- The F6F Hellcat was a fighter plane developed by Grumman, a renowned manufacturer of carrier-based fighters, as a successor to the F4F Wildcat, and was the main aircraft of the US Navy in the latter half of World War II, alongside the F4U Corsair.
- On June 30, 1941, the order was issued to build the XF6F-1 prototype, and in June 1942, the XF6F-3 made its first flight.
- However, this aircraft was underpowered and performance was not satisfactory, so the engine was quickly replaced with a more powerful P&WR-2800 Double Wasp.
- Deliveries of mass-produced aircraft began in November 1942, and the first F6F unit, VF-9, was formed in January 1943 and began training on the aircraft carrier Essex as the first unit to defeat the Zero fighter.
- By 1943, 2,545 F6F-3s had been delivered, of which 252 were loaned to the UK under the Lend-Lease Agreement. They were assigned to the British Fleet Task Force in July 1943 and participated in combat in December, some of which took part in operations against Japan in the Indian Ocean.
- The F6F-5 is equipped with the same R-2800-10W engine as the late production F6F-3, but the engine cowling, windshield, ailerons, tail area, etc. are slightly redesigned for this production model.
- Also gone is the rear visibility window behind the movable windshield.
- In addition, bulletproof equipment has been strengthened.
- The F6F was large and heavy for its engine output, and was by no means a masterpiece in terms of performance. However, it was sturdy, mobile, and equipped with excellent bulletproof equipment, so it could withstand hits well and had a low loss rate. In addition, a total of 12,272 were produced, and Japan was slow to develop a successor to the Zero fighter, so it had a more brilliant combat record than its actual capabilities would suggest.
[Actual data F6F-5]
- Crew: 1 person
- Width: 13.06m
- Total length: 10.23m
- Total height: 4.9m
- Wing area: 31m2
- Engine: P&W R-2800-10W
- Takeoff power: 2,100 horsepower
- Range: 1,750km
- Maximum speed: 594km/h (altitude 7,300m)
- Armament: 6 x 12.7 mm machine guns or 2 x 20 mm cannons + 4 x 12.7 mm machine guns, 2 x 450 kg bombs
- Number of parts: 138
- Model length: 313mm
- Model width: 398mm
( This is a machine translation. Please allow for possible misinterpretations in the text. )