F7F Tigercat
The F7F Tigercat was a US Navy twin-engined fighter aircraft which saw action in the Korean War. The F7F was a piston-engined, straight-winged aircraft which could reach a top speed well in excess of the US Navy’s piston-engined aircraft; it was 71 mph faster than a Grumman F6F Hellcat at sea level. Since the Tigercat was too big and heavy to take off and land from carriers, the initial production series was only used from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters fitted out with APS-6 radar.
The F7F Tigercat was developed and built by Grumman, with the prototype first flying on November 2, 1943. Although it entered service with the USMC in 1944, this fighter did not see action in World War II, but five years later in Korea, flying night interdiction and fighter missions and shooting down several Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes. At first, they were single-seater F7F-1N aircraft, but Grumman engineers decided to add a second seat for a radar operator; these aircraft were designated F7F-2N.
Specifications for the F7F-4N
Engine: two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp radial engines, 2,100 hp each.
Maximum speed: 460 mph (740 km/h).
Range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km).
Service ceiling: 40,400 ft (12,300 m).
Length: 45 ft 4 in (13.8 m).
Wingspan: 51 ft 6 in (15.7 m).
Crew: two (pilot, radar operator).
Avionics: APS-6 radar.
Weapons: four 20mm (0.79 in) M2 cannons; four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns; two 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs under wings.
