Grumman F6F Hellcat
The Grumman F6F was a shoulder-mounted-wing monoplane fighter developed by the
Grumman Corporation in WWII. Per Reference [8] first flight for the Hellcat
was on 26 June 1942 wih the type entering service in 1943.
A total of 12,275 of all variants were produced.
The Hellcat
had a razorback profile and main landing gear that would be rotated 90 degrees to
allow them to fit into the wings when retracted.
The Hellcat along with the F4U Corsair would serve as
the primary fighters of the US Navy and US Marine Corps during the
second half of the war in the Pacific. It would also serve
with the UK during the war as well as France and Uruguay post WWII.
The
primary variants analyzed
at
this website include:
Per
Reference [8] the F6F-3 was the initial production variant of ths
Hellcat family, fitted with a 2,000 HP radial engine. This
variant was initially
called the Gannet Mk I in Royal Navy service, though it was later
renamed as the Hellcat Mk I. The F6F-5 was an upgraded variant,
fitted with a 2,200 HP engine, a redesigned engine cowling, a new
windscreen with integral bullet proof glass, new ailerons, and
reinforced tail surfaces. In Royal Navy service it
was designated the Hellcat Mk II.
As
shown in the images below distinguishing features of this
aircraft including;
- a
large radial engine
- a razorback
configuration aft the cockpit
- a
framed "birdcage" type canopy
- a shoulder mounted Sto-Wing folding wings
- main
landing gear that rotated 90 degrees to retract into the wings
[Image
Sources: Public Domain via Ref [8] - as
annotated by this site]
Notes:
This website
has been developed with a number of low cost or free programs including
Hot Metal Pro, KompoZer, MicroSoft Designer and Da Button Factory.com
Rev 3-3-25
