F9F Panther
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The Grumman F9F Panther was the manufacturer's first jet fighter and the US Navy's second. It first flew on the 24 November 1947, the test pilot was Corky Meyer. Propulsion was a Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet built under license by Pratt & Whitney as the J42. Since there was insufficient space within the wings and fuselage for fuel for the thirsty jet, permanently mounted wingtip fuel tanks were added. It was cleared for flight from aircraft carriers in September 1949, from this it was decided to change the engine, the Pratt & Whitney J48-P-2 was selected, it was a copy of the Rolls-Royce Tay, the other engine that was trialed was the Allison J33-A-16.
F9F-2s, F9F-3s, and F9F-5s served with distinction in the Korean War, downing six Mikoyan MiG-15s with one F9F loss. The first MiG-15 downed was on 9 November 1950 by US Navy Lieutenant Commander William (Bill) Amen of VF-111 "Sundownders" Squadron flying an F9F-2B. Three more were downed in November 1951, and the other two were downed on the 18 November 1952. The type was the primary Navy jet fighter and ground-attack plane in the Korean conflict.
Panthers were withdrawn from front-line service in 1956, but remained in training roles and with the reserves until 1958.
The only foreign buyer of the Panther was the Argentine Navy, who bought 24 ex-USN aircraft in 1958. The catapults on the then only Argentine carrier, ARA Independencia (V-1), were considered not powerful enough to launch the F9F, so the aircraft were based on land. They were involved in the general mobilization during the 1965 border clash between Argentina and Chile but no combat happened. They were taken out of service in 1969 because of lack of spare parts.
A swept-wing derivative of the Panther was later built, after concerns about the Panther's inferiority to its MiG opponents in Korea; this plane was the Grumman F9F Cougar.
The Panther played a prominent role in the 1954 movie Men of the Fighting Lady. It was also used for the flying sequences in the 1955 movie The Bridges at Toko-Ri, although the main character flew an F2H Banshee, not a Panther, in the 1953 James A. Michener novel upon which the movie was based.
Variants
Multiple versions were produced:
- XF9F-2: the first two prototypes
- XF9F-3: the third prototype
- F9F-2: first production version, J42 powered.
- F9F-2B: version fitted with underwing racks for bombs and rockets. All F9F-2's were eventually so modified, and the B designation was dropped.
- F9F-2P: unarmed photographic reconnaissance version used in Korea
- F9F-3: Allison J33 powered version produced as insurance against the failure of the J42, 54 built. All converted to J42 power later
- XF9F-4: Prototype used in the development of the F9F-4.
- F9F-4: longer fuselage with greater fuel load, J33 powered. Most re-engined with J42s.
- F9F-5: As -4, but Pratt & Whitney J48 (Rolls-Royce Tay built under licence) powered. 616 built.
- F9F-5P: unarmed photo-reconnaissance version, 36 built, longer nose.
- F9F-5KD: After the F9F Panther was withdrawn operational service, a number of F9F-5s were converted into unmanned target drone aircraft. Redesignated DF-9E in 1962.
Operators
Specifications (F9F-2 Panther)
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