American postwar aircraft

QUICK LINKS

Grumman F-9 (F9F) Panther/Cougar

Panther

The (F9F-2 to F9F-5) Panther was a straight-wing jet fighter. The Panther was a straightforward, conventional aircraft, but much attention was given to detail refinement and ease of maintenance. Its performance and handling were below that required for a good fighter, but it did make an excellent fighter-bomber. In that role, it saw combat in Korea. Over 1300 were built.

General characteristics
Power plant	One Pratt & Whitney J48-P-4/P-6A turbofan
Thrust	2,834 kg		27.8 kN
Speed	maximum	603 mph	970 km/h
	cruising	480 mph	770 km/h
Initial climb rate	5,085 ft/min		1,550 m/min
Ceiling	42,650 ft		13,000 m
Range	1,300 miles		2,090 km
Wingspan	38 ft		11.59 m
Length	38.9 ft		11.85 m
Height	12.34 ft		3.76 m
Weight	empty	10,140 lb	4,600 kg
	max. takeoff	18,740 lb	8,500 kg
Armament	4x 20mm cannon. On external tips up to 1,571 kg bombs or rockets.

Cougar

The (F9F-6 to -8) Cougar had sweptback wings. Commonality with the Panther was very limited, and only for political reasons the same designation was kept. The Cougar was a good aircraft and was built in large numbers, despite the availability of fighters with a higher performance.

General characteristics
Power plant	One Pratt & Whitney J48-P-8 turbofan
Thrust	2,834 kg		27.8 kN
Speed	maximum	654 mph	1,052 km/h
	cruising	541 mph	870 km/h
Initial climb rate	6,760 ft/min		2,060 m/min
Ceiling	44,620 ft		13,600 m
Range	932 miles		1,500 km
Wingspan	34.5 ft		10.52 m
Length	41.44 ft		12.63 m
Height	12.33 ft		3.76 m
Weight	empty	11,244 lb	5,100 kg
	max. takeoff	20,944 lb	9,500 kg
Armament	4x 20-mm cannon. On two external tips up to 453 kg bombs or fuel tanks .

Jirka Wagner