The Grumman F7F Tigercat is a
heavy fighter
A heavy fighter is a historic category of fighter aircraft produced in the 1930s and 1940s, designed to carry heavier weapons, and/or operate at longer ranges than light fighter aircraft. To achieve performance, most heavy fighters were twin-eng ...
aircraft that served with 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 ...
(USN) and
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
(USMC) from late in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
until 1954. It was the first twin-engine
fighter to be deployed by the USN. While the Tigercat was delivered too late to see combat in World War II, it saw action as a
night fighter
A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...
and
attack aircraft
An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pre ...
during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.
Designed initially for service on
''Midway''-class aircraft carriers, early production F7Fs were land-based variants. The type was too large to operate from older and smaller carriers, and only a late variant (F7F-4N) was certified for carrier service.
Design & development
Based on the earlier
Grumman XP-50 that was eventually canceled, the company developed the XP-65 (Model 51) further for a future "convoy fighter" concept. In 1943, work on the XP-65 was terminated in favor of the design that would eventually become the F7F.
[Dorr and Donald 1990, p. 119.] The contract for the prototype XF7F-1 was signed on 30 June 1941. Grumman's aim was to produce a fighter that outperformed and outgunned all existing fighter aircraft, and that had an auxiliary ground attack capability.
![F7F-3N VMFN-513 Wonsan 1952](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/F7F-3N_VMFN-513_Wonsan_1952.jpg)
Performance of the prototype and initial production aircraft met expectations; the F7F was one of the fastest piston-engine fighters, with a top speed significantly greater than single-engine USN aircraft — 71 mph faster than a
Grumman F6F Hellcat
The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...
at sea level. Captain
Fred Trapnell, one of the premier USN test pilots of the era, stated: "It's the best damn fighter I've ever flown." The F7F was to be heavily-armed — four 20 mm cannon and four 50 caliber (
0.50 in; 12.7 mm) machine guns, as well as underwing and under-fuselage hardpoints for bombs and torpedoes. This speed and firepower was bought at the cost of heavy weight and a high landing speed, but what caused the aircraft to fail carrier suitability trials was poor directional stability with only one engine operational, as well as problems with the
tailhook
A tailhook, arresting hook, or arrester hook is a device attached to the empennage (rear) of some military fixed-wing aircraft. The hook is used to achieve rapid deceleration during routine landings aboard aircraft carrier flight decks at sea ...
design. The initial production series was, therefore, used only from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters with APS-6 radar.
While the F7F was initially also known as the Grumman Tomcat, this name was abandoned, because it was considered at the time to have excessively sexual overtones; (from the 1970s, the name Tomcat became commonly associated with, and officially used by the Navy for, another Grumman design, the
F-14
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...
twin-jet carrier-based interceptor).
The first production variant was the single-seat F7F-1N aircraft; after the 34th production aircraft, a second seat for a radar operator was added and these aircraft were designated F7F-2N.
A second production version, the F7F-3, was modified to correct the issues that caused the aircraft to fail carrier acceptance, and this version was again trialled on the . A wing failure on a heavy landing caused the failure of this carrier qualification as well. F7F-3 aircraft were produced in day fighter, night fighter, and photo-reconnaissance versions.
[Taylor 1969, p. 504.]
The final production version, the F7F-4N, was extensively rebuilt for additional strength and stability, and did pass carrier qualification, but only 12 were built.
Operational history
Marine Corps night fighter squadron
VMF(N)-513 flying F7F-3N Tigercats saw action in the early stages of the Korean War, flying night interdiction and fighter missions and shooting down two
Polikarpov Po-2
The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2, for its initial ''uchebnyy'', 'training', role as a flight instruction aircraft) served as an all-weather multirole Soviet biplane, nicknamed ''Kukuruznik'' (russian: Кукурузник,Gunston 1995, p. 292. NAT ...
biplanes.
[Grossnick and Armstrong 1997] This was the only combat use of the aircraft.
Most F7F-2Ns were modified to control drones for combat training, and these gained
bubble canopies over the rear cockpit for the drone controller. An F7F-2D used for pilot transitioning also had a rear sliding, bubble canopy.
In 1945, two Tigercats,
serial numbers
A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it.
Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...
''TT346'' and ''TT349'', were evaluated, but rejected by the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
in favour of a naval version of the
de Havilland Hornet
The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet, developed by de Havilland, was a fighter aircraft driven by two piston engines. It further exploited the wooden construction techniques that had been pioneered by the de Havilland Mosquito. Development of the ...
.
Variants
![F7F-3N Tigercat VMF(N)-531](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/F7F-3N_Tigercat_VMF%28N%29-531.jpeg)
;XP-65
:Proposed
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
pursuit fighter.
;XF7F-1
:Prototype aircraft, two built.
;F7F-1 Tigercat
:Twin-engine fighter-bomber aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-22W radial piston engines. First production version, 34 built.
;F7F-1N Tigercat
:Single-seat night fighter aircraft, fitted with an APS-6 radar.
;XF7F-2N
:Night-fighter prototype, one built.
;F7F-2N Tigercat
:Two-seat night fighter, 65 built.
;F7F-2D
:Small numbers of F7F-2Ns converted into drone control aircraft. The aircraft were fitted with a
Grumman F8F Bearcat
The Grumman F8F Bearcat is an American single-engine carrier-based fighter aircraft introduced in late World War II. It served during the mid-20th century in the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the air forces of other n ...
windshield behind the cockpit.
;F7F-3 Tigercat
:Single-seat fighter-bomber aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W radial piston engines and featuring an enlarged tailfin for improved stability at high altitudes, 189 built.
;F7F-3N Tigercat
:Two-seat night fighter aircraft, 60 built.
;F7F-3E Tigercat
:Small numbers of F7F-3s were converted into electronic warfare aircraft.
;F7F-3P Tigercat
:Small numbers of F7F-3s were converted into photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
;F7F-4N Tigercat
:Two-seat night-fighter aircraft, fitted with a tailhook and other naval equipment, 12 built.
Operators
;
*
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
*
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 ...
Surviving aircraft
![F7F Tigercat N747MX La Patrona 2014 Reno Air Races Silver photo D Ramey Logan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/F7F_Tigercat_N747MX_La_Patrona_2014_Reno_Air_Races_Silver_photo_D_Ramey_Logan.jpg)
Beginning in 1949, F7Fs were flown to the then-U.S. Navy storage facility at
Naval Air Station Litchfield Park, Arizona. Although the vast majority of the airframes were eventually scrapped, a number of examples were purchased as surplus. The surviving Tigercats were primarily used as
water bombers
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...
to fight
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
s in the 1960s and 1970s and Sis-Q Flying Services of
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area ...
, operated an F7F-3N tanker in this role until retirement in the late 1980s.
; Airworthy
;; F7F-3
* 80374: based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
.
* 80375: based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
.
* 80390: based at Lewis Air Legends in
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
.
* 80411: based at
Palm Springs Air Museum
The Palm Springs Air Museum (PSAM), is a non-profit educational institution in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California. The Museum's mission is to exhibit, educate and eternalize the role of the World War II combat aircraft and the role the pil ...
in
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...
.
* 80425: privately owned in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
.
* 80483: privately owned in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
.
* 80503: based at Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.
* 80532: privately owned in
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, tenth-largest city in Arkansas, United States and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, Benton County. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers adja ...
.
; On display
;; F7F-3
* 80373:
National Naval Aviation Museum
The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
Founded in 1962 and moved to its curr ...
in
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
* 80382:
in
Chino, California
Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino is adjacent to Chino ...
.
* 80410:
Pima Air & Space Museum
The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m²) on a campus occ ...
, adjacent to
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base (DM AFB) is a United States Air Force base southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing (355 WG) assi ...
, in
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
.
; Under restoration or in storage
;; F7F-3
* 80404: in storage at the
Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida.
It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami, Florida ...
in
Polk City, Florida
Polk City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,562 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 2,422. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistica ...
.
"FAA Registry: N7626C"
FAA.gov. Retrieved: 15 July 2021.
Specifications (F7F-4N Tigercat)
See also
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
* Bridgman, Leonard (ed.). "The Grumman Tigercat." ''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II''. London: Studio, 1946. .
* Carlson, Ted. "Semper Fi Tigercat". ''Flight Journal'', Volume 13, Issue 2, April 2008.
* Carr, Orrin I. "Fire 'Cat!" ''Air Classics'', Vol. 12, No. 9, Sept. 1976. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications, pp. 38–47.
* Dorr, Robert F. and David Donald. ''Fighters of the United States Air Force''. London: Temple, 1990. .
* Gault, Owen. "Grumman's Tiger Twins: The Skyrocket & Tigercat". ''Air Classics'', Vol. 9, No. 8, Aug. 1973. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications, pp. 22–27.
* Green, William. "Grumman F7F-1 – F7F-3 Tigercat". ''War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters'' London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 1961, pp. 106–108. .
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Grumman F7F Tigercat". ''WW2 Fact Files: US Navy and Marine Corps Fighters''. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1976, pp. 57–61. .
* Grossnick, Roy A. and William J. Armstrong. ''United States Naval Aviation: 1910–1995''. Annapolis, MA: Naval Historical Center, 1997. .
* Legg, David. "Tigercat on camera". ''Aircraft Illustrated'', Volume 24, no. 1, January 1991.
* Meyer, Corwin ("Corky") H. "F7F Tigercat: The Untold Story". ''Flight Journal'', August 2002. Ridgefield, CT: AirAge Publications. pp. 48–56, 58.
* Morgan, Eric B. "Grumman F7F Tigercat F.7/30". ''Twentyfirst Profile, Volume 1, No. 11''. New Milton, Hants, UK: 21st Profile Ltd. ISSN 0961-8120.
* Morgan, Eric B. "The Grumman Twins". ''Twentyfirst Profile, Volume 2, No. 15''. New Milton, Hants, UK: 21st Profile Ltd. ISSN 0961-8120.
* O'Leary, Michael. "Tigercat Restoration". ''Air Classics'', Vol. 38, No. 11, Nov. 2002. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications.
* O'Leary, Michael. ''United States Naval Fighters of World War II in Action''. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press, 1980. .
* Taylor, John W.R. "Grumman F7F Tigercat". ''Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. .
* Thruelsen, Richard. ''The Grumman Story''. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1976. .
* Zuk, Bill. ''Janusz Zurakowski: Legends in the Sky''. St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell, 2004. .
External links
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100620230636/http://navalaviationmuseum.org/ExhibitsAndCollections/History-Up-Close/SpotlightAircraft/F7F-Tigercat.aspx Naval Aviation Museum: F7F History & Pictures
F7F Tigercat "Big Bossman" air Racer
F7F Tigercat Flight Demonstration by Clay Lacy
{{Authority control
F07F Tigercat
1940s United States fighter aircraft
Carrier-based aircraft
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1943
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft