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The F6F Hellcat was Grumman's next fighter after the successful Wildcat. The F6F was designed from the start to be the ultimate answer against the Japanese Zero. The Hellcat was the planned replacement to the Wildcat since Pearl Harbor. The aircraft was designed from the start to be a much bigger airframe. The plan was to create a carrier-based fighter with more ammo, fuel, and larger wings. The XF6F-1 Prototype was already in the works when the U.S. officially entered World War II. Grumman engineers knew they would have to create an aircraft that was faster and climbed better based on combat experience and data collected from the A6M captured in the Aleutians. The prototype flew in June of 1942 and was powered by a Wright Cyclone R-2600. The aircraft's performance was not satisfactory. The decision was made to replace the power plant with the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp.

The U.S. Navy needed a new carrier-based fighter. The Corsair and the Hellcat were both competing to fill that role. With delays in the F4U Corsair project, the Hellcat took the role as the primary fighter and never looked back. The new Hellcat excelled in nearly every way over the A6M Zeroes it faced. The Hellcat, unlike its opponents, featured self-sealing fuel tanks and additional armour. The Hellcat quickly gained nicknames like "ace maker". The payload options helped transformed the Hellcat into a multi-role fighter that propelled it to legendary status. During its service life, the F6F was credited with the destruction of over 5,200 aircraft. It remained in service as late as 1954.

F6F-5

Improved version, with a redesigned engine cowling, a new windscreen structure with an integral bulletproof windscreen, new ailerons and strengthened tail surfaces; powered by a 2,200 hp (1,641 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W (-W denotes Water Injection) radial piston engine.

General Characteristic

Role:

Naval strike fighter

Crew:

1

Powerplant:

1x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10w

Weapons:

6 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun 2,400 rounds

Controls

Roll: Roll

Pitch: Pitch

Yaw: Yaw

Landing Gear: Gear

Flaps: VTOL

Arrestor gear: AG2

Folding wing tip: AG3 and AG4