Grumman F6F Hellcat & F8F Bearcat (2024)

* Months before the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific, the Grummancompany began formal development of a bigger and better successor to thecompany's excellent F4F Wildcat fighter. The result, the "F6F Hellcat",proved to be everything expected of it, being powerful, rugged, easy to buildand fly, and proving a major player in the defeat of Japan. Later in thewar, Grumman developed a "hot rod" derivative of the Hellcat, the "F8FBearcat", but it was too late to see combat. This document provides ahistory and description of the Grumman F6F Hellcat and F8F Bearcat.A list of illustration credits is included at the end.

[1] HELLCAT ORIGINS

* The Grumman F6F Hellcat began life as a concept for an improved F4F Wildcatfighter, with studies beginning in early 1938 -- even before the Wildcatentered production -- and gradually evolving byearly 1940 into a concept with the company designation "G-50". By that time,the aircraft no longer looked like a modified Wildcat, basically havingbecome a "clean sheet" design based on the Wildcat but with little or noparts commonality.

After performing wind-tunnel tests on a 16th-scale model, the US Navy orderedtwo G-50 prototypes on 30 June 1941. The first prototype, the "XF6F-1", wasto be powered by a Wright R-2600-10 Cyclone air-cooled, two-row, 14-cylinderradial engine with 1,268 kW (1,700 HP), and the second, the "XF6F-2", was tobe fitted with a turbocharged R-2600-16 Cyclone.

Feedback from the British, then flying the Wildcat against the Nazis, andfrom the US Navy suggested that a more powerful engine was required. Thedesign team, led by chief designers Dick Hutton and Bill Schwendler, settledon the Pratt & Whitney (P&W) R-2800 Double Wasp, an air-cooled, two-row,18-cylinder radial engine in the 1,500 kW (2,000 HP) class. The R-2800 wasalso planned to power both the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and the Vought F4UCorsair fighters, but both of these machines had been delayed, and so Grummanwas able to get their hands on R-2800 production.

The initial XF6F-1 "Hellcat" prototype flew on 26 June 1942 with the Cycloneengine and test pilot Bob Hall at the controls. However, the secondprototype was actually completed as the "XF6F-3", with the more powerfulR-2800-10 engine. Hall performed the first flight of the XF6F-3 on 30 July1942. He had to land the machine on a Long Island farm field on 17 Augustdue to an engine failure, but the development effort continued with littledisruption -- though Seldon Converse soon replaced Hall as the test pilot.

Neither prototype was armed. The only major problem encountered during thetest flights was tail flutter, which was fixed by reinforcing the rearfuselage. The lack of major snags was fortunate, since the XF6F-3 hadalready been ordered into production as the "F6F-3" on 23 May 1942, over amonth before the first flight of the XF6F-1. There was a war on, andimproved fighters were needed, even if some risks had to be taken.

Production began at a new Grumman plant in Bethpage, New York, with thefighter going down the assembly line before the buildings were completed.The first production F6F-3 performed its initial flight on 3 October 1942,and service deliveries of the type began in early 1943. Following carriertrials, in March 1943 the type reached operational status with Navy fightersquadron VF-9 on the carrier USS ESSEX, with the aircraft painted Navy bluetopside and white on the bottom, the standard color scheme for the fighterthrough the war. Within nine months of the first flight of the productionmachine, 15 squadrons were equipped with the type. The Hellcat was primarilya Navy machine, the Marines generally preferring the more formidable butdemanding F4U Corsair.

* The Hellcat clearly showed influence from the Wildcat. Like the Wildcat,the Hellcat was not elegant, but it was clean, straightforward, and builtvery rugged, confirming Grumman's reputation with pilots as the "Iron Works".The Grumman motto was: "Make it strong, make it work, make it simple."Engineers were encouraged to overdesign the machines, ensuring they exceededNavy requirements by what was called a "Schwendler factor". The co*ckpit wasdesigned to be the last thing to fail to help make sure pilots got back homesafe.

The Hellcat's angular lines were intended to help make it easy tomanufacture. It was a barrel-shaped fighter of mostly metal constructionwith a flush-riveted skin, though the ailerons were fabric covered. Theaircraft was fitted with a roomy co*ckpit that provided the pilot with anexcellent forward view though a poor rear view, and with a "razorback" canopythat slid backwards to open. The straight-edged, square-tipped wings weremanually folded up and back along the sides of the fuselage in good Grummanfashion. According to company legend, the concept had been dreamed up byLeroy Grumman using a paperclip and a pink gum eraser.

There were significant differences from the Wildcat as well:

• Although both the Hellcat and the Wildcat had tailwheel landing gear, the details were entirely different. The Wildcat's main gear retracted into the fuselage, using a hand crank, and had a notoriously narrow track. The Hellcat's main gear were mounted in the wings, retracting backward and rotating 90 degrees to lie flat. The Hellcat also had a retractable solid-rubber tailwheel, with all three gear hydraulically actuated -- a welcome change for pilots who had found cranking up the Wildcat's landing gear tiresome.
• The Hellcat had a low-mounted wing, instead of the Wildcat's mid-mounted wing. The new landing gear scheme dictated the shift in the wing's position.
• The Hellcat was simply bigger, with more armor, firepower, and fuel. Armor included a bulletproof windscreen and 96 kilograms (212 pounds) of co*ckpit armor, as well as armor around the oil tank and cooler under the engine. Armament consisted of six 12.7-millimeter (0.50-caliber) Browning machine guns, three mounted in each outboard section of the wing with 400 rounds per gun, instead of the (typical) four 12.7-millimeter Brownings of the Wildcat.

  The Hellcat was fitted with three self-sealing fuel tanks: one with a capacity of 227 liters (60 US gallons) under the pilot's seat, and one in each wing with a capacity of 331 liters (87.5 US gallons), for a total of 889 liters (235 US gallons) -- over twice the fuel capacity of the Wildcat. The F6F-3 could also carry a 568-liter (150 US gallon) centerline drop tank, though most F6F-3 production had no provisions for carrying any other external stores.

The big Double Wasp engine drove a three-bladed, constant-speed HamiltonStandard Hydromatic propeller with a diameter of 3.99 meters (13 feet 1inch), though the XF6F-3 had used a Curtiss Electric propeller. The XF6F-3had also featured a large prop spinner, but that item didn't make it intoproduction aircraft. The engine was set three degrees down the centerline ofthe aircraft, giving the machine a tail-down attitude in flight. The Hellcatused a "stinger" type arresting hook, like that of the Wildcat, thatdiscreetly retracted straight back into the extreme tail.

[2] F6F-3 HELLCAT IN SERVICE / XF6F-2 & XF6F-4

* The Hellcat went into combat in the early fall of 1943, with its firstmajor action in a raid against Rabaul harbor on New Britain on 5 November1943. From that time on, it was a major player in the Pacific navalcampaigns. On 23 November 1943, US Navy F3F-3s tangled with JapaneseMitsubishi A6M Zero fighters over Tarawa, with LT-JG Ralph Hanks shootingdown five in five minutes and becoming an "instant ace". The next day theYanks and Japanese mixed it up again; the final score of the two days offighting was one Hellcat lost and 30 claimed kills on Zeroes.

The Hellcat no doubt came as a nasty surprise to Japanese pilots, since itlooked enough like a Wildcat to be confused for one at a distance, but was asubstantially more dangerous adversary -- every bit as tough as the Wildcat,but faster and more heavily armed. It was still no match for the Zero interms of agility and couldn't outclimb the A6M, but the Hellcat could almostalways escape by going into a dive. Any competent Hellcat pilot whounderstood his machine's advantages and the Zero's weaknesses had the upperhand.

A total of 4,402 F6F-3s was built up to the spring of 1944. (Some sourcesgive different numbers, with such variations discussed in the productionsummary at the end of this document.) Very late production F6F-3s featuredthe R-2800-10W engine with water-methanol boost that could provide 10% morepower for short periods of time. The water tank was fitted behind theco*ckpit and was filled from the spine.

There were a number of F6F-3 subvariants:

• The "F6F-3P" was a photo-reconnaissance conversion, with cameras installed in the rear fuselage.
• The "F6F-3E" was a night-fighter variant with AN/APS-4 (ASH) radar. A flat-plate anti-glare windscreen was fitted, as well as red co*ckpit lighting. The AN/APS-4 really needed a separate operator to be used properly; the F6F-3E was strictly an interim solution.
• The "F6F-3N" was the full-spec night-fighter variant, with AN/APS-6 radar. The AN/APS-6 was essentially an AN/APS-4 with a simplified display system that eliminated the need for a separate operator. Fighter pilots were a bit leery of the radar-equipped Hellcat at first, since they feared the pod would affect handling, and in fact it cut top speed by about 32 KPH (20 MPH).

An F6F-3 was experimentally re-engined with a turbocharged R-2800-21 engineand given the unused designation of "XF6F-2". This machine featured a deeperfuselage to accommodate the turbocharger system, and a four-bladed propellerwith root cuffs was fitted. Initial flight was on 7 January 1944. The ideawould be developed further later.

The original XF6F-1 prototype was re-engined with an R-2800-27 enginefeaturing a single-stage, two-speed supercharger. It was designated the"XF6F-4" and performed its initial flight on 2 October 1942, but this variantdid not enter production. The test aircraft was restored to F6F-3configuration and put into service.

[3] F6F-5 HELLCAT IN SERVICE / XF6F-6 / POSTWAR SERVICE

* The second (and last) major production variant of the Hellcat was the"F6F-5", which performed its first flight on 4 April 1944 and enteredproduction at the end of the month. The F6F-5 was an incremental improvementon the F6F-3, standardizing improvements introduced during F6F-3 productionand adding a few new ones. The two variants were difficult to tell apart.The F6F-5 featured:

• The R-2800-10W engine, as fitted to late-production F6F-3s.
• Minor airframe changes, including a redesigned engine cowling with improved streamlining, a stronger tail assembly, and new ailerons. The Hellcat's aileron controls were regarded as heavy and tiring, partly because the machine was so stable around the roll axis, and it was one problem with the machine that Grumman never quite managed to fix. The F6F-5 also featured a simplified canopy with the flat windshield, the original curved windshield having proven to have no real aerodynamic advantage. Late production F6F-5s would have fairings over the canopy rear window panels.
• A stores pylon under the fuselage and one under each wing, for a total of three, each able to carry a bomb of up to 450 kilograms (1,000 pounds) weight. The Hellcat would also be evaluated as a torpedo-bomber, but this scheme would not go into service, though the big 29.2-centimeter (11.5-inch) "Tiny Tim" unguided rocket was used in combat by Hellcats.
• Three stub pylons under each wing, for a total of six, each able to carry a single 12.7-centimeter (5-inch) unguided "high velocity air rocket (HVAR)".

The weapons pylons had also been fitted to some late-production F6F-3s. Somelate-production F6F-5s had gun armament of four 12.7-millimeter Browningmachine guns and two 20-millimeter Hispano Mark II cannon, with thelong-barreled cannon mounted in the inboard position and supplied with 200rounds of ammunition each.

 ___________________________________________________________________ GRUMMAN F6F-5 HELLCAT: ___________________________________________________________________ wingspan: 13.06 meters (42 feet 10 inches) wing area: 31.03 sq_meters (334 sq_feet) length: 10.24 meters (33 feet 7 inches) height: 3.99 meters (13 feet 1 inch) empty weight: 4,190 kilograms (9,238 pounds) normal loaded weight: 6,990 kilograms (15,415 pounds) max speed at altitude: 610 KPH (380 MPH / 330 KT) service ceiling: 11,370 meters (37,300 feet) range: 1,520 kilometers (945 MI / 820 NMI) ___________________________________________________________________

The F6F-5 went into service just as the Hellcat accomplished its greatestfeat of arms: the Marianas Turkey Shoot. On 19 June 1944, US Navy fightersprotecting the US invasion of the Marianas island chain were challenged byswarms of Imperial Japanese Navy Zeroes. The Americans claimed 350 kills toa loss of 30 of their own aircraft. It was all but the end of ImperialJapanese Navy air power, now suppressed by what the US Navy called the "BigBlue Blanket" of naval air power.

The last of 7,870 F6F-5s was rolled out in November 1945. As with the F6F-3,production included a night-fighter variant, the "F6F-5N" with AN/APS-6radar, making up 1,435 of the total. Some F6F-5s were also converted to aphoto-reconnaissance variant, the "F6F-5P".

The US Navy and Marine Corps claimed 5,154 kills in the Hellcat during WorldWar II, giving it a kill ratio of 19:1. That may have been an exaggeration-- but even discounting it by half, it was an impressive achievement. TheNavy's top-scoring ace, CDR David McCampbell, scored 34 aerial victories inthe F6F, as well as 20 kills against aircraft on the ground. Otherhigh-scoring US Navy aces included LT Cecil Harris, with 24 kills in aerialcombat; LT Eugene Valencia, with 23; LT Alexander Vraciu, with 19; LTCornelius Nooy, with 19; and LT Patrick Fleming, with 18.

* Two "XF6F-6" prototypes were built as a follow-on to the XF6F-2 experiment,fitted with the P&W R-2800-18W engine, featuring a two-stage two-speedsupercharger and water injection, driving a four-bladed propeller. Initialflight of the first prototype was on 6 July 1944. Performance was excellent,the Navy wanted to put this variant into production, but the orders werecanceled after the end of the war in the Pacific in August 1945.

There were a number of unbuilt Hellcat derivatives:

• Wind tunnel tests were performed in 1942 on a model of a Hellcat with floats, but the idea unsurprisingly turned out to impractical.
• The "G54" was to have a low-drag laminar-flow wing.
• The "G59" was to be fitted with a 28-cylinder P&W R-4360 Wasp Major engine with a two-speed supercharger, while the "G60" was the same engine fit, but with a two-stage supercharger.
• The "G61" was a "hybrid" fighter, with a turbojet engine in the tail along with the piston engine in the nose.
• The "G69" was a dedicated attack variant.

* The Hellcat was quickly phased out of first-line service after the war,initially being replaced by the Grumman F8F Bearcat, and then by jet fighters.Hellcats lingered on in reserve service for a few years. A number ofHellcats were converted into "F6F-5K" target drones and "F6F-5D" dronedirectors; apparently the first Hellcats to carry drop tanks had also beengiven the "F6F-5D" designation, but it hadn't stuck. A handful ofexplosive-laden Hellcat drones were used for "bridge-busting" during theKorean War. Some Hellcats were also used as target tugs.

[4] HELLCAT IN FOREIGN SERVICE

* The Hellcat was heavily used by the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm(FAA). A total of 252 F6F-3s was supplied beginning in March 1943. The FAAhad originally wanted to call it the "Gannet F.I (Fighter Mark I)" -- but bythat time they were realizing that changing the names of Yank aircraft inBritish service caused more confusion than it was worth, and so the aircraftwas simply called the "Hellcat F.I".

Two squadrons were built up in 1943, being dispatched on the HMS EMPERORfor convoy duty late in the year, where they saw no real combat. When theEMPEROR returned to Britain in early 1944, the ship was sent north in Marchas part of Operation TUNGSTEN, the attack on the German battleship TIRPITZ inits protected Norwegian fjord. The Hellcats fought in wintry weather, takingon German Bf 109Gs and Fw 190As, and claiming three kills for the loss of oneof their own.

The Hellcat Is did not participate in the Normandy invasion in June 1944, butthe EMPEROR did participate in the invasion of southern France in August. USNavy Hellcats also fought in that operation, flying from the "jeep" carriersKASAAN BAY and TULAGI. The Hellcats performed strikes and shot down ahandful of German aircraft.

By that time, the FAA was receiving the F6F-5, with deliveries running to atotal of 930. Most were "Hellcat F.II" fighters, with some unknown numberfitted with four extended launch rails under each wing, for a total of eight,to carry British "60-pounder" (27-kilogram) unguided rockets. About 70 ofthe Hellcat IIs were F6F-5N night fighters, these being given the Britishdesignation of "Hellcat NF.II". Blackburn Aircraft also converted a numberof fighters to a photo-reconnaissance standard, with three cameras in therear fuselage. These machines were given the designation "Hellcat PR.II(Photo-Reconnaissance Mark II)" if they were unarmed and "Hellcat FR.II(Fighter-Reconnaissance Mark II)" if they retained their guns.

The FAA Hellcat IIs saw service against the Japanese beginning in August1944, in particular operating around Malaya and the East Indies. Most of theFAA Hellcats were out of service by the end of 1945, some squadrons beingimmediately disbanded with the end of the war. Some Hellcat NF.IIs andPR.IIs remained in service into 1946, and a few Hellcats were retained ashacks or for other second-line purposes into the early 1950s.

* Hand-me-down Hellcats were also used by Argentina, France, Paraguay, andUruguay. The French Aeronavale, or naval air arm, received about 120Hellcats, many of which were used in the French war in Indochina in the early1950s. Uruguay's Hellcats were the last in formal military service, beingfinally phased out in 1961. Many Hellcats survive as museum displays, and anumber are still flying.

[5] A SUMMING UP

* Although the Hellcat was built in surprisingly few variants for such animportant aircraft, a production summary still does come in handy to keepthings straight. Unfortunately, cited production quantities tend to varyfrom source to source, sometimes wildly, and this list has to be regarded asno more than a "good guess".

• XF6F-1 (1 built): 1st proto, with R-2600-10 Cyclone converted to XF6F-4 with 2-speed supercharged R-2800-27
• XF6F-3 (1 built): 2nd proto, with R-2800-10 Double Wasp
• F6F-3 (4,402 built): 1st production variant subvariants including:

  [-] 18 conversions to F6F-3E evaluation night fighters

  [-] 149 (some sources say 205) F6F-3N night fighters

  [-] unknown number of F6F-3P reconnaissance conversions

  [-] 1 converted to XF6F-2 with turbocharged R-2800-21

• F6F-5 (7,870 built): 2nd production variant subvariants including:

  [-] 1,434 F6F-5N night fighters

  [-] several hundred F6F-5P reconnaissance conversions

  [-] several hundred F6F-5K drone conversions

  [-] a number of F6F-5D drone controller conversions

  [-] 2 converted to XF6F-6 with R-2800-18W & 4-bladed prop

Total production, based on this list, was 12,274 Hellcats. Some sources give4,403 F6F-3s, apparently due to "double counting" the XF6F-2 demonstrator,while some sources give 7,868 F6F-5s, and 1,529 F6F-5Ns.

252 F6F-3s were provided to the British FAA as the Hellcat I. 930 of totalF6F-5 production was supplied to the British FAA as the "Hellcat II". Mostwere "Hellcat F.II" fighters, but 70 (some sources give 80 or 85 or 95) wereF6F-5N night fighters and designated "Hellcat NF.II". Some were converted toa reconnaissance configuration and designated "Hellcat PR.II" (unarmed) or"Hellcat FR.II" (armed).

* There is something of a traditional rivalry between the Hellcat and theNavy's other major fighter of the late-war period, the Vought F4U Corsair.Both aircraft have their partisans and maintain their favorite's superiorityover the other.

Actually, even when the Hellcat was being produced, nobody claimed theHellcat could outfly the Corsair. The two aircraft were built to somewhatdifferent specifications. The Corsair was designed to provide maximumperformance at the expense of handling and cost, while the Hellcat wasdesigned to provide good performance, with handling, cost, andmanufacturability being important factors. The Corsair was an extremelyimpressive aircraft, but all admitted it was unforgiving; and for the cost oftwo Corsairs the Navy could buy three Hellcats, and get them quickly. TheHellcat was much easier to fly, which was far from a trivial considerationwhen the US was turning out pilots on assembly lines and throwing them intocombat. Its availability rate and survivability were also outstanding.

In sum, it appears that the Corsair had the edge in sheer capability, whilethe Hellcat had the edge in simple utility. Given that the Hellcat fought ingreater numbers, there is no doubt it carried the greater weight in winningthe air war in the Pacific, with over two-thirds of all the kills claimed byNavy and Marine pilots against the Japanese.

I also suspect that the Corsair's performance edge was not absolute. I amnot a pilot, but it seems clear to me that an aircraft is a bit like a piano,in that they are both demanding to use and their performance in practice isvery dependent on the skill of the person in the driver's seat. I would betthat the single largest factor in a contest between Corsair and Hellcat wouldbe pilot skill.

[6] F8F BEARCAT

* In the summer of 1943, a Grumman team under Bill Schwendler began work onwhat might be called a "hot rod" derivative of the Hellcat, the "G-58", usingthe same P&W R-2800 engine but with a lightweight airframe, the idea being toproduce a fighter that could outfly lightweight Japanese fighters in allrespects. Two prototypes were ordered in late November 1943 and assigned thedesignation "XF8F-1". Initial flight of the first was on 31 August 1944,only nine months later, the pilot being Bob Hall. Trials of the "Bearcat",as the aircraft was named, revealed excellent performance -- though somechanges had to be made, for example fit of a tailfin dorsal extension tohandle yaw instability.

The Navy had placed an order a batch of 23 evaluation / initial production"F8F-1" Bearcats even before the prototype flights. First service deliverieswere in February 1945 and the type entered fleet service in the spring ofthat year -- but it was too late to see combat. With the end of the war inAugust 1945, production orders for thousands of Bearcats were cut back, withplans for second-source production as the "F3M-1" by General Motors' EasternAircraft division dropped.

A total of 769 Bearcats was delivered as F8F-1s, including the 23 initialproduction machines but not the two prototypes. A single unarmed "G-58A" wasalso sold to a civilian customer, who flew it as the "Gulfhawk 4" atairshows, while Grumman retained a single G-58 demonstrator.

* The Bearcat had a broad resemblance to the Hellcat, but it was verydifferent in detail, and it is unclear how much parts commonality there wasbetween the two machines. Like the Hellcat, it was a barrel-shaped aircraftwith a low-mounted wings fitted with guns. However, it had an empty weightabout 20% less, and featured a clearly distinctive all-round vision bubblecanopy -- being the first operational US Navy fighter with such a feature.It also differed from the Hellcat in having the main gear pivot in the wingsand retract towards the fuselage. The wingtips folded up; the Bearcatfeatured "safety wingtips", in which a wingtip would shear loose at high geestresses and prevent the entire wing from giving way, permitting the wing tobe designed to lower stress limits.

The fuselage skin was thicker, featuring flush rivets and spot welding toreduce drag. The armament was reduced to four 12.7-millimeter Brownings tocut weight. While the ultimate intent was to go to the "E" series DoubleWasp engine, with a variable speed supercharger, lack of availability meantthat the "C" series engines had to be retained for the time being:

• The prototypes were powered by the R-2800-22 with 1,565 kW (2,100 HP).
• Early production F8F-1s featured the R-2800-22W with water-methanol injection, providing short-term boost power of 1,790 kW (2,400 HP).
• Production F8F-1s were fitted with the improved R-2800-34W with the same power ratings.

The Double Wasp drove a four-bladed Aeroproducts propeller with a diameter of3.84 meters (12 feet 7 inches); the prototypes had used Hamilton Standardprops.

 ___________________________________________________________________ GRUMMAN F8F-1 BEARCAT: ___________________________________________________________________ wingspan: 10.82 meters (35 feet 6 inches) wing area: 22.67 sq_meters (144 sq_feet) length: 8.43 meters (27 feet 8 inches) height: 4.16 meters (13 feet 8 inches) empty weight: 3,320 kilograms (7,320 pounds) max loaded weight: 5,780 kilograms (12,740 pounds) max speed at altitude: 680 KPH (425 MPH / 370 KT) service ceiling: 11.855 meters (38,900 feet) range, no drop tanks: 1,780 kilometers (1,105 MI / 960 NMI) ___________________________________________________________________

Internal fuel supply was 694 liters (183 US gallons). An external fuel tankwith a capacity of 585 liters (150 US gallons) could be carried on acenterline pylon, while a 379-liter (100 US gallon) external tank could becarried under each wing. A 450-kilogram (1,000-pound) bomb could be carriedunder each wing as an alternative store, with two stubs outboard on each wingfor 45-kilogram (100-pound) bombs or HVAR rockets as well. Photographs alsoshow Bearcats carrying two oversized Tiny Tim unguided rockets in trials.Total external stores load was 1,090 kilograms (2,400 pounds).

* In service, the Bearcat suffered from engine problems early on, and thesafety wing tips turned out to be more trouble than they were worth;eventually they would be eliminated, the wingtips being brought up to thesame standard of reinforcement as the rest of the wing. However, pilots wereenthusiastic about the Bearcat. It was well faster than the Hellcat andcould easily outclimb it, and in fact could also outclimb the powerful F4UCorsair -- though the Corsair was more maneuverable.

Pilots were not particularly happy about the light armament, and so a hundredBearcats were completed with four 20-millimeter cannon instead of four12.7-millimeter Brownings, these aircraft having the designation of "F8F-1B"(initially "F8F-1C"). They were rolled out in parallel with the F8F-1, with226 built. Two "XF8F-1N" prototype night fighters with AN/APG-19 radar in anunderwing pod were rebuilt from F8F-1s, leading to the production of a smallbatch of 13 "F8F-1N" night fighters, also as updates.

Development of the type "E" Double Wasp engine had been protracted, but afterbeing trialed in two "XF8F-2" prototypes -- both conversions -- it wasfinally introduced into production with the "F8F-2" in early 1948. TheF8F-2s were powered by a water-injected R-2800-30W engine -- despite thelower suffix number, it was a more advanced model than the early R-2800-34W-- providing 1,678 kW (2,250 HP) take-off power. The F8F-2 also featured20-millimeter cannon armament as standard, plus a taller tailfin.

365 F8F-2s were delivered, along with 12 new-build "F8F-2N" night fightersand 60 "F8F-2P" photo-reconnaissance machines, featuring cameras plus twin20-millimeter cannon. However, by the time they were in service, the Navyhad realized by that time that jets were the way of the future -- mock combatof an F8F-1 versus a Lockheed P-80 on loan to the Navy from the Army AirForces in the spring of 1946 had proven the P-80 could fly rings around theF8F-1 -- and the Bearcat was seen strictly as an interim solution, until jetslike the Grumman F9F Panther and F2H Banshee got into service.

* A total of 24 Navy and Marine squadrons flew the Bearcat in the immediatepostwar period. It was the mount for the Navy Blue Angels flightdemonstration team from 1946 to 1950. The Bearcat was out of first-lineservice by the beginning of the Korean War in 1950; it didn't see any combatservice in that war, because the Navy and Marines judged the F4U Corsair to bea better close-support aircraft. The Bearcat lingered in US military servicein the training and, as the "F8F-1D / F8F-2D", drone controller role into themid-1950s.

The following list summarizes Bearcat variants:

• XF8F-1 (2 built): initial prototypes with R-2800-22 engine
• F8F-1 (769 built): production machines with water-injected engine
• F8F-1B (226 built): F8F-1 with 20-millimeter cannon
• XF8F-1N (2 conversions): night fighter prototypes with AN/APG-19 radar
• F8F-1N (13 conversions): production night fighters
• XF8F-2 (2 conversions): prototypes for F8F-2
• F8F-2 (365 built): R-2800-30W engine, taller tailfin
• F8F-2N (12 built): F9F-2 night fighter
• F8F-2P (60 built): recce F8F-2 with cameras, two cannon
• G-58 (1 built): company demonstrator
• G-58A (1 built): civilianized F8F-1
• F8F-1/2D (?): drone controller conversions

That gave total production of 1,436 Bearcats. F8F-1s and F8F-1Bs were passedon to the French Armee de l'Air for use in the close-support role during theFrench war in Indochina in the 1950s. When the French pulled out, some ofthe Bearcats were passed on to the South Vietnamese Air Force and served intothe early 1960s. Bearcats were also passed on to the Royal Thai Air Force,also operating into the early 1960s.

A good number of Bearcats survive today, including a number that areflight-worthy. Along with airshow appearances, souped-up Bearcats often flyin pylon racing, the most famous being Lyle Shelton's RARE BEAR. TheBearcat's often in the winner's circle -- to no surprise, the machine havingbeen built with an air racer in mind from the outset.

[7] COMMENTS, SOURCES, & REVISION HISTORY

* There is a long-standing story going around that the Hellcat benefited fromlessons learned by the capture and evaluation of a Mitsubishi Zero, but thisis sort of a half-truth. The US didn't begin evaluation of a captured Zerountil September 1942, and the original Hellcat prototypes had been ordered inJune 1941, well before Pearl Harbor. It is certainly true that the knowledgeof the Zero's weaknesses uncovered by the evaluation was of tremendous valueto US fighter pilots.

Oddly, despite the Hellcat's importance, it's surprisingly difficult to finddetailed information on it, at least in comparison to something like a P-51Mustang or P-38 Lightning. Partly it seems to be the fact that there wereonly two main production models of the Hellcat, along with reconnaissance andnight-fighter subvariants of each, and the two models are hard to tell apart.Another part was that its first-line service history was short, if intensive,with the fighter going into combat only in the last half of 1943, and seeinglittle real service after World War II.

The Bearcat is even more obscure, though its lack of much of a combat historymakes that more understandable. However, sources are particularly confusedon the F8F, particularly in terms of production quantities -- some cite muchlarger production quantities than given here.

As an interesting footnote, in response to a 1942 British Air Ministryrequirement, the Folland company came up with a fighter design, the "Fo.117",that was surprisingly similar to the Bearcat, being powered by a CentaurusXII radial engine and with four 20-millimeter cannon in the wings. It wassimilar enough to the Bearcat to be confused with it at a glance, except forthe fact that the Fo.117 used a contra-rotating prop system, with twinthree-bladed props spinning in opposite directions. The Fo.117 was nevermore than a "paper plane".

* Sources include:

• THE GRUMMAN F8F BEARCAT by Hal Andrews, Profile Publications -- date unknown, but apparently published in the mid-1960s.
• GRUMMAN F8F BEARCAT by Edward T. Maloney, Aero Publications, 1969.
• HELLCAT by David T. Anderton, 1981, reprinted in THE GREAT BOOK OF WORLD WAR II AIRPLANES, Bonanza Books, 1984.
• AMERICAN WARPLANES OF WORLD WAR II, edited by David Donald, Aerospace Publishing LTD, 1995.
• BRITISH WARPLANES OF WORLD WAR II, edited by Daniel J. March, Aerospace Publishing LTD, 1998.

* Illustrations details:

• BANNER: Grumman Hellcat & Bearcat of Commemorative Air Force / Aviation Nation at Nellis AFB NV / 2014 / Robert Pernett / Creative Commons Share Alike License
• Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat over Southern California / 1943 / US Navy
• Grumman Hellcats on USS SARATOGA preparing for strikes on Tarawa / 1943 / US Navy
• Hellcat on fire on USS LEXINGTON during Marinas Turkey Shoot / 1945 / US Navy
• Grumman F6F-5N Hellcat night fighters / 1948 / US Navy
• Grumman Hellcat in FAA colors / Chino CA / 2007 / author
• Grumman Hellcat warbird / Airventure 2005, Oshkosh WI / D. Miller / Creative Commons Share Alike License
• F8F Bearcat / 2013 / Ken Fielding / Creative Commons Share Alike License
• F8F Bearcat / Chino CA / 2007 / author

* Revision history:

 v1.0.0 / 01 jan 03 v1.0.1 / 01 jan 05 / Review & polish. v1.0.2 / 01 dec 06 / Minor cosmetic update. v2.0.0 / 01 mar 07 / Review & polish. v2.1.0 / 01 mar 09 / Fixed Bearcat data. v2.1.1 / 01 feb 11 / Review & polish. v2.1.2 / 01 dec 12 / Review & polish. v2.1.3 / 01 nov 14 / Review & polish. v2.1.4 / 01 oct 16 / Review & polish. v2.1.5 / 01 sep 18 / Review & polish. v2.2.0 / 01 aug 20 / Illustrations update. v2.2.1 / 01 jun 22 / Review & polish. v2.2.2 / 01 jan 23 / Review & polish.