Grumman F4f Wildcat

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TheGrumman'sfightersrepresentthestrengthoftheUSNavyAirForceduringWorldWar2.ThefirstofthefamilytoproveitselfincombatwasF4FWildcatwhichtookpartindefenseofWakeAtollaswellasBattleofMidway.Itssuccessor-remarkablygoodF6FHellcat-becamealegendforbeingthebestcarrier-basedfighterinthementionedconflict.ThelinewascontinuedbyF8FBearcatwhichenteredtheserviceattheendofwarbutdidnotmanagetotakepartincombat.TheGrummanCompanycontinuedthetraditionofdesigningexcellentcarrier-basedaircraftsafterthewar,inthejetera.Surely,thetwomostrecognizablejetsfromGrumman'sstableweresupersonicF-14Tomcat(withvariable-sweepwing)andA-6Intruder.Inthesecondhalfofthethirties,Grummandevelopedalineofcarrier-basedbiplanes.AverygoodSF-1startedtheseries.ItwasthefirstAmericanfighterwithretractableundercarriage.SF-1becamethebasefortheF2Ffighter.AfterlengtheningofthefuselageandincreasingthewingsbearingsurfaceitquicklybecametheF3Fversion.Everynextmodelwasbetterthanprevious.TheF4Fwasplannednext,alsoasthebiplane,butduringtheconstructiontheconceptionwaschangedandengineersdecidedtoapplythemid-wingairframe.ItstartedthelonglineofsuperbGrumman'sfighters.Thenewaircraftwastestedinaironthe2ndofSeptember1937.Thefirstserialplanes,markedasF4F-2,weremanufacturedfromAugust1939.Theplanehadinnovativewingfoldingsystemwhichputbothwingsalongthefuselagetominimizethespaceneededtostoreitincarriers'hangar.ThisuniquemechanicalsolutionbecameoneofthehallmarksofGrumman'splanes.Interestingly,theundercarriagewasretractedmanuallybythepilotwiththehelpofaspecialcrankinstalledinthecockpit.Thename"Wildcat"wasusedforthefirsttimein1941.