Felis Nocturna |
Grumman F7F-3N Tigercat Pyongtaek K-6, Korea 1952 The Grumman F7F Tigercat was the first twin-engined fighter aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed for the new Midway-class aircraft carriers, the aircraft were too large to operate from earlier decks. Although delivered to United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat units before the end of World War II, the Tigercat did not see combat service in that war. Most F7Fs ended up in land-based service, as attack aircraft or night fighters; only the later F7F-4N was certified for carrier service. They saw service in the Korean War and were withdrawn from service in 1954. The contract for the prototype XF7F-1 was signed on 30 June 1941. Grumman's aim was to produce a plane that out-performed and out-gunned all existing fighter aircraft, and that had an auxiliary ground attack capability. Armament was heavy: four 20 mm cannons and four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, as well as underwing and under-fuselage hardpoints for bombs and torpedoes. Performance met expectations too; the F7F Tigercat was one of the highest-performance piston-engined fighters, with a top speed well in excess of the US Navy's single-engined aircraft—71 mph faster than a F6F Hellcat at sea level. The opinion of Capt. Fred M. Trapnell, one of the Navy's premier test pilots, was that "It's the best damn fighter I've ever flown."The Grumman F7F was originally named the "Tomcat" but this name was rejected as it was considered at the time too suggestive. The name would much later be used for the Grumman F-14. All this was bought at the cost of heavy weight and a high landing speed, but what caused the aircraft to fail carrier suitability trials was poor directional stability with only one engine operational, as well as problems with the tail-hook design. Therefore, the initial production series was only used from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters with APS-6 radar. At first, they were single-seater F7F-1N aircraft, but after the 34th production aircraft, a second seat for a radar operator was added; these planes were designated F7F-2N. General characteristics: Crew: 2 (pilot, radar operator), Length: 45 ft 4 in (13.8 m), Wingspan: 51 ft 6 in (15.7 m), Height: 16 ft 7 in (5.1 m), Wing area: 455 ft² (42.3 m²), Empty weight: 16,270 lb (7,380 kg), Max takeoff weight: 25,720 lb (11,670 kg), Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W "Double Wasp" radial engines, 2,100 hp (1,600 kW) each. Performance: Maximum speed: 400 knots (460 mph, 740 km/h), Range: 1,200 mi (1,000 nm, 1,900 km), Service ceiling 40,400 ft (12,300 m), Rate of climb: 4,530 ft/min (1,381 m/min) Armament: Guns: 4× 20 mm (0.787 in) M2 cannon, 4× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun, Bombs: 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs under wings or 1× torpedo under fuselage. Avionics: AN/APS-19 radar USN09 René Hieronymus Scale 1:72 Building time: 25hrs.
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