Grumman
Grumman F9F Cougar
First flight 20 September 1951 Introduction December 1952

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General Info

Grumman Aerospace
F9F/F-9 Cougar  

Grumman F9F-6 Cougar, 1952
Role	Fighter aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Grumman
First flight	20 September 1951
Introduction	December 1952
Retired	1974 (US Navy)
Status	Retired
Primary users	United States Navy United States Marine Corps Argentine Navy
Number built	1,988
Developed from	Grumman F9F Panther

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History Grumman Aerospace
Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar

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 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 a different official name, and thus Cougars started off from F9F-6.

Operational history

United States

The first F9F-6s were assigned to fleet squadron VF-32 at 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F9F-8s were withdrawn from front-line service in 1958–59, replaced by F11F Tigers and F8U Crusaders.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 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 Wiki Link

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Km

Take off Distance

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Combat Range

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Km/h

Aircraft Speed

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Max Crew

Gallery

 Photo Gallery
Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar

Grumman Aerospace Corporation,

Grumman Aerospace Corporation
Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar

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General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 40 ft 11 in (12.47 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 6 in (10.52 m)
• Width: 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m) folded (tailplane span)
• Height: 12 ft 3.5 in (3.747 m)
• Height folded: 15 ft 10 in (4.8 m) (wing-tips)

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Powerplant

• Empty weight: 11,483 lb (5,209 kg)
• Empty equipped: 12,090 lb (5,484 kg)
• Gross weight: 15,800 lb (7,167 kg)
• Combat weight: 16,244 lb (7,368 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 21,000 lb (9,525 kg) on land

20,000 lb (9,072 kg) from catapult

• Maximum landing weight: 16,000 lb (7,257 kg) on land

14,000 lb (6,350 kg) arrested landing

• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney J48-P-8 centrifugal-flow turbojet engine, 7,250 lbf (32.2 kN) thrust at 11,000 rpm for take-off / Military power at sea level

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Specifications

• Maximum speed: 654 mph (1,053 km/h, 568 kn) at sea level at 18,450 lb (8,369 kg) TOW
• Cruise speed: 541 mph (871 km/h, 470 kn) at 41,200–45,000 ft (12,558–13,716 m)
• Stall speed: 128 mph (206 km/h, 111 kn) at 18,450 lb (8,369 kg) TOW power off

107 mph (93 kn; 172 km/h) at 15,157 lb (6,875 kg) with approach power

• Combat range: 293 mi (472 km, 255 nmi) with one hour and 24 minutes of mission time
• Service ceiling: 44,500 ft (13,600 m)

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Armament

• • Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) AN/M3 cannon, 190 rounds per gun
  • Rockets: 6 × 5 in (127 mm) rockets
  • Bombs: 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs on inboard pylons plus 2 x 500 lb (227 kg) bombs on outer pylons

Special Links Grumman Aerospace Corporation,  Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar  

Links to Youtube & Others

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

Grumman
F9F/F-9 Cougar

A total of 110 F9F-8Ps (photo-reconnaissance) were produced with an extensively modified nose

Youtube Link

Three XF9F-6 prototypes, two airworthy and one static test airframe, were rapidly produced by modifying existing Panthers straight off the production line.

Aircrafttotal : History Grumman Aerospace, Grumman F9F Cougar

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