Grumman F9F Panther
The Grumman F9F Panther was one of the US Navy’s first successful carrier jets and became a major ground-attack aircraft in the Korean War. Its straight wing reflected the early jet era, but its rugged Grumman construction made it well suited to carrier operations. Future astronaut Neil Armstrong flew Panthers in combat, while another famous pilot, John Glenn, flew photo-reconnaissance versions. The Panther’s service helped the Navy bridge the gap between piston fighters and swept-wing jets.
Did you know?
One of the Navy's first carrier jets, the straight-winged Panther was flown in combat by future astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Specifications
| Length | 11.8 m (39 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 11.6 m (38 ft) |
| Height | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
| Persons on board | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 9.3 t |
| Range | 1,300 NM (2,408 km) |
| Maximum speed | 500 kt (926 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 43,000 ft (13,106 m) |
| Rate of climb | 5,090 ft/min (25.9 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 710 m (2,329 ft) |
| Engines | 1x Pratt & Whitney J48-P-8A |
| Units built | 1,382 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Grumman F9F Panther starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Grumman, the F9F Panther family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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