The Grumman F2F was a single-engine,

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

with retractable

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

, serving as the standard fighter for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

between 1936 and 1940. It was designed for both carrier- and land-based operations.

Design and development

Grumman's success with the two-seat FF-1, which was significantly faster than even the single-seat fighters of its time, resulted in a contract for the single-seat XF2F-1.Jordan, Corey C.
"Grumman's Ascendency: Chapter Two."
''Planes and Pilots Of World War Two,'' 2000. Retrieved: 22 July 2011. Armed with two .30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns above the cowl, the new design also incorporated watertight compartments to reduce weight and improve survivability in the event of a water landing.Cacutt 1989, pp. 155–162. The prototype first flew on 18 October 1933, equipped with the experimental XR-1534-44 Twin Wasp Junior

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

, and reached a top speed of at – faster than the FF-1 at the same altitude. Maneuverability also proved superior to the earlier two-seat aircraft. F2F-1s VF-2 NAN11-80

Operational history

The Navy ordered 54 F2F-1 fighters on 17 May 1934, with the first aircraft delivered 19 January 1935. One additional aircraft (BuNo 9997) was ordered to replace one which crashed on 16 March 1935, bringing the total to 55, with the final F2F-1 delivered on 2 August 1935. The F2F-1 had a relatively long service life for the time, serving in front-line squadrons from 1935 to late

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

, when squadrons began to receive the F3F-3 as a replacement. By September 1940, the F2F had been completely replaced in fighter squadrons and was relegated to training and utility duties. The last F2F-1s were stricken from the list of naval aircraft in early 1943.

Variants

;XF2F-1 :United States Navy designation for the Grumman Model G-8 prototype with a XR-1534-44 Twin Wasp Junior

, one built ;F2F-1 :Production variant with a R-1535-72 Twin Wasp Junior

, 55 built

Operators

; *

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Specifications (Grumman F2F-1)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Cacutt, Len, ed. “Grumman Single-Seat Biplane Fighters.” ''Great Aircraft of the World''. London: Marshall Cavendish, 1989. . * Dann, Richard LCDR, ed. “Grumman Biplane Fighters in Action.” Carrollton, TX: Squadron Signal, 1993. . * Graff, Cory. ''F6F Hellcat at War''. New York: Zenith Imprint, 2009. . * Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. London: Putnam, Second edition, 1976. .

External links

{{Grumman aircraft F02F 1930s United States fighter aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Carrier-based aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1933