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Grumman F7F Tigercat

{{short description|1943 fighter aircraft family by Grumman; first twin-engine fighter deployed by the US Navy}}

{{Redirect|Tigercat}}

{{Infobox aircraft

|name= F7F Tigercat

|image= File:F7F-3P Tigercat.jpg

|caption= An F7F-3P preserved in United States Marine Corps markings in flight

|type= Heavy fighter

|national_origin= United States

|manufacturer= Grumman

|first_flight= 2 November 1943

|introduction= 1944

|retired= 1954

|primary_user= United States Navy

|more_users= United States Marine Corps

|produced= 1943–1946

|number_built= 364

|developed_into= Grumman XTSF

}}

The Grumman F7F Tigercat is a heavy fighter aircraft that served with the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) from late in World War II until 1954. It was the first twin-engine fighter to be deployed by the USN. While the Tigercat was delivered too late to see combat in World War II, it did serve in reconnaissance roles. The Tigercat primarily saw action as a night fighter and attack aircraft during the Korean War.

Designed initially for service on Midway-class aircraft carriers, early production F7Fs were land-based variants. The type was too large to operate from older and smaller carriers, and only a late variant (F7F-4N) was certified for carrier service.

Design and development

Based on the earlier Grumman XP-50 that was eventually canceled, the company developed the XP-65 (Model 51) further for a future "convoy fighter" concept. In 1943, work on the XP-65 was terminated in favor of the design that would eventually become the F7F.Dorr and Donald 1990, p. 119. The contract for the prototype XF7F-1 was signed on 30 June 1941. Grumman's aim was to produce a fighter that outperformed and outgunned all existing fighter aircraft, and that had an auxiliary ground attack capability.Thruelsen 1976, p. 204.

File:F7F-3N VMFN-513 Wonsan 1952.jpg

Performance of the prototype and initial production aircraft met expectations; the F7F was one of the fastest piston-engine fighters, with a top speed significantly greater than single-engine USN aircraft — 71 mph faster than a Grumman F6F Hellcat at sea level.Meyer 2002, p. 51. Captain Fred Trapnell, one of the premier USN test pilots of the era, stated: "It's the best damn fighter I've ever flown."Meyer 2002, p. 54. The F7F was to be heavily-armed — four 20 mm cannon and four .50 caliber (0.50 in; 12.7 mm) machine guns, as well as underwing and under-fuselage hardpoints for bombs and torpedoes. This speed and firepower 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 tailhook design.Meyer 2002, p. 55. The initial production series was, therefore, used only from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters with APS-6 radar.Thruelsen 1976, p. 205.

While the F7F was initially also known as the Grumman Tomcat, this name was abandoned, because it was considered at the time to have excessively sexual overtones;Meyer 2002, p. 50 (from the 1970s, the name Tomcat became commonly associated with, and officially used by the Navy for, another Grumman design, the F-14 twin-jet carrier-based interceptor).

The first production variant was the single-seat F7F-1N aircraft; after the 34th production aircraft, a second seat for a radar operator was added and these aircraft were designated F7F-2N.

A second production version, the F7F-3, was modified to correct the issues that caused the aircraft to fail carrier acceptance, and this version was again trialled on the {{USS|Shangri-La|CV-38|6}}. A wing failure on a heavy landing caused the failure of this carrier qualification as well. F7F-3 aircraft were produced in day fighter, night fighter, and photo-reconnaissance versions.Taylor 1969, p. 504.

The final production version, the F7F-4N, was extensively rebuilt for additional strength and stability, and did pass carrier qualification, but only 12 were built.

Operational history

The F7F Tigercat was produced too late to serve in its intended role in WWII; however, early F7F-1 models saw service in the Pacific Theatre before the end of the war. One Marine Corps photographic reconnaissance squadron equipped with the F7F, VMP-354, arrived in Guam in June 1945, and was quickly transferred to Yontan Airfield in Okinawa in July 1945.{{Cite book |last=O'Brien |first=J. T. |title=Top secret: an informal history of electronic warfare & photographic reconnaissance in Marine Corps aviation 1940-2000 |date=2004 |publisher=Equidata Pub. Co |isbn=978-0-9714185-3-0 |edition=1st |location=Anaheim, Calif |pages=64–69}} In July and August 1945, VMP-354 used the F7F to photograph potential invasion beaches for Operation Downfall in Southern Kyushu.

Marine Corps night fighter squadron VMF(N)-513 flying F7F-3N Tigercats saw action in the early stages of the Korean War, flying night interdiction and fighter missions and shooting down two Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes.Grossnick and Armstrong 1997 This was the only combat use of the aircraft.

Most F7F-2Ns were modified to control drones for combat training, and these gained bubble canopies over the rear cockpit for the drone controller. An F7F-2D used for pilot transitioning also had a rear sliding, bubble canopy.Gault 1973, p. 25.

In 1945, two Tigercats, serial numbers TT346 and TT349, were evaluated, but rejected by the British Royal Navy in favour of a naval version of the de Havilland Hornet.Zuk 2004, p. 129.

Variants

File:XF7F-1 at Moffett Field 1946.jpg

File:F7F-2D with F8F windshield NAN3-49.jpg

File:F7F-3N Tigercat VMF(N)-531.jpeg

;XP-65

:Proposed United States Army Air Forces pursuit fighter.

;XF7F-1

:Prototype aircraft, two built.

;F7F-1 Tigercat

:Twin-engine fighter-bomber aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-22W radial piston engines. First production version, 34 built.

;F7F-1N Tigercat

:Single-seat night fighter aircraft, fitted with an APS-6 radar.

;XF7F-2N

:Night-fighter prototype, one built.

;F7F-2N Tigercat

:Two-seat night fighter, 65 built.

;F7F-2D

:Small numbers of F7F-2Ns converted into drone control aircraft. The aircraft were fitted with a Grumman F8F Bearcat windshield behind the cockpit.

;F7F-3 Tigercat

:Single-seat fighter-bomber aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W radial piston engines and featuring an enlarged tailfin for improved stability at high altitudes, 189 built.

;F7F-3N Tigercat

:Two-seat night fighter aircraft, 60 built.

;F7F-3E Tigercat

:Small numbers of F7F-3s were converted into electronic warfare aircraft.

;F7F-3P Tigercat

:Small numbers of F7F-3s were converted into photo-reconnaissance aircraft.

;F7F-4N Tigercat

:Two-seat night-fighter aircraft, fitted with a tailhook and other naval equipment, 12 built.

Operators

;{{USA}}

Surviving aircraft

File:Grumman F7F-3N Tigercat 2007.jpg

File:Grumman F7F-3N Tigercat Sis-Q Santa Rosa CA 29.03.88 edited-2.jpg

File:F7F Tigercat N747MX La Patrona 2014 Reno Air Races Silver photo D Ramey Logan.jpg

Beginning in 1949, F7Fs were flown to the then-U.S. Navy storage facility at Naval Air Station Litchfield Park, Arizona.Legg 1991, p. 26. Although the vast majority of the airframes were eventually scrapped, a number of examples were purchased as surplus. The surviving Tigercats were primarily used as water bombers to fight wildfires in the 1960s and 1970s and Sis-Q Flying Services of Santa Rosa, California, operated an F7F-3N tanker in this role until retirement in the late 1980s.

; Airworthy

;; F7F-3

  • 80374: based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=7629C "FAA Registry: N7629C"]. FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.[https://www.worldwariiaviation.org/grumman-f7f-tigercat/ "Grumman F7F Tigercat/Bu. 80374."] Grumman F7F Tigercat. Retrieved: 14 July 2021.
  • 80375: based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=379AK "FAA Registry: N379AK"]. FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.[https://www.worldwariiaviation.org/complete-aircraft-list/ "Grumman F7F Tigercat/Bu. 80375."] Grumman F7F Tigercat. Retrieved: 14 July 2021.
  • 80390: based at Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=700F "FAA Registry: N700F"]. FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.[https://www.lewisairlegends.com/f7f3p-tigercat "Grumman F7F Tigercat/Bu. 80390"]. Lewis Air Legends. Retrieved: 13 January 2020.
  • 80411: based at Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=207F "FAA Registry: N207F."] FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.[http://www.palmspringsairmuseum.org/aircrafts.htm "Grumman F7F Tigercat/Bu. 80411"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317173342/http://palmspringsairmuseum.org/aircrafts.htm |date=2012-03-17 }}. Palm Springs Air Museum. Retrieved: 23 February 2014.
  • 80425: privately owned in Seattle, Washington.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=909TC "FAA Registry: N909TC"]. FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.
  • 80483: privately owned in Houston, Texas.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=6178C "FAA Registry: N6178C"]. FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.
  • 80503: based at Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=747MX "FAA Registry: N747MX"]. FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.[https://www.lewisairlegends.com/f7f3p-tigercat-la-patrona "Grumman F7F Tigercat/Bu. 80503"]. Lewis Air Legends. Retrieved: 13 January 2020.
  • 80532: privately owned in Bentonville, Arkansas.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=7195C "FAA Registry: N7195C"]. FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.

; On display

;; F7F-3

; Under restoration or in storage

;; F7F-3

  • 80404: in storage at the Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.[https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=7626C "FAA Registry: N7626C"]. FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.

Specifications (F7F-4N Tigercat)

File:Grumman F7F-3N drawing.jpg

{{Aircraft specs

| ref=Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War IIBridgman 1946, p. 233.

|prime units?=imp

|crew=2

|length ft=45||length in=4

|span ft=51||span in=6

|height ft=16||height in=7

|wing area sqft=455

|airfoil=root: NACA 23015; tip: NACA 23012{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}

|empty weight lb=16270

|gross weight lb=

|gross weight note=

|max takeoff weight lb=25720

|eng1 number=2

|eng1 name=Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp

|eng1 type=18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines

|eng1 hp=2100

|prop blade number=3

|prop name=constant-speed fully-feathering propellers

|prop dia ft=

|prop dia in=

|max speed mph=460

|range miles=1200

|ceiling ft=40400

|climb rate ftmin=4530

| guns=

  • 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) AN/M3 cannon (200 rpg, wing roots)
  • 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun (400 rpg, in nose) (normal fighter versions only; replaced by radar unit in the -3N nightfighter)

| bombs=

  • 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs, or
  • 8 x 127mm unguided rockets under wings and
  • 1 x 150 gallon fuel or napalm tank under fuselage, or
  • 1 × torpedo under fuselage (day fighter only)

| avionics=

  • AN/APS-19 radar

}}

See also

{{Aircontent

|see also=

|related=

|similar aircraft=

|lists=

}}

References

;Notes

{{reflist|25em}}

;Bibliography

{{refbegin}}

  • Bridgman, Leonard (ed.). "The Grumman Tigercat." Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. {{ISBN|1-85170-493-0}}.
  • Carlson, Ted. "Semper Fi Tigercat". Flight Journal, Volume 13, Issue 2, April 2008.
  • Carr, Orrin I. "Fire 'Cat!" Air Classics, Vol. 12, No. 9, Sept. 1976. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications, pp. 38–47.
  • Dorr, Robert F. and David Donald. Fighters of the United States Air Force. London: Temple, 1990. {{ISBN|0-600-55094-X}}.
  • Gault, Owen. "Grumman's Tiger Twins: The Skyrocket & Tigercat". Air Classics, Vol. 9, No. 8, Aug. 1973. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications, pp. 22–27.
  • Green, William. "Grumman F7F-1 – F7F-3 Tigercat". War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 1961, pp. 106–108. {{ISBN|0-356-01448-7}}.
  • Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Grumman F7F Tigercat". WW2 Fact Files: US Navy and Marine Corps Fighters. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1976, pp. 57–61. {{ISBN|0-356-08222-9}}.
  • Grossnick, Roy A. and William J. Armstrong. United States Naval Aviation: 1910–1995. Annapolis, MA: Naval Historical Center, 1997. {{ISBN|0-16-049124-X}}.
  • Legg, David. "Tigercat on camera". Aircraft Illustrated, Volume 24, no. 1, January 1991.
  • Meyer, Corwin ("Corky") H. "F7F Tigercat: The Untold Story". Flight Journal, August 2002. Ridgefield, CT: AirAge Publications. pp. 48–56, 58.
  • Morgan, Eric B. "Grumman F7F Tigercat F.7/30". Twentyfirst Profile, Volume 1, No. 11. New Milton, Hants, UK: 21st Profile Ltd. ISSN 0961-8120.
  • Morgan, Eric B. "The Grumman Twins". Twentyfirst Profile, Volume 2, No. 15. New Milton, Hants, UK: 21st Profile Ltd. ISSN 0961-8120.
  • O'Leary, Michael. "Tigercat Restoration". Air Classics, Vol. 38, No. 11, Nov. 2002. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications.
  • O'Leary, Michael. United States Naval Fighters of World War II in Action. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press, 1980. {{ISBN|0-7137-0956-1}}.
  • Taylor, John W.R. "Grumman F7F Tigercat". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. {{ISBN|0-425-03633-2}}.
  • Thruelsen, Richard. The Grumman Story. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1976. {{ISBN|0-275-54260-2}}.
  • Zuk, Bill. Janusz Zurakowski: Legends in the Sky. St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell, 2004. {{ISBN|1-55125-083-7}}.

{{refend}}

External links

{{commons category}}

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20190216013844/http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/en/aircraft/usa/grumman/f-7ftigercat/an-01-85fa-1-pilot-s-handbook-for-f7f-1n-f7f-2n-f7f-3-f7f-3n-f7f-4n-airplanes.html Manual: (1949) AN 01-85FA-1 Pilot's Handbook for Navy Model F7F-1N, F7F-2N, F7F-3, F7F-3N, F7F-4N Airplanes]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20100620230636/http://navalaviationmuseum.org/ExhibitsAndCollections/History-Up-Close/SpotlightAircraft/F7F-Tigercat.aspx Naval Aviation Museum: F7F History & Pictures]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20060224061603/http://www.septemberpops.com/Racers/BossmanPage.htm F7F Tigercat "Big Bossman" air Racer]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20151220130952/http://www.kbvp.com/extreme-videos/f7f-tigercat-airshow-video-clay-lacy F7F Tigercat Flight Demonstration by Clay Lacy]

{{Grumman aircraft}}

{{USN fighters}}

{{Authority control}}

F07F Tigercat

Category:1940s United States fighter aircraft

Category:Carrier-based aircraft

Category:Mid-wing aircraft

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1943

Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft

Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear