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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.
Grumman's Wildcat production ceased in early 1943 to make way for the newer F6F Hellcat, but General Motors continued producing Wildcats for both U.S. Navy and Fleet Air Arm use. Late in the war, the Wildcat was obsolescent as a front line fighter compared to the faster (380 mph/610 km/h) F6F Hellcat or much faster (446 mph/718 km/h) F4U Corsair.
The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter-bomber introduced in 1943 was also faster than the Wildcat, had greater range, a rate of climb comparable to the IJN Zero, and was capable of carrying a 4,000 lb total load of bombs, torpedoes, and rockets. Both the Corsair and the Hellcat aircraft were faster than the Zero and, having armor protection and self ...
Between the years 1937 and 1943 VF-6 flew the F3F-1 and two variants of the F4F Wildcat and ended with the F4F-4. On 15 July 1943, VF-6 swapped designations with VF-3 and began flying the F6F Hellcat. A VF-6 F4F-3 aboard USS Enterprise, March 1942.
F6F Hellcat: Naval fighter Grumman Designed to replace the 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. It prevailed over its faster competitor, the Vought F4U Corsair, which initially had problems with visibility and carrier landings. 1942
Another goal was that the G-58 (Grumman's design designation for the aircraft) should be able to operate from escort carriers, which were then limited to the obsolescent F4F Wildcat, as the Grumman F6F Hellcat was too large and heavy. A small, lightweight aircraft would make this possible.
VF-2 Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat crash-lands aboard USS Enterprise, 10 November 1943. VF-2 was established on 1 June 1943, at Naval Air Station Atlantic City. VF-2, known now as the "Rippers," became the first World War II fighting squadron to bear the same designation as a previous unit in the war. Several pilots came from VF-6 and VF-10.
The squadron trained at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara, California [6] prior to deploying and during this time transitioned from the SBD Dauntless dive bomber to the F4F Wildcat. [citation needed] The Original pilots of VMF-215 aboard AV-9 Pocomoke as she carries them between San Diego and Pearl Harbor, February 1943.US Navy Photo 80-G ...