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The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero , it was the United States Navy 's dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War .
File: Burning Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat of VF-2 aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6) on 10 November 1943 (80-G-205473).jpg
In its early years it flew the Vought RF-8A Crusader and Douglas EF-10B Skyknight but these were later replaced by the McDonnell-Douglas RF-4B Phantom II and the Grumman EA-6A Electric Intruder. The squadron was decommissioned following the end of the Vietnam War and the reorganization of the Marine Corps' composite community in 1975.
Historically significant U.S. Navy aircraft recovered include the Douglas SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber Bureau Number 2106 which survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway, [10] [11] the only Vought SB2U Vindicator Scout-Bomber known to exist, [12] [13] the Grumman F6F Hellcat Fighter Bureau Number 25910, [14] and an extremely rare early "Bird Cage" Vought F4U-1 Corsair.
Known as "The Flying Seahorses", the squadron flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat during its short time in existence. The squadron was slated to support the invasion of Japan in late 1945 however the Japanese surrender meant it did not get further than Hawaii and did not participate in combat action during the war. VMF-472 was decommissioned on 24 ...
In operational experience, it was found that the U.S. Navy's Grumman F6F Hellcat and Vought F4U Corsair fighters were able to carry an equally heavy bomb load against ground targets and were vastly more capable of defending themselves against enemy fighters. [18]
The Grumman-patented Sto-Wing aftwards-folding wing folding system, pioneered on the Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, has been used since World War II on a number of Grumman-designed carrier aircraft, [4] [5] a version of which is still in use in the 21st century on the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye shipboard airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft and its C-2 ...
On 1 July 1946, the "Fightin’ Phillies" were reactivated as a reserve unit at Naval Air Station Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, equipped with the Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat. They remained as a reserve squadron until hostilities broke out in Korea. On 1 March 1951, the unit was recalled to active duty and equipped with the Grumman F9F-2 Panther.