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87-620: Work on what would become the Tiger commenced in 1952 as a design study, internally designated G-98 , to improve the F9F-6/7 Cougar . However, the resulting design produced had little association with the Cougar by the end of the project. The U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics placed order for two prototypes, initially designated XF9F-8 . On 30 July 1954, the first prototype performed its maiden flight , during which it almost achieved Mach 1;

174-716: A North American AJ Savage , using an experimental refueling probe mounted on the nose. The U.S. Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels flew four different variants of F9Fs from the F9F-2 Panther to the F9F-8. The Blue Angels replaced their six F9F-5 Panthers with six F9F-6s in 1953. This was short lived however and the Navy subsequently took them for fleet use without using the planes in an air show. The F9F-6s were then replaced with overhauled F9F-5s until 1954 when

261-489: A turbofan application). The first designs, e.g. Solar afterburners used on the F7U Cutlass, F-94 Starfire and F-89 Scorpion, had 2-position eyelid nozzles. Modern designs incorporate not only variable-geometry (VG) nozzles but multiple stages of augmentation via separate spray bars. To a first order, the gross thrust ratio (afterburning/dry) is directly proportional to the root of the stagnation temperature ratio across

348-539: A C.C.2, with its afterburners operating, took place on 11 April 1941. Early British afterburner ("reheat") work included flight tests on a Rolls-Royce W2/B23 in a Gloster Meteor I in late 1944 and ground tests on a Power Jets W2/700 engine in mid-1945. This engine was destined for the Miles M.52 supersonic aircraft project. Early American research on the concept was done by NACA , in Cleveland, Ohio, leading to

435-501: A UHF homing antenna under the nose, and some were fitted with probes for inflight refuelling . The F9F-6 used an Aero 5D-1 weapons sight with an APG-30A gun-ranging radar. The F9F-6 was later designated F-9F in 1962. Sixty were built as F9F-6P reconnaissance aircraft with cameras instead of the nose cannon. After withdrawal from active service, many F9F-6s were used as unmanned drones for combat training, designated F9F-6D , or as drone controllers, designated F9F-6K . The F9F-6K and

522-482: A bigger engine with its attendant weight penalty, but at the cost of increased fuel consumption (decreased fuel efficiency ) which limits its use to short periods. This aircraft application of "reheat" contrasts with the meaning and implementation of "reheat" applicable to gas turbines driving electrical generators and which reduces fuel consumption. Jet engines are referred to as operating wet when afterburning and dry when not. An engine producing maximum thrust wet

609-561: A brief taste of supersonic capability with the F-11 before transitioning to active fleet fighters. The Tiger's flight characteristics lent itself well to the training role. While the Tiger's career as a fighter was relatively short, the Blue Angels performed in the aircraft between 1957 and 1969, at which point the Tiger was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II . Prior to the 1962 code unification ,

696-456: A counterexample, the SR-71 had reasonable efficiency at high altitude in afterburning ("wet") mode owing to its high speed ( mach 3.2) and correspondingly high pressure due to ram intake . Afterburning has a significant influence upon engine cycle choice. Lowering the fan pressure ratio decreases specific thrust (both dry and wet afterburning), but results in a lower temperature entering

783-431: A demonstrator engine was run. The duct heater used an annular combustor and would be used for takeoff, climb and cruise at Mach 2.7 with different amounts of augmentation depending on aircraft weight. A jet engine afterburner is an extended exhaust section containing extra fuel injectors. Since the jet engine upstream (i.e., before the turbine) will use little of the oxygen it ingests, additional fuel can be burned after

870-535: A different official name, and thus Cougars started off from F9F-6 . During December 1952, the F9F-6 was introduced to service, VF-32 being the first squadron to receive the type; while developed at a relatively rapid pace, the Cougar's arrival was too late for it to engage in active combat during the Korean War . While initial production aircraft were powered by a single Pratt & Whitney J48 turbojet engine,

957-422: A frontline fighter lasted only four years, largely as a result of its performance being inferior to the competing and considerably faster Vought F-8 Crusader ; further factors included the unreliability of its J65 powerplant, and the inadequacy of both its range and endurance. At no point was the Tiger ever capable of sustained supersonic flight in an operational configuration. The Navy opted to cancel its orders for

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1044-414: A full bombs or missiles load. In the 1962 redesignation, these were later called TF-9J . A total of 110 F9F-8P s ( photo-reconnaissance ) were produced with an extensively modified nose carrying cameras. They were withdrawn after 1960 to reserve squadrons. In 1962, remaining F9F-6P and F9F-8P aircraft were re-designated RF-9F and RF-9J respectively. Modifications of F9F-8 to convert to F9F-8P: The F9F

1131-650: A long service with the U.S. Navy. It served as the Navy's advanced flight trainer for more than two decades. The proposed Cougar modification (re-engined with a J52 engine) was rejected, and the Navy selected the TA-4F Skyhawk. The last Cougar was phased out when Training Squadron 4 ( VT-4 ) re-equipped in February 1974. A F9F-8T, BuNo 14276, is displayed at the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola , Florida. The US Navy used

1218-476: A low specific thrust (low fan pressure ratio/high bypass ratio) cycle will be favored. Such an engine has a good dry SFC, but a poor afterburning SFC at Combat/Take-off. Often the engine designer is faced with a compromise between these two extremes. The Caproni Campini C.C.2 motorjet , designed by the Italian engineer Secondo Campini , was the first aircraft to incorporate an afterburner. The first flight of

1305-455: A short distance and causes visible banding where pressure and temperature are highest. Thrust may be increased by burning fuel in a turbofan's cold bypass air, instead of the mixed cold and hot flows as in most afterburning turbofans. An early augmented turbofan, the Pratt & Whitney TF30 , used separate burning zones for the bypass and core flows with three of seven concentric spray rings in

1392-435: A swept one, it was necessary to delete the two 120-gallon tip tanks , as in combination with the swept wing there would have been too great a negative impact upon the aircraft's center of gravity; for the same reason, only a single hardpoint was fitted under each wing. Instead, internal fuel tanks housed within the wing were adopted, although these had less capacity than the tip tanks had. The leading edge flaps present on

1479-538: Is a carrier-based jet-powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Grumman . It was developed during the early 1950s on behalf of the United States Navy (US Navy) and United States Marine Corps (USMC), which were keen to quickly introduce a naval fighter equipped with a swept wing . Grumman's design team decided to adapt its earlier F9F Panther , replacing

1566-443: Is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines , mostly those on military supersonic aircraft . Its purpose is to increase thrust , usually for supersonic flight , takeoff, and combat . The afterburning process injects additional fuel into a combustor ("burner") in the jet pipe behind (i.e., "after") the turbine , "reheating" the exhaust gas. Afterburning significantly increases thrust as an alternative to using

1653-410: Is at maximum power, while an engine producing maximum thrust dry is at military power . The first jet engine with after-burner was the E variant of Jumo 004 . Jet-engine thrust is an application of Newton's reaction principle, in which the engine generates thrust because it increases the momentum of the air passing through it. Thrust depends on two things: the velocity of the exhaust gas and

1740-420: Is called an "afterburning turbojet", whereas a turbofan engine similarly equipped is sometimes called an "augmented turbofan". A " dump-and-burn " is an airshow display feature where fuel is jettisoned, then intentionally ignited using the afterburner. A spectacular flame combined with high speed makes this a popular display for airshows , or as a finale to fireworks . Fuel dumping is used primarily to reduce

1827-451: Is highest when combustion occurs at the highest pressure and temperature possible, and expanded down to ambient pressure (see Carnot cycle ). Since the exhaust gas already has a reduced oxygen content, owing to previous combustion, and since the fuel is not burning in a highly compressed air column, the afterburner is generally inefficient in comparison to the main combustion process. Afterburner efficiency also declines significantly if, as

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1914-406: Is usually the case, the inlet and tailpipe pressure decreases with increasing altitude. This limitation applies only to turbojets. In a military turbofan combat engine, the bypass air is added into the exhaust, thereby increasing the core and afterburner efficiency. In turbojets the gain is limited to 50%, whereas in a turbofan it depends on the bypass ratio and can be as much as 70%. However, as

2001-791: The English Electric Lightning , the first supersonic aircraft in RAF service. The Bristol-Siddeley/ Rolls-Royce Olympus was fitted with afterburners for use with the BAC TSR-2 . This system was designed and developed jointly by Bristol-Siddeley and Solar of San Diego. The afterburner system for the Concorde was developed by Snecma . Afterburners are generally used only in military aircraft, and are considered standard equipment on fighter aircraft. The handful of civilian planes that have used them include some NASA research aircraft,

2088-706: The F11F-1P reconnaissance version, thus only 199 F11F-1 (F-11A) fighters were ever built. By 1961, the Tiger had been permanently withdrawn from carrier operations. Nevertheless, it continued to be operated by the Naval Air Training Command in South Texas at NAS Chase Field and NAS Kingsville , through to the late 1960s. Typically, students performed advanced jet training in the TF-9J Cougar , and upon completing that syllabus, were given

2175-522: The F9F-7 were furnished by an Allison J33 powerplant instead. In the mid 1950s, the improved F9F-8 was introduced, which had a lower stall speed , improved handling when flown at high angles of attack , and increased range. The twin-seat F9F-8T was procured by the US Navy to perform various forms of training. The F9F-8P photo-reconnaissance variant was created by converting existing F9F-8s; most of

2262-490: The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II . The last examples were withdrawn from U.S. Navy service during 1969, although a handful of aircraft remained operational and were conducting test flights as late as 1975. The origins of the F11F (F-11) Tiger can be traced back to a privately funded 1952 Grumman concept to modernize and improve the F9F-6/7 Cougar , a popular early jet-powered carrier aircraft. The design team opted to implement

2349-677: The Soviet Union had produced a swept wing fighter had circulated a year before the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 first appeared at air shows in 1949. Despite the level of activity taking place with swept wing aircraft, the US Navy was not initially focused on the development of such aircraft. This was largely because the US Navy's focus at the time was defending the battle group against high speed, high altitude bombers with interceptors, as well as escorting medium-range carrier-based bombers in all weather conditions; air-to-air combat

2436-579: The Tupolev Tu-144 , Concorde and the White Knight of Scaled Composites . Concorde flew long distances at supersonic speeds. Sustained high speeds would be impossible with the high fuel consumption of afterburner, and the plane used afterburners at takeoff and to minimize time spent in the high-drag transonic flight regime. Supersonic flight without afterburners is referred to as supercruise . A turbojet engine equipped with an afterburner

2523-414: The United States Navy , with the last aircraft being delivered to the service on 23 January 1959. The Tiger entered service with the U.S. Navy during 1956, and was flown from the carriers Intrepid , Lexington , Hancock , Bon Homme Richard , Shangri-La , Forrestal , Saratoga and Ranger . Frontline use of the Tiger was relatively brief, largely due to its performance being inferior to

2610-671: The area rule along with several other advances into the project, which was internally designated G-98 . Design objectives included the minimisation of the aircraft's size. By the time that the design process was concluded during 1953, it had become a complete departure from the Cougar, bearing little more than a vague resemblance to the preceding aircraft. It features a new wing equipped with both full-span leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps with roll control being achieved using spoilers rather than traditional ailerons . For storage on aircraft carriers, these wings could be manually folded downwards. Anticipating supersonic performance,

2697-483: The trajectory of the cannon rounds decayed, they ultimately crossed paths with the Tiger as it continued its descent, disabling the aircraft and forcing Attridge to crash-land the aircraft; he survived with a broken leg and multiple broken vertebrae. Grumman proposed several models of the Tiger, beyond the F-11A (F11F-1) fighter, including aerial reconnaissance and dedicated trainer versions. The more advanced version of

Grumman F-11 Tiger - Misplaced Pages Continue

2784-727: The Blue Angels switched to the F9F-8. The Blue Angels used the F9F-8 until 1957 they were replaced by the Grumman F11F-1 Tiger , although one two-seat F9F-8T was retained for press and VIP flights. The only foreign air arm to use the F9F Cougar was the Argentine Naval Aviation , who also used the F9F Panther as well. Two F9F-8T trainers were acquired in 1962, and served until 1971. The Cougar

2871-407: The F9F Cougar to set the transcontinental crossing record on April 1, 1954. Three pilots from fleet fighter squadron VF-21 completed the 2,438-mile (3,924 km) flight in under four hours with LCDR F.X. Brady setting the quickest time of 3 hours, 45 minutes and 30 seconds. This was the first time the distance had been covered in under four hours. The three F9F-6 aircraft refueled over Kansas from

2958-894: The F9F-6D were redesignated the QF-9F and DF-9F , respectively. The F9F-7 referred to the next batch of Cougars that were given the Allison J33 also found in the F9F-4, instead of the Pratt & Whitney J48 . A total of 168 were built, but the J33 proved both less powerful and less reliable than the J48. Almost all were retrofitted with the J48 engine, and were thus indistinguishable from F9F-6s. These were redesignated F-9H in 1962. The Navy used two modified F9F-7s to conduct experiments landing on British-inspired flexible decks which did not require

3045-499: The FJ-3, it was deployed for a longer period than the F9F Cougar. This was more likely attributable to the fact the F9F had an attack role that was being superseded by new jets such as A4D-1 Skyhawk , rather than any deficiency as a fighter. "The reason the FJ-3 was deployed a little longer and a little more often (19 times vs 16) in fighter squadrons than the F9F-8 probably wasn't because it

3132-737: The J79. Seven U.S. Navy squadrons flew the Tiger, these included VF-21 and VF-33 in the Atlantic Fleet and VA-156 (redesignated VF-111 in January 1959), VF-24 (redesignated VF-211 in March 1959), VF-51, VF-121, and VF-191 in the Pacific Fleet. The aircraft was operated from the carriers Intrepid , Lexington , Hancock , Bon Homme Richard , Shangri-La , Forrestal , Saratoga , Ranger and Independence. The F11F's career as

3219-473: The Panther guiding several of their design choices. One example of this was the design team's decision to retain the center fuselage section of the Panther relatively unchanged, as studies of various alternative arrangements had been determined to have introduced center of gravity issues that in turn would have compelled substantial redesigns of other elements of the aircraft, including its propulsion. Instead,

3306-431: The Panther were deleted in favour of a slats , while the trailing edge slats and fuselage-mounted flaps were both redesigned to be effective with the swept wing. The modified fuselage flaps could also function as a second set of air brakes . Three XF9F-6 prototypes, two airworthy and one static test airframe, were rapidly produced by modifying existing Panthers straight off the production line. On 20 September 1951,

3393-454: The Tiger was designated as the F11F ; after unification, it was redesignated F-11 . During 1973, two former Blue Angels F-11As were taken from storage at Davis-Monthan AFB and modified by Grumman as testbeds to evaluate in-flight thrust control systems. BuNo 141853 was fitted with a Rohr Industries thrust reverser and BuNo 141824 was kept in standard configuration as a chase plane . Tests of

3480-733: The Vietnam War. The only version of the Cougar to see combat was the TF-9J trainer (known as F9F-8T until 1962) during the Vietnam War . Detachments of four Cougars served with US Marines Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 11 (H&MS-11) at Da Nang and H&MS-13 at Chu Lai , where they were used for fast- Forward Air Control and the airborne command role, directing airstrikes against enemy positions in South Vietnam between 1966 and 1968. The TF-9J two-seat trainer had

3567-485: The afterburner (i.e. exit/entry). Due to their high fuel consumption, afterburners are only used for short-duration, high-thrust requirements. These include heavy-weight or short-runway take-offs, assisting catapult launches from aircraft carriers , and during air combat . A notable exception is the Pratt & Whitney J58 engine used in the SR-71 Blackbird which used its afterburner for prolonged periods and

Grumman F-11 Tiger - Misplaced Pages Continue

3654-413: The afterburner results in a good thrust boost. If the aircraft burns a large percentage of its fuel with the afterburner alight, it pays to select an engine cycle with a high specific thrust (i.e. high fan pressure ratio/low bypass ratio ). The resulting engine is relatively fuel efficient with afterburning (i.e. Combat/Take-off), but thirsty in dry power. If, however, the afterburner is to be hardly used,

3741-399: The afterburner. Since the afterburning exit temperature is effectively fixed, the temperature rise across the unit increases, raising the afterburner fuel flow. The total fuel flow tends to increase faster than the net thrust, resulting in a higher specific fuel consumption (SFC). However, the corresponding dry power SFC improves (i.e. lower specific thrust). The high temperature ratio across

3828-406: The afterburner. The mass flow is also slightly increased by the addition of the afterburner fuel. The thrust with afterburning is 16,000 lb f (71,000 N). The visible exhaust may show shock diamonds , which are caused by shock waves formed due to slight differences between ambient pressure and the exhaust pressure. This interaction causes oscillations in the exhaust jet diameter over

3915-400: The aircraft shared the Panther's engine, landing gear , and various other systems. By changing as little as possible, the company was able to produce a swept wing fighter for the US Navy in mere months, rather than the years involved in delivering a clean-sheet design. However, it was necessary to implement various design changes. To effectively accommodate the switch from a straight wing to

4002-595: The airframe to be proposed by the company was the F11F-1F Super Tiger . It was the result of a 1955 study to install the new General Electric J79 engine into the F11F-1 airframe. When evaluated by Switzerland for a potential procurement, it was assessed as having exceeded all competing aircraft in terms of overall technical performance. Grumman also proposed to produce a variant powered by the proven, and even more powerful, Rolls-Royce Avon engine in place of

4089-467: The bypass flow. In comparison, the afterburning Rolls-Royce Spey used a twenty chute mixer before the fuel manifolds. Plenum chamber burning (PCB) was partially developed for the vectored thrust Bristol Siddeley BS100 engine for the Hawker Siddeley P.1154 until the program was cancelled in 1965. The cold bypass and hot core flows were split between two pairs of nozzles, front and rear, in

4176-493: The carrier. This required 2+30 takeoff, cruise, and landing endurance plus reserves. The F9F-6 could perform a three-hour CAP mission on internal fuel. The FJ-2 and -3 with external tanks had less than 1+30 mission time and the FJ-4 just met the mission requirement." The F9F Cougar was also a capable multi-role aircraft, which may explain why it was deployed less often than dedicated fighters. In spite of engine problems that plagued

4263-453: The competing Vought F-8 Crusader , such as its limited endurance, while its Wright J65 turbojet engine had also proved to be somewhat unreliable. Through to the late 1960s, the aircraft used flown by the Naval Air Training Command in South Texas at NAS Chase Field and NAS Kingsville , to give students experience of supersonic flight. Between 1957 and 1969, the Tiger was used by the Blue Angels flight team , being eventually replaced by

4350-413: The design tradeoff is a large size relative to the power output. Generating increased power with a more compact engine for short periods can be achieved using an afterburner. The afterburner increases thrust primarily by accelerating the exhaust gas to a higher velocity. The following values and parameters are for an early jet engine, the Pratt & Whitney J57 , stationary on the runway, and illustrate

4437-435: The effective afterburner fuel flow), but a decrease in afterburner exit stagnation pressure (owing to a fundamental loss due to heating plus friction and turbulence losses). The resulting increase in afterburner exit volume flow is accommodated by increasing the throat area of the exit nozzle. Otherwise, if pressure is not released, the gas can flow upstream and re-ignite, possibly causing a compressor stall (or fan surge in

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4524-516: The end of 1952. The first F9F Cougar squadron to actually deploy was VF-24 , assigned to USS  Yorktown in August 1953. It arrived too late to the Korean theater to participate in the air war. F9F-8s were withdrawn from front-line service in 1958–59, replaced by F11F Tigers and F8U Crusaders . The Naval Reserves used them until the mid-1960s, but none of the single-seat versions were used in

4611-537: The engine. The combustion products have to be diluted with air from the compressor to bring the gas temperature down to a specific value, known as the Turbine Entry Temperature (TET) (1,570 °F (850 °C)), which gives the turbine an acceptable life. Having to reduce the temperature of the combustion products by a large amount is one of the primary limitations on how much thrust can be generated (10,200 lb f (45,000 N)). Burning all

4698-408: The first prototype conducted its maiden flight , piloted by Grumman test pilot Fred Rowley, only six months following the contract's awarding. Few meaningful problems were encountered during flight testing, most being quickly resolved or accepted on the basis of the perceived urgency for such an aircraft to be made available. The Cougar proved itself to be a definitive step forward; some pilots claimed

4785-494: The first prototype made its maiden flight on 30 July 1954 powered by a non-afterburning engine. In spite of this, the aircraft nearly reached Mach 1 during this first flight. The second prototype, equipped with the afterburning engine, became the second supersonic U.S. Navy aircraft, the first being the Douglas F4D Skyray . During April 1955, the aircraft received the new designation F11F-1 (F-11A after adoption of

4872-420: The fuselage and modified wings with a greater chord, an increased area (from 300 to 337 square foot (27.9 to 31.3 m )), and a dogtooth . The airframe changes improved low-speed and high angle of attack flying, and gave more room for fuel tanks. The top speed was 704 mph (1,133 km/h) and minimum catapult speed was lowered to 127 knots (235 km/h; 146 mph). It also was now capable of breaking

4959-418: The gas flow has left the turbines. When the afterburner is turned on, fuel is injected and igniters are fired. The resulting combustion process increases the afterburner exit ( nozzle entry) temperature, resulting in a significant increase in engine thrust. In addition to the increase in afterburner exit stagnation temperature , there is also an increase in nozzle mass flow (i.e. afterburner entry mass flow plus

5046-412: The high values of afterburner fuel flow, gas temperature and thrust compared to those for the engine operating within the temperature limitations for its turbine. The highest temperature in the engine (about 3,700 °F (2,040 °C) ) occurs in the combustion chamber, where fuel is burned (at an approximate rate of 8,520 lb/h (3,860 kg/h)) in a relatively small proportion of the air entering

5133-418: The inbound set being powered by a separate hydraulic system. Pitch control was initially achieved via a conventional elevator and horizontal stabilizer , the rudder pedals controlled the section of the rudder beneath the horizontal tail surface, while the upper portion of the rudder was controlled by a yaw damper . However, this arrangement was unsuited to high speed flight, thus a powered "flying tail"

5220-631: The inflight thrust reversal were carried out by Grumman at Calverton beginning in March 1974 and continued at NATC Patuxent River , Maryland until 1975. Following the completion of these tests, both planes were returned to storage at Davis Monthan AFB. These were the last Tigers to fly. Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 Standard Aircraft Characteristics: F-11A General characteristics Performance Armament Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Grumman F-9 Cougar The Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar

5307-412: The mass of the gas exiting the nozzle. A jet engine can produce more thrust by either accelerating the gas to a higher velocity or ejecting a greater mass of gas from the engine. Designing a basic turbojet engine around the second principle produces the turbofan engine, which creates slower gas, but more of it. Turbofans are highly fuel efficient and can deliver high thrust for long periods of time, but

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5394-434: The modifications were made to the aircraft's nose. On 1 April 1954, US Navy Cougars established a new transcontinental crossing record. The US Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels , adopted the type in place of its Panthers. The Cougar gained a favourable reputation as a highly maneuverable and easy to fly aircraft. The only foreign air service that operated the Cougar was the Argentine Naval Aviation . The F9F-8

5481-551: The oxygen delivered by the compressor stages would create temperatures (3,700 °F (2,040 °C)) high enough to significantly weaken the internal structure of the engine, but by mixing the combustion products with unburned air from the compressor at (600 °F (316 °C)) a substantial amount of oxygen ( fuel/air ratio 0.014 compared to a no-oxygen-remaining value 0.0687) is still available for burning large quantities of fuel (25,000 lb/h (11,000 kg/h)) in an afterburner. The gas temperature decreases as it passes through

5568-504: The project's full development, placing an initial order for two prototypes, which were designated XF9F-8 (even though the new fighter was clearly a new design). To add to the confusion, the prototypes were then redesignated XF9F-9 while the XF9F-8 designation was assigned to a different, more straightforward, derivative of the Cougar. Since the afterburning version of the J65 was not ready,

5655-550: The publication of the paper "Theoretical Investigation of Thrust Augmentation of Turbojet Engines by Tail-pipe Burning" in January 1947. American work on afterburners in 1948 resulted in installations on early straight-wing jets such as the Pirate , Starfire and Scorpion . The new Pratt & Whitney J48 turbojet, at 8,000 lbf (36 kN) thrust with afterburners, would power the Grumman swept-wing fighter F9F-6 , which

5742-419: The requirements. The original roll control arrangement, a combination of unboosted ailerons and hydraulically -actuated spoilers (referred to as "flaperons"), were insufficient when operated via mechanical linkage alone without hydraulic pressure, thus were redesigned. Wing fences were added and the spoilers extended from the fences to the tips of the wing, while the flaperons were divided into two halves,

5829-534: The same J42 P-6 engine used in the F9F-5, but was then replaced by the more powerful J42 P-8 with 7,250 lbf (32.2 kN) of thrust. The J42 was a licensed version of the Rolls-Royce Nene . Armament was four 20 mm (.79 in) AN/M3 cannons in the nose and provisions for two 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs or 150 US gal (570 L) drop tanks under the wings. Most were fitted with

5916-545: The same manner as the Rolls-Royce Pegasus , and fuel was burned in the fan air before it left the front nozzles. It would have given greater thrust for take-off and supersonic performance in an aircraft similar to, but bigger than, the Hawker Siddeley Harrier . Duct heating was used by Pratt & Whitney for their JTF17 turbofan proposal for the U.S. Supersonic Transport Program in 1964 and

6003-538: The second prototype became the second U.S. Navy aircraft to exceed the speed of sound. On 21 September 1956, the Tiger became the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down. Originally designated the F11F Tiger in April 1955 under the pre-1962 Navy designation system , the aircraft was redesignated as F-11 Tiger under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system . A total of 199 Tigers were produced for

6090-419: The sound barrier in a steep dive. All four ammunition boxes were mounted above the guns, in contrast to the split location of most previous F9Fs including the Panther. Visibility, which was already very good was improved with the F9F-8. 601 aircraft were delivered between April 1954 and March 1957. Late production F9F-8 aircraft were given the ability to carry four AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles under

6177-426: The straight wing of the Panther with a new swept wing. Thrust was also increased with the installation of a newer and more powerful engine. Nevertheless, the aircraft remained limited to subsonic speeds. The first prototype (XF9F-6), which was produced by modifying an existing Panther, performed its maiden flight on 20 September 1951. The Navy considered the Cougar to be an updated version of the Panther, despite having

6264-557: The tailplane was all-moving. The aircraft was designed to be powered by the Wright J65 turbojet , a license-built version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire . The design's potential for supersonic performance and reduced transonic drag drew the attention of several officials, including those within the United States Navy . During early 1953, the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics decided to commit itself to

6351-468: The turbine (to 1,013 °F (545 °C)). The afterburner combustor reheats the gas, but to a much higher temperature (2,540 °F (1,390 °C)) than the TET (1,570 °F (850 °C)). As a result of the temperature rise in the afterburner combustor, the gas is accelerated, firstly by the heat addition, known as Rayleigh flow , then by the nozzle to a higher exit velocity than that which occurs without

6438-568: The type to have superior handling at approach speeds than the preceding Panther. In a full-power vertical dive, it could break the sound barrier without experiencing buffeting or major undesirable flight characteristics. In level flight, the aircraft remained only capable of subsonic flight, however, the critical Mach number was increased from 0.79 to 0.86 at sea level, and to 0.895 at 35,000 ft (10,000 m), thus delivering markedly improved performance than its predecessor. However, both roll and pitch control were deemed to not satisfy

6525-414: The unified Tri-Service naming system in 1962). On 4 April 1956, carrier trials started when an F11F-1 Tiger landed on and launched from USS  Forrestal . The Tiger gained the dubious distinction of being the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down. On 21 September 1956, during a test-firing of its 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons, pilot Tom Attridge fired two bursts midway through a shallow dive. As

6612-446: The use of landing gear. The reasoning was that since an airplane's landing gear comprises some 33% of the total weight, a plane without landing gear would gain a greater range and would be able to carry more ordnance. The aircraft were fitted with a 3-inch-deep (76 mm) false bottom under the center fuselage to help balance the plane during landings on the flex-deck made up of a lubricated rubberized fabric. The deck, built by Goodyear

6699-581: The wings (the first Navy aircraft to deploy with the missiles). Most earlier aircraft were later modified to carry Sidewinders. A number were given also nuclear bombing equipment. The F9F-8 was redesignated F-9J in 1962. The F9F-8B aircraft were F9F-8s converted into single-seat attack fighters , later redesignated AF-9J . The Navy acquired 377 two-seat F9F-8T trainers between 1956 and 1960. They were used for advanced training, weapons training, and carrier training, and served until 1974. They were armed with twin 20 mm (.79 in) cannon and could carry

6786-515: Was 1 ⁄ 2 inch (13 mm) thick and featured several arresting cables. The planes were launched using a ramp and a handling dolly which served as temporary landing gear. The two F9F-7 aircraft in the test were equipped with the powerful J48-P8 engine instead of the Allison J33 engine originally used with the F9F-7. While the landing tests yielded positive results and proved that landing

6873-603: Was about to go into production. Other new Navy fighters with afterburners included the Chance Vought F7U-3 Cutlass , powered by two 6,000 lbf (27 kN) thrust Westinghouse J46 engines. In the 1950s, several large afterburning engines were developed, such as the Orenda Iroquois and the British de Havilland Gyron and Rolls-Royce Avon RB.146 variants. The Avon and its variants powered

6960-468: Was adopted. As such, the Cougar was capable of flying safely and easily even without the upper portion of the tail being present. The initial production model was the F9F-6 ; a total of 646 airframes were delivered between mid-1952 and July 1954. The F9F-6 first flew on 20 September 1951, seven months after Grumman signed a contract with the Navy for swept-wing fighter. The first 30 production aircraft used

7047-502: Was clearly possible, the project was terminated in 1955 as it would have been difficult to move the aircraft around the carrier deck once they landed. It also required a highly skilled pilot to perform the landings and would have made it impossible to divert to a land base if necessary. Work on the F9F-8 began in April 1953 with three goals: lower the airplane's stall speed, improve aircraft control at high angles of attack, and increase range. It featured an 8 in (20 cm) stretch in

7134-401: Was known to be highly maneuverable and easy to fly. Corky Meyer, who flew both the F9F Cougar and North American FJ-3 Fury , noted that compared to the latter the Cougar had a higher dive speed limit (Mach 1.2 vs Mach 1), a higher maneuvering limit of 7.5-g (compared to 6-g), and greater endurance. "[The] Combat Air patrol mission was for two hours on station at 150 nmi (280 km) from

7221-562: Was of less interest at that time. Nonetheless, the US Navy appreciated the importance of getting a capable carrier-based swept wing jet fighter. Grumman was awarded a contract for the development of a swept-wing fighter jet in early 1951. The arrival of the MiG-15, which easily outclassed straight-wing fighters in the air war over North Korea, was a major factor. Development proceeded at a relatively rapid pace, in part due to Grumman's pre-existing experience of studying prospective derivatives of

7308-408: Was refueled in-flight as part of every reconnaissance mission. An afterburner has a limited life to match its intermittent use. The J58 was an exception with a continuous rating. This was achieved with thermal barrier coatings on the liner and flame holders and by cooling the liner and nozzle with compressor bleed air instead of turbine exhaust gas. In heat engines such as jet engines, efficiency

7395-569: Was the better fighter. More likely it was because it has a minimal capability as an attack aircraft, whereas the F9F-8 was good for that too, including nuclear weapon delivery. In effect the F9F-8 was a jet attack placeholder along with the F7U-3M , while the pipeline was being filled with the FJ-4Bs and A4Ds. As a result, the FJ-3 was the designated day fighter by default on most deployments." The first F9F-6s were assigned to fleet squadron VF-32 at

7482-954: Was the first jet to break the sound barrier in Argentina. One aircraft (serial 3-A-151) is on display at the Naval Aviation Museum (MUAN) at Bahía Blanca , while the other was sold to a customer in the United States and subsequently lost in an accident on 31 October 1991. Data from NAVAIR : Standard Aircraft Characteristics F9F-6 "Cougar" 1 July 1953, Navair: Standard Aircraft Characteristics F9F-6 "Cougar" 1 July 1967 General characteristics Performance Armament Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Afterburner An afterburner (or reheat in British English)

7569-653: Was withdrawn from front-line duties during the late 1950s, having been replaced by more capable aircraft such as the F11F Tigers and F8U Crusaders . While the Naval Reserves flew Cougars into the mid-1960s, only the TF-9J trainer model saw actual combat, having been deployed as a Forward Air Control aircraft during the Vietnam War . Following its withdrawal from active service, many F9F-6s were used as unmanned drones for combat training, designated F9F-6D , or as drone controllers, designated F9F-6K . Rumors that

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