United States' Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter

Photos

Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:
Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:
Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter, 1944:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter on a CVL:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter from the USS Yorktown landing on the USS Matanikau:
Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter on the HMS Indomitable in January 1945:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter on a catapult:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter burning on the USS Enterprise in 1945:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter pilots on the USS Lexington:
Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter on the USS Yorktown:	Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter attempting to land on the USS Bataan misses the wires on January 18, 1945:
Grumman F6F-1 Hellcat fighter:
Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter:

Design

The F6F Hellcat was designed after Pearl Harbor and was rushed into production.¹

The fuel tanks were self sealing.¹

Cockpit

There was armor for the pilot.¹

Pilots took off with the canopy open in case of a takeoff accident they could make their escape.¹

Fuselage

The plane was built around very strong central spars.¹ The F6F Hellcat was very strong and could withstand a lot of punishment.¹

Prototype

On June 30, 1941, a contract was signed to build two prototypes.⁴

On June 26, 1942 the XF6F-1 / XF6F-3⁴ prototype made its first flight.^1,2,3,4

Production

Five weeks after to prototype flew production models (F6F-3) were delivered.²

At its New York plant Grumman produced 12,275 Hellcats from June 1942 to November 1945.¹ This was the largest number of fighters produced in a single factory.¹

• Grumman XF6F-1: 1³
• Grumman XF6F-3: 1³
• Grumman F6F-3: 4,403³
• Grumman F6F-5: 6,435², 6,681³
• Grumman F6F-5N: 1,189^2,3, 1,434⁴
• Total: 12,272⁴, 12,275^1,2,3
  • Manufacturer: Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation⁴
  • Production: August 31, 1943 - November 1945⁴

Variants

• Grumman XF6F-1: Prototype.² Had Wright R-2600 Double Cyclone (1,700 HP).^3,4
• Grumman XF6F-2: Prototype with R-2800 engine.³
• Grumman XF6F-3: Prototype.³ Had Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp engine.³
• Grumman XF6F-4: Prototype with R-2800 engine.³
• Grumman XF6F-6: Prototype with R-2800 engine.³
• Grumman F6F: Production.⁴ Spinner removed.⁴ Landing gear fairing modified.⁴
• Grumman F6F-3 / Grumman Hellcat Mk I:
• Grumman F6F-3E:
• Grumman F6F-3K:
• Grumman F6F-3N:
• Grumman F6F-5 / Grumman Hellcat Mk II:
• Grumman F6F-5N:
• Grumman F6F-5P:

Usage

Out of the 6,477 planes shot down by US Navy pilots, 4,947² (76%) were in Hellcats.^1,4 The land based United States Marine Corps Hellcats shot down 209 enemy planes.⁴

First Action

The USS Essex had some of the initial F6F-3s assigned to its VF-5 / VF-9 squadron which used them on August 31, 1943 against Marcus Island.^2,4

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom used 252 Hellcat Mk Is (F6F-3s) and 930 / 932⁴ Hellcat Mk IIs (F6F-5s).^2,3,4 70⁴ / 175 of those were converted to F6F-5N night fighters.³

The Tirpitz was attacked by Royal Navy Hellcats on April 3, 1944, at Kaafjord, Norway.¹

Marianas Turkey Shoot

Around 400 Japanese planes were shot down by Hellcats during the Marianas Turkey Shoot from June 19 to June 20, 1944.⁴

Korean War

The final Hellcats in service with the US Navy were used at unmanned flying bombs.¹

Specifications

	Grumman F6F Hellcat3
Type	Carrier based fighter3
Crew	13
Engine (Type)	Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 Double Wasp3
OR	Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W Double Wasp3
Cylinders	Radial 183
Cooling
HP	10: 2,0003 10W: 2,2003
Propeller blades	33
Dimensions
Span	42' 10"3 13.05 m3
Length	33' 7"3 10.24 m3
Height	13' 1"3 3.99 m3
Wing area
Weight
Empty
Loaded
Maximum load
Performance
Speed
Cruising speed
Climb
Service ceiling
Range
Armament
Wings	6: 0.5" MG3
Bombs under fuselage	2,000 lb3 907 kg3
OR
Rockets - under wings	63