleet Aviation.

The system is equipped with powerful Pratt & Whitney engines, multiple heavy machine guns, and is capable of carrying conventional bombs and air-to-surface missiles while operating from the carrier's mobile platform. The aircraft is known for taking ace from most of the pilots who flew it, with more than 12,275 prototypes of various models in total, 11,000 of which appeared in just 24 months of production.

The design of the F6F closely follows the lines of the F4F. While the F4F was originally designed as a biplane - thus developing the stout appearance of the fuselage - the F6F was a pure monoplane from the start. The cockpit sits directly above the low-mounted large wing (as opposed to the F4F's mid-mounted wing) and forwards in the design, albeit directly behind the engine location, and provides reasonable visibility through the framed canopy. Power comes from a powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 series radial piston engine that delivers approximately 2,000 horsepower at speeds in excess of 375 miles per hour.

A fairing dominates the front of the design, while a traditional single vertical rear wing rounds out the rear wing. The landing gear is unique in that it retracts back.

Like the F4F before it, the F6F was armed with 6 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns (0.50 caliber), three per wing, 400 rounds each. Additional and optional weapons come in the form of air-to-surface missiles (an offensive role the Hellcat excels in) and conventionally thrown bombs.

Fuel tanks can be placed on the centerline of the fuselage to increase range. The system's inherent flexibility and firepower combined with the equally devastating Vought F4F Corsair fighter strikes a double whammy.

The success of the F6F drew attention, and in 1944 a radar-equipped night combat variant appeared, identified by the use of an "N" in its name (as in the F6F-3N).

The F6F first flew in June 1942 as a prototype XF6F-1. The advanced XF6F-3 prototype was selected as the first production model with a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 Twin Wasp two-stage turbo engine. The original production model became the F6F-3, and general availability began in January 1944.

Shortly thereafter, production switched to an improved F6F-5 model equipped with the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W ("W" stands for "Water-Jet") radial piston engine and other aerodynamic and structural improvements, as well as a model specified for Underwing ammunition.

The Hellcat first entered service in August 1943, when World War II was in full swing. She proved her worth by taking part in some of the largest air confrontations in the Pacificfrom the Caroline Islands to the Philippine Naval Battle (19-20 June 1944) and beyond.

The British received 252 Hellcat F6F-3 and F6F-5 variants under a Lend-Lease agreement. During the entire conflict, as many as 75% of enemy aircraft were in the hands of Hellcat pilots, who killed a total of 5,156 people in the war, a staggering 19:1 kill ratio. The 307 Hellcat pilots became ace, thanks to this beautiful machine.

The planes received the attention they deserved for their role in supporting Task Force 58, which destroyed about 400 Japanese aircraft in a single week.

The F6F series continued to be used in the postwar world and was used by the French, Argentine and Uruguayan armies. The French used them angrily during the Indochina conflict, and the entire series was in use until the early 1960s.

The last time Americans used the F6F was in the Korean War, when six remote-controlled Hellcats were used as giant aerial bombs against North Korean targets.

The advent of the F6F certainly turned the tide of the Pacific War in favor of the Americansand the rest of the free world, for that matter. The system is known for its toughness and responsiveness, and the hit list reflects the platform's strengths.

Ultimately, the F6F lived up to its legendary warbird name and became one of the main reasons the Pacific War ended the way it did.