Grumman F9F Panther gallery

The F9F Panther was the Grumman's first jet fighter and the U.S.N's second. Grumman's first XF9F-2 first flew on 24 November 1947. It was the most widely used U.S.N.(United States Navy) jet fighter of the Korean War. It flew 78,000 sorties and was responsible for the first air kill in the war—the downing of a North Korean Yakovlev Yak-9 fighter.

Design and development

Development studies at the Grumman company began near the end of the World War II as the first jet engines emerged. The prototype Panther, piloted by test pilot Corky Meyer, first flew on 24 November 1947. 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 which incidentally improved the fighter's rate of roll. It was cleared for flight from aircraft carriers in September 1949. During the development phase, Grumman decided to change the Panther's engine, selecting the Pratt & Whitney J48-P-2, a license built version of the Rolls-Royce Tay. The other engine that had been tested was the Allison J33-A-16, a development of the Rolls-Royce Derwent.

Variants

XF9F-2 : the first 2 prototypes
XF9F-3 : the third prototype
F9F-2 : first production version (powered by J42 engines)
F9F-2B : version fitted with underwing racks for bombs and rockets. All F9F-2s were eventually so modified, and the B designation was dropped
F9F-2P : unarmed photographic reconnaissance version used in Korea
F9F-3 : a version powered by J33 engines (as insurance against the failure of the J42), 54 aircraft were built. Later, their J33 was replaced with J42
XF9F-4 : prototype used to develop F9F-4
F9F-4 : longer fuselage with greater fuel load, powered by J33. Most re-engined with J42s. F9F-4s were the first aircraft to successfully employ blown air, extracted from between the engine´s compressor and combustion chambers, to energise the slot flaps, thus achieving a decrease in stalling speed of 9kt for takeoff and 7kt on power approach for landing
F9F-5 : F9F-4 but powered by Pratt&Whitney J48 engines. 616 aircraft were built
F9F-5P : unarmed photo-reconnaissance version, longer nose, 36 aircraft were built
F9F-5KD : After the F9F Panther was withdrawn operational service, a number of F9F-5s were converted into unmanned target drone aircraft

General characteristics ( F9F-2 Panther )

Crew: 1
Length: 37 ft 5 in (11.3 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 0 in (11.6 m)
Height: 11 ft 4 in (3.8 m)
Wing area: 250 ft² (23 m²)
Empty weight: 9,303 lb (4,220 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,235 lb (6,456 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 16,450 lb (7,462 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney J42-P-6/P-8 turbojet, 5,950 lbf (26.5 kN) with water injection

Performance ( F9F-2 Panther )

Maximum speed: 500 knots (575 mph, 925 km/h)
Range: 1,300 mi (1,100 nm, 2,100 km)
Service ceiling: 44,600 ft (13,600 m)
Rate of climb: 5,140 ft/min (26.1 m/s)
Wing loading: 71 lb/ft² (350 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.42

Armament ( F9F-2 Panther )

Guns: 4× 20 mm (0.787 in) M2 cannon, 190 rounds/gun
Hardpoints: Underwing hardpoints with provisions to carry combinations of:
- Rockets: 6× 5 in (127 mm) rockets on underwing hardpoints
- Bombs: 2,000 lb (910 kg) of bombs