The Grumman F6F Hellcat was manufactured by Grumman as a carrier-based fighter aircraft during the Second World War. It was developed to take over the preceding F4F Wildcat and to oppose the Mitsubishi A6M Zero long-range fighter aircraft. The F6F was the superior fighter of the United States Navy during the latter half of the Pacific War, defeating the Vought F4U Corsair that had issues with carrier landings.
Table of Contents
- Specifications
- Photo Gallery
- Description
- Manufacturer:
- Grumman
- Country:
- United States
- Manufactured:
- 1942 to: 1945
- ICAO:
- F6F
- Price:
- US$0.035 million (1945)
- Performance
- Weights
- Dimensions
- Avionics:
- AN/APS-4 Radar
- Engine:
- 1x Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp
Piston - Power:
- 2,000 horsepower
- Max Cruise Speed:
- 340 knots
630 Km/h - Approach Speed (Vref):
- 75 knots
- Travel range:
- 950 Nautical Miles
1,759 Kilometers - Fuel Economy:
- Service Ceiling:
- 37,000 feet
- Rate of Climb:
- 3650 feet / minute
18.54metre / second - Take Off Distance:
- 475 metre - 1,558.38 feet
- Landing Distance:
- 570 metre - 1,870.06 feet
- Max Take Off Weight:
- 6,992 Kg
15,415 lbs - Max Landing Weight:
- 5,714 Kg
12,597 lbs - Max Payload:
- 1,800 Kg
3,968 lbs - Fuel Tank Capacity:
- 250 gallon
946 litre - Baggage Volume:
- Seats - Economy / General:
- 1 seats
- Seats - Business Class:
- Seats - First Class:
- Cabin Height:
- Cabin Width:
- Cabin Length:
- Exterior Length:
- 10.24 metre - 33.60 feet
- Tail height:
- 3.99 metre - 13.09 feet
- Fuselage Diameter:
- 1.5 metre - 4.92 feet
- Wing Span / Rotor Diameter:
- 13.06 metre - 42.85 feet
- Wing Tips:
- No Winglets
click / tap to open full screen gallery
Two U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats. 1943
credit: U.S. Navy
Two U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats. 1943
credit: U.S. Navy
Grumman F6F Hellcat at Chino Airshow 2014
credit: airwolfhound
Grumman F6F Hellcat at Chino Airshow 2014
credit: airwolfhound
F6F Hellcat at Beale AFB Expo 2018
credit: Alan Moore
F6F Hellcat at Beale AFB Expo 2018
credit: Alan Moore
'NX79863' Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat
credit: Ken Fielding
'NX79863' Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat
credit: Ken Fielding
Grumman F6F Hellcat landing on a Aircraft Carrier
credit: Insomnia Cured Here
Grumman F6F Hellcat landing on a Aircraft Carrier
credit: Insomnia Cured Here
Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat flown by Commander Joseph C. Clifton prepares to launch from the USS SARATOGA
credit: Robert Sullivan
Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat flown by Commander Joseph C. Clifton prepares to launch from the USS SARATOGA
credit: Robert Sullivan
A restored Grumman F6F hellcat in 1984.
credit: PH2 L. D. Brown
A restored Grumman F6F hellcat in 1984.
credit: PH2 L. D. Brown
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Blog Mentions
Blog posts that mention the Grumman F6F Hellcat:
- How Airplanes Were Used in World War II
- Top 15 Most Produced Aircraft in WWII
The Grumman F6F Hellcat is a single-crew carrier-based fighter aircraft with an external length of 10.24 meters, an external height of 4.4 meters, and a fuselage diameter of 1.5 meters. It has a wingspan of 13.06 meters and a wing area of 31.02 square meters. The tail height is 3.99 meters and the wheelbase is 6.5 meters. It has an empty weight of 4,190 kg and a maximum payload of 1,800 kg. The maximum takeoff and landing weights are 6,992 kg and 5,714 kg, respectively. It has a fuel capacity of 250 US gal.
The aircraft is powered by a single Pratt and Whitney R-2800-10W Double Wasp engine. It is an eighteen-cylinder, air-cooled, twin-row radial engine with water injection, two poppet valves per cylinder, variable-speed single-stage single-speed centrifugal-type supercharger, Stromberg injection carburetor fuel system, and an air-cooling system. It produces a maximum thrust of 2,200 hp and drives a three-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propeller.
The maximum speed of the F6F Hellcat is 340 knots while the stall speed is 73 knots. It has a combat range of 821 nautical miles and a ferry range of 1,330 nautical miles. The service ceiling is 37,300 feet and the rate of climb is 2,600 feet per minute. It has a takeoff distance of 475 meters and a landing distance of 570 meters.
The fighter aircraft could be loaded with several armaments. It included six 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns with 400 rounds per gun or two 20 mm AN/M2 cannon with 225 rounds per gun and four 12.7 mm Browning machine guns with 400 rounds per gun. It was also equipped with six 127 mm High-velocity aircraft rockets or two 298 mm Tiny Tim air-to-ground rockets, up to 1,800 kg full load of bombs or torpedoes such as a 910 kg bomb or an Mk.13-3 torpedo, and some underwing bombs.
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