Grumman XF10F Jaguar

History of the Grumman XF10F Jaguar

The Type 83 is a single-seat, single-engine jet fighter submitted by Grumman to the United States Navy (USN). Announced in early September 1947, the proposal was intended for carrier-based combat - as a fighter, it could carry a barrage of 4 x 20mm guns (never installed) as well as bombs and rockets for attack missions. Unlike other early jet fighters, the Type 83 will be equipped with an APS-19 radar. Wings The main wing is mounted amidships and swept back along the leading edge, while the empennage section, including a separate fin, mounts the horizontal plane high (forming a "T" fin).

The jet engines would be drawn in through air intakes at the root of the wings, and the nose could be used for weapons and radar. The cockpit is forward amidships and the pilot's visibility is generally good.

Originally named "XJ42-TT-2", the aircraft will be powered by the British Rolls-Royce "Nene" turbojet engine, produced locally by Taylor Turbine. The engine is designed to produce up to 5,000 pounds of dry thrust and has an afterburner capability that briefly increases thrust to 8,000 pounds. The prototype of the Type 83 was named "XF10F-1", and the U.S. Navy contracted two machines in April 1948 (one airworthy and the other a static test machine).

The name "Jaguar" is ultimately associated with design.

Initial work provided unique insights into the proposed aircraft and identified handling issues that prompted engineers to revise certain aspects of the design. As compensation, "variable incidence" wings were introduced, and the US Navy increased the fighter's expected range, resulting in additional modifications that inevitably led to an increase in the overall weight of carrier-based fighter development. Grumman was able to produce a model by mid-1949, but the program faced growing obstacles that threatened its future.

Westinghouse's afterburner XJ40 turbojet is now the powerplant to be installed, promising up to 11,000 pounds of thrust.

In lieu of the variable incidence wing, Grumman managed to convince U.S. naval authorities that the variable geometry wing would solve the persistent low and high speed handling issues, which were then incorporated into the finished prototype. The product made its first flight as a prototype on May 19, 1952.

Impressively, the US Navy ordered 112 machines of the type "F10F".

Despite the push, the Jaguar ended its life cycle as the only prototype (the second prototype was incomplete before the end). It turns out that Jaguar was able to overcome too many issues (engineering and mechanical) - the performance of the vigorous XJ40-WE-8 engine caused the aircraft to be underpowered, as thrust performance only reached 6,800 pounds during testing. The variable geometry wing performed as designed, but proved a bit impractical for use on front-line carrier aircraft. As a result, the Type 83/XF10F project was terminated on the spot in April 1953 (the production order was subsequently cancelled).

The "rotor" capability was put to good use in the Grumman F-14 Tomcat fleet defense fighter in the 1970s.

Grumman's performance estimates for its Model 83 include a top speed of 686 mph, a service ceiling of at least 30,000 feet, and a rate of climb approaching 10,100 feet per minute. The combat radius is 440 miles. The XF10F-1 prototype has a top speed of 710 mph and a range of up to 1,670 miles.

Both airframes were eventually consumed or scrapped.

Grumman XF10F Jaguar Specs

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