Grumman F9F Panther – Fotografije & Video posnetki

V Grumman F9F Panther was the manufacturer’s first jet fighter and one of the United States Navy’s first successful carrier-based jet fighters. A single-engined, straight-winged day fighter, it was armed with four 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon and could carry a wide assortment of air-to-ground munitions. The Panther was used extensively by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the Korean War. It was also the first jet aircraft used by the Blue Angels flight team, used by them from 1949 through late 1954. The aircraft was exported to Argentina and was the first jet used by the Argentine Naval Aviation. Total F9F production was 1,382. The design evolved into the swept wing Grumman F-9 Cougar.

Vir: Grumman F9F Panther na Wikipediji

Grumman F9F Panther je bil eden prvih uspešnih reaktivnih lovcev ameriške mornarice in marinskega korpusa. Razvil ga je Grumman kot odgovor na zahtevo mornarice za enomotorni dnevni lovec z močno oborožitvijo in dolgim dosegom. Panther je imel zasnovo z ravnimi krili in ga je poganjal turboreaktivni motor Pratt & Whitney J42, ki je bil licenčno izdelana različica britanskega Rolls-Royce Nene. Panther je lahko nosil štiri 20-milimetrske topove in različno orožje zrak-zemlja, kot so bombe in rakete.
The Panther first flew in November 1947 and entered service in 1949. It saw extensive combat action during the Korean War, where it proved to be an effective fighter-bomber against ground targets and a capable dogfighter against enemy jets. The Panther also became the first jet aircraft used by the Blue Angels aerobatic team from 1949 to 1954. The Panther was produced in several variants, including photo-reconnaissance and trainer versions. A total of 1,382 Panthers were built before production ended in 1953.
Panther je bil kasneje spremenjen s poševnimi krili in preimenovan v Grumman F-9 Cougar. Cougar je izboljšal zmogljivost in aerodinamiko, vendar je ohranil velik del Pantherjevega ogrodja in motorja. Cougar je vstopil v službo leta 1952 in služil do leta 1965 z različnimi pomorskimi enotami. Med vietnamsko vojno je doživela tudi omejeno bojno akcijo. Cougar je bil izvožen v Argentino in ga je uporabljalo pomorsko letalstvo do leta 1969.