Grumman F9F Panther

The Grumman F9F Panther was a carrier-borne jet fighter used in the Korean War by the US Navy. It was the first American jet combat aircraft to see action in an armed conflict, and it was also the first to reach widespread service and to win popularity among the Navy and Marine pilots. It also got the US Navy's first jet-vs-jet 'kill' in a dogfight in military aviation history, when it shot down a MiG-15 on November 9, 1950.

The Grumman F9F Panther performed its maiden flight on November 24, 1947, as the XF9F-2 prototype flown by test pilot C.H. Meyers. It was powered by one Pratt & Whitney J42 jet engine, with 5,000-lbs of thrust (dry). The first production Panther, the F9F-2, first flew exactly one year later, on November 24, 1948. It was equipped with one Pratt & Whitney J42-P-6 engine, producing 5,755-lb thrust. It was armed with four 20-mm M3 cannons, which were mounted in the nose. Grumman would build 1,380 aircraft, with the F9F-5 being the most massively manufactured version.

Extensively used on ground-attack missions in Korea, the Panther was a fine warplane in the hands of trained pilots. Its structural strength helped Marine pilots greatly when they flew the F9F through gunfire to attack enemy ground troops in the Korean War. However, it was outclassed by the US Air Force F-86 Sabre in speed and maneuverability. The last operational Panther was retired from service in 1958. The F9F-6 version had a 35-degree swept-wing design, instead of the straight one, and it would become the F-9 Cougar.

Below, the F9F-5 variant on deck of USS Boxer in 1953, off San Diego.

Technical Description

The Grumman F9F Panther was a single-seat, single-engine, jet-propelled monoplane. It had a straight, low-wing configuration and an all-metal fuselage. The engine air intakes were located in the wingroots. The wings could be folded upwards on the aircraft carrier for storage convenience. The aircraft was fitted with two ventral airbrakes, or dive brakes, mounted left and right on the front fuselage.

The F9F Panther was equipped with two 120-gallon, non-jettisonable, wing-tip fuel tanks. It was fitted with a pressurized, air-conditioned cockpit, with ejection seat and an automatic radio direction finder. An internal 95-liter (25-gallon) tank of water/methanol was fitted beneath the fin to give extra engine thrust. It had additional hardpoints on the wing to carry bombs and rockets.

Specifications (F9F-5)

Type: carrier-based fighter

Length: 11.84 m (38 ft, 10 inch)

Wing Span: 11.58 m (38 ft)

Wing Area: 23.23 m2 (250 sq. ft)

Height: 3.73 m (12 ft, 3 inch)

Power Plant: one Pratt & Whitney J48-P-6 (licence-built Rolls-Royce Tay), producing 7,004 lb.

Maximum Speed: 932 km/h (579 mph)

Range: 2,100 km (1,305 miles)

Service Ceiling: 13,000 m (42,650 ft)

Armament: four 20-mm, Browning M3 cannons. Underwing hardpoints to carry up to 1,360 kg of bombs/rockets.

Below, the Grumman F9F-2B Panther on a combat mission in Korea in 1951.

The F9F-2P variant in flight

Below, the swept-wing F9F-6 (F-9) Cougar development.

The Panther operating from USS Randolph (CV-15) (video)