Warplanes of the USA: Grumman F6F Hellcat

(USN Photo)

Two U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats in tricolor camouflage, sea blue, intermediate blue, and insignia white, 1943.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of the Second World War. Designed to replace theearlier 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. Ingaining that role, it prevailed over its faster competitor, the Vought F4UCorsair, which initially had problems with visibility and carrier landings.

Powered by a 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, thesame powerplant used for both the Corsair and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, the F6F was an entirely new design,but it still resembled the Wildcat in many ways.[3] Some military observerstagged the Hellcat as the "Wildcat's big brother".

The F6F made its combat debut in September 1943. It subsequently establisheditself as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter, which was able to outperformthe A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific theater. Intotal, 12,275 were built in just over two years.

Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while inservice with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm(FAA).[6][Note 2] This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft.[8] Afterthe war, Hellcats were phased out of front-line service in the US, butradar-equipped F6F-5Ns remained in service as late as 1954 as night fighters.

Grumman had been working on a successor to the F4F Wildcat since 1938, and thecontract for the prototype XF6F-1 was signed on 30 June 1941. The aircraft wasoriginally designed to use the Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone two-row, 14-cylinderradial engine of 1,700 hp (1,300 kW) (the same engine used with Grumman'sthen-new torpedo bomber under development), driving a three-bladed CurtissElectric propeller. Instead of the Wildcat's narrow-track, hand-cranked, mainlanding gear retracting into the fuselage inherited from the F3F ( a designfrom the 1930s Grumman FF-1 fighter biplane), the Hellcat had wide-set,hydraulically actuated landing-gear struts that rotated through 90° whileretracting backwards into the wings, but with full wheel doors fitted to thestruts that covered the entire strut and the upper half of the main wheel whenretracted, and twisted with the main gear struts through 90° during retraction.The wing was mounted lower on the fuselage and was able to be hydraulically ormanually folded, with each panel outboard of the undercarriage bay foldingbackwards from pivoting on a specially oriented, Grumman-patented"Sto-Wing" diagonal axis pivoting system much like the earlier F4F,with a folded stowage position parallel to the fuselage with the leading edgespointing diagonally down.

Throughout early 1942, Leroy Grumman, along with his chief designers JakeSwirbul and Bill Schwendler, worked closely with the U.S. Navy's Bureau ofAeronautics (BuAer) and experienced F4F pilots, to develop the new fighter insuch a way that it could counter the Zero's strengths and help gain airdominance in the Pacific Theater of Operations. On 22 April 1942, LieutenantCommander Butch O'Hare toured the Grumman Aircraft company and spoke withGrumman engineers, analyzing the performance of the F4F Wildcat against theMitsubishi A6M Zero in aerial combat. Buaer's Lt Cdr A. M. Jackson [Note 4]directed Grumman's designers to mount the cockpit higher in the fuselage. Inaddition, the forward fuselage sloped down slightly to the engine cowling,giving the Hellcat's pilot good visibility.

Based on combat accounts of encounters between the F4F Wildcat and A6M Zero, on26 April 1942, BuAer directed Grumman to install the more-powerful, 18-cylinderPratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine – which was already in usewith Chance Vought's Corsair since 1940 – in the second XF6F-1 prototype.  Grumman complied by redesigning andstrengthening the F6F airframe to incorporate the 2,000 hp (1,500 kW)R-2800-10, driving a three-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller. With thiscombination, Grumman estimated the XF6F-3s performance would increase by 25%over that of the XF6F-1. The Cyclone-powered XF6F-1 (02981) first flew on 26June 1942, followed by the first Double Wasp-equipped aircraft, the XF6F-3(02982), which first flew on 30 July 1942. The first production F6F-3, poweredby an R-2800-10, flew on 3 October 1942, with the type reaching operationalreadiness with VF-9 on USS Essex in February 1943.

The F6F series was designed to take damage and get the pilot safely back tobase. A bullet-resistant windshield was used and a total of 212 lb (96 kg) ofcockpit armor was fitted, along with armor around the oil tank and oil cooler.A 250 US gal (950 L) self-sealing fuel tank was fitted in the fuselage. Standardarmament on the F6F-3 consisted of six .50 in (12.7 mm) M2/AN Browningair-cooled machine guns with 400 rounds per gun. A center-section hardpointunder the fuselage could carry a single 150 US gal (570 L) disposable droptank, while later aircraft had single bomb racks installed under each wing,inboard of the undercarriage bays; with these and the center-section hardpoint, late-model F6F-3s could carry a total bomb load in excess of 2,000 lb(910 kg). Six 5 in (127 mm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVARs) could becarried – three under each wing on "zero-length" launchers.

Two night-fighter subvariants of the F6F-3 were developed; the 18 F6F-3Es wereconverted from standard-3s and featured the AN/APS-4 10 GHz frequency radar ina pod mounted on a rack beneath the right wing, with a small radar scope fittedin the middle of the main instrument panel and radar operating controlsinstalled on the port side of the cockpit. The later F6F-3N, first flown inJuly 1943, was fitted with the AN/APS-6 radar in the fuselage, with the antennadish in a bulbous fairing mounted on the leading edge of the outer right wingas a development of the AN/APS-4; about 200 F6F-3Ns were built.[26] Hellcatnight fighters claimed their first victories in November 1943.[27] In total,4,402 F6F-3s were built through until April 1944, when production was changedto the F6F-5.

The F6F-5 featured several improvements,including a more powerful R-2800-10W engine employing a water-injection systemand housed in a slightly more streamlined engine cowling, spring-loaded controltabs on the ailerons, and an improved, clear-view windscreen, with a flatarmored-glass front panel replacing the F6F-3's curved plexiglass panel andinternal armor glass screen.  Inaddition, the rear fuselage and tail units were strengthened, and apart fromsome early production aircraft, most of the F6F-5s built were painted in anoverall gloss sea-blue finish. After the first few F6F-5s were built, the smallwindows behind the main canopy were deleted. The F6F-5N night-fighter variantwas fitted with an AN/APS-6 radar in a fairing on the outer-starboard wing. Afew standard F6F-5s were also fitted with camera equipment for reconnaissanceduties as the F6F-5P.[30] While all F6F-5s were capable of carrying an armamentmix of one 20-mm (.79-in) M2 cannon in each of the inboard gun bays (220 roundsper gun), along with two pairs of .50-in (12.7-mm) machine guns (each with 400rounds per gun), this configuration was only used on later F6F-5N nightfighters. The F6F-5 was the most common F6F variant, with 7,870 being built.

Other prototypes in the F6F series included the XF6F-4 (02981, a conversion ofthe XF6F-1 powered by an R-2800-27 and armed with four 20-mm M2 cannon), whichfirst flew on 3 October 1942 as the prototype for the projected F6F-4. Thisversion never entered production and 02981 was converted to an F6F-3 productionaircraft.[32] Another experimental prototype was the XF6F-2 (66244), an F6F-3converted to use a Wright R-2600-15, fitted with a Birman-manufacturedmixed-flow turbocharger, which was later replaced by a Pratt & WhitneyR-2800-21, also fitted with a Birman turbocharger.[33] The turbochargers provedto be unreliable on both engines, while performance improvements were marginal.As with the XF6F-4, 66244 was soon converted back to a standard F6F-3.[34] TwoXF6F-6s (70188 and 70913) were converted from F6F-5s and used the 18-cylinder2,100 hp (1,566 kW) Pratt and Whitney R-2800-18W two-stage supercharged radialengine with water injection and driving a Hamilton-Standard four-bladedpropeller.[35] The XF6F-6s were the fastest version of the Hellcat series witha top speed of 417 mph (671 km/h), but the war ended before this variant couldbe mass-produced.

The last Hellcat rolled out in November 1945, the total production being 12,275, of which 11,000 had been built in just two years. This high productionrate was credited to the sound original design, which required littlemodification once production was under way.

(USN Photo)

A Grumman F6F Hellcat is about to be launched from the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Hollandia (CVE-97), c1944.

U.S. Navy and Marines
The U.S. Navy much preferred the more docile flight qualities of the F6Fcompared with the Vought F4U Corsair, despite the Corsair's superior speed.This preference was especially noted during carrier landings, a criticalsuccess requirement for the Navy. The Corsair was thus released by the Navy tothe Marine Corps, which without the need to worry about carrier landings, usedthe Corsair to devastating effect in land-based sorties. The Hellcat remainedthe standard USN carrier-borne fighter until the F4U series was finally clearedfor U.S. carrier operations in late 1944 (the carrier landing issues had by nowbeen tackled largely due to use of Corsair by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm,which started in 1943).[38] In addition to its good flight qualities, theHellcat was easy to maintain and had an airframe tough enough to withstand the rigors of routine carrier operations.[39] Like the Wildcat, the Hellcat wasdesigned for ease of manufacturing and ability to withstand significant damage.

The Hellcat first saw action against the Japanese on 1 September 1943, when fighters off USS Independence shot down a Kawanishi H8K "Emily"flying boat. Soon after, on 23 and 24 November, Hellcats engaged Japaneseaircraft over Tarawa, shooting down a claimed 30 Mitsubishi Zeros for the lossof one F6F.  Over Rabaul, New Britain, on11 November 1943, Hellcats and F4U Corsairs were engaged in day-long fightswith many Japanese aircraft, including A6M Zeros, claiming nearly 50 aircraft.

When trials were flown against a captured Mitsubishi A6M5 model Zero, they showed that the Hellcat was faster at all altitudes. The F6F out-climbed theZero marginally above 14,000 ft (4,300 m) and rolled faster at speeds above 235mph (378 km/h). The Japanese fighter could out-turn its American opponent withease at low speed and enjoyed a slightly better rate of climb below 14,000 ft(4,300 m). The trials report concluded:

Do not dogfight with a Zero 52.  Do nottry to follow a loop or half-roll with a pull-through. When attacking, use yoursuperior power and high-speed performance to engage at the most favorablemoment. To evade a Zero 52 on your tail, roll and dive away into a high-speed turn.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat of Fighting Squadron 8 (VF-8) is launched from the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), in 1944. VF-8 was assigned to Carrier Air Group 8 (CVG-8) aboard the Bunker Hill from March to October 1944.

Hellcats were the major U.S. Navy fighter type involved in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where so many Japanese aircraft were shot down that Navy aircrews nicknamed the battle the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". The F6F accounted for 75% of all aerial victories recorded by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. Radar-equipped Hellcat night-fighter squadrons appeared in early1944.

A formidable opponent for the Hellcat was the Kawanishi N1K, but it was produced too late and in insufficient numbers to affect the outcome of the war.

U.S. Navy and Marine F6F pilots flew 66,530 combat sorties and claimed 5,163 kills (56% of all U.S. Navy/Marine airvictories of the war) at a recorded cost of 270 Hellcats in aerial combat (an overall kill-to-loss ratio of 19:1 based on claimed kills).[44] Claimedvictories were often highly exaggerated during the war. Even so, the aircraft performed well against the best Japanese opponents with a claimed 13:1 killratio against the A6M Zero, 9.5:1 against the Nakajima Ki-84, and 3.7:1 againstthe Mitsubishi J2M during the last year of the war. The F6F became the primeace-maker aircraft in the American inventory, with 305 Hellcat aces. The U.S.successes were not just attributed to superior aircraft; from 1942 onwards,they faced increasingly inexperienced Japanese aviators and had the advantageof increasing numerical superiority.  In the ground-attack role, Hellcats dropped 6,503 tons (5,899 metric tonnes) of bombs.

The U.S. Navy's all-time leading ace, Captain David McCampbell, scored all of his 34 victories in the Hellcat. He once described the F6F as "... an outstanding fighter plane. It performed well, was easy to fly, and was a stable gun platform, but what I really remember most was that it was rugged and easy to maintain."

(USN Photo)

View of a U.S. Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat, about to make a water landing next to the light cruiser USS USS San Juan (CL-54), circa in 1944.

During the course of the Second World War, 2,462 F6F Hellcats were lost to all causes – 270 in aerial combat, 553 to antiaircraft ground and shipboard fire,and 341 due to operational causes. Of the total figure, 1,298 were destroyed intraining and ferry operations, normally outside of the combat zones.

(USN Photo)

USN fighter pilot ace Hamilton McWhorter III in his F6F Hellcat after his 12th combat victory against Imperial Japanese aircraft.

Hamilton McWhorter III, a Navy aviator and a flying ace of the Second World War,was credited with shooting down 12 Japanese aircraft. He was the first U.S.Navy aviator to become an ace while flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat and thefirst Navy carrier pilot to achieve double ace status.

Arthur Van Haren, Jr., a Navy combat Hellcat ace of the Second World War from Arizona, was credited with shooting down 9 Japanese planes. He was awarded a DFC, and a Gold Star in lieu of a second DFC. In 2012, Van Haren, Jr. wasinducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame.

(USN Photo)

Pilot in F6F awaits the take-off signal on board the USS Lexington (CV-16).

(USN Photo)

Grumman F6F on board the USS Saratoga (CV-3). Plane parker signaling to pilot of F6F.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat of Fighting Squadron 16 (VF-16) taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) for a raid on Formosa, about 12 October 1944.

(USN Photo)

View of the island of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) April 1945. Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters from Fighting Squadron VF-17 Jolly Rogers are visible on deck.

(USN Photo)

The U.S. Navy aircraft carriers USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), and USS Hancock (CV-19) anchored in Ulithi Atoll as seen from the carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). On Ticonderoga´s deck are 20 Grumman F6F Hellcat and a single Grumman TBF Avenger of Carrier Air Group 80 (CVG-80).

(USN Photo)

Pilots leaning across F6F on board the USS Lexington (CV-16) after shooting down 17 out of 20 Japanese planes.

(IWM Photo, A24533)

Royal Navy Grumman Hellcat F.I fighters of No. 1840 Naval Air Squadron based at Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton, Northern Ireland, 23 June 1944. 80 % or the squadron's pilots were Dutch.

The British Fleet Air Arm (FAA) received 1,263 F6Fs under the Lend-Lease Act; initially, it was known as the Grumman Gannet Mark I. The name Hellcat replacedit in early 1943 for the sake of simplicity, the Royal Navy at that time adopting the use of the existing American naval names for all the U.S.-made aircraft supplied to it, with the F6F-3 being designated Hellcat F Mk. I, theF6F-5, the Hellcat F Mk. II and the F6F-5N, the Hellcat NF Mk. II. They sawaction off Norway, in the Mediterranean, and in the Far East. Several were fitted with photographic reconnaissance equipment similar to the F6F-5P, receiving the designation Hellcat FR Mk. II. The Pacific War being primarily anaval war, the FAA Hellcats primarily faced land-based aircraft in the Europeanand Mediterranean theaters, so experienced far fewer opportunities forair-to-air combat than their USN/Marines counterparts; nevertheless, theyclaimed a total of 52 enemy aircraft kills during 18 aerial combats from May1944 to July 1945. 1844 Naval Air Squadron, on board HMS Indomitable of the British Pacific Fleet was the highest-scoring unit, with 32.5 kills.

FAA Hellcats, as with other Lend-Lease aircraft, were rapidly replaced byBritish aircraft after the end of the war, with only two of the 12 squadronsequipped with the Hellcat at VJ-Day still retaining Hellcats by the end of1945. These two squadrons were disbanded in 1946.  When the war ended, 889 Squadron FAA, equippedwith 6 Hellcat Is and II (PR) photo-reconnaissance variants, was preparing todepart from Scotland for the Far East (the squadron had been based at RAFWoodvale since its re-formation after VE Day, and practising carrier operationson HMS Trouncer before moving to HMS Ravager), to replace 888 Squadron FAA, andintended to photograph Japanese beaches in anticipation of the planned invasionthat was forestalled by the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With thecessation of hostilities, the squadron (which included pilot William Stevenson)was disbanded and the Hellcats dumped off the Scottish coast (the fate of manylend-lease aircraft that survived the war, which under the terms of theagreement were to be returned to the United States or paid for, while there was no requirement to refund the cost of aircraft that had been lost).

After the war, the Hellcat was succeeded by the F8F Bearcat, which was smaller, more powerful (powered by uprated Double Wasp radials) and more maneuverable, but entered service too late to see combat in the Second World War.

The Hellcat was used for second-line USN duties, including training and NavalReserve squadrons, and a handful were converted to target drones. In late 1952,Guided Missile Unit 90 used F6F-5K drones, each carrying a 2,000 lb (910 kg)bomb, to attack bridges in Korea. Flying from USS Boxer, the Hellcat droneswere radio controlled from an escorting AD Skyraider.

The F6F-5 was the first aircraft used by the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels officialflight demonstration team at its formation in 1946.

The French Navy (Aéronavale) was equipped with F6F-5 Hellcats and used them in combat in Indochina. These were painted in Gloss Sea Blue, similar to post-Second World War US Navy aircraft until about 1955, but had a modified French roundelwith an image of an anchor.  The FrenchAir Force also used the Hellcat in Indochina from 1950 to 1952. The planeequipped four squadrons (including the Normandie-Niemen squadron of Second World War fame) before these units transitioned to the F8F Bearcat.

The Uruguayan Navy also used them until the early 1960s.

Variants
XF6F prototypes
XF6F-1
First prototype, powered by a two-stage 1,600 hp (1,193 kW) Wright R-2600-10Cyclone 14 radial piston engine.
XF6F-2
The first XF6F-1 prototype revised and fitted with a turbocharged WrightR-2600-16 Cyclone radial piston engine. R-2600 replaced by turbochargedR-2800-21.
XF6F-3
Second prototype fitted with a two-stage supercharged 2,000 hp (1,491 kW) Pratt& Whitney R-2800-10 Double Wasp radial piston engine.
XF6F-4
One F6F-3 fitted with a two-stage, two-speed supercharged 2,100 hp (1,566 kW)Pratt & Whitney R-2800-27 Double Wasp radial piston engine.
XF6F-6
Two F6F-5s that were fitted with the 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) Pratt & WhitneyR-2800-18W radial piston engine, and four-bladed propellers.
Series production
F6F-3 (British designation Gannet F. Mk. I, and then later, renamed Hellcat F.Mk. I, January 1944)
Single-seat fighter, fighter-bomber aircraft, powered by a 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 Double Wasp radial piston engine.
F6F-3E
Night fighter version, equipped with an AN/APS-4 radar in a fairing on thestarboard outer wing.
F6F-3N
Another night fighter version, equipped with a newer AN/APS-6 radar in afairing on the starboard outer wing.
F6F-5 Hellcat (British Hellcat F. Mk. II)
Improved version, with a redesigned engine cowling, a new windscreen structurewith an integral bulletproof windscreen, new ailerons and strengthened tailsurfaces; powered by a 2,200 hp (1,641 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W (-Wdenotes Water Injection) radial piston engine.
F6F-5K Hellcat
A number of F6F-5s and F6F-5Ns were converted into radio-controlled targetdrones.

(USN Photo)

F6F-5N night fighter with AN/APS-6 radar and 2 20mm M2 cannon assigned to the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida in 1944/45.

F6F-5N night fighter with AN/APS-6 radar and 2 20mm M2 cannon (c1944/45)
F6F-5N Hellcat (British Hellcat N.F. Mk II)
Night fighter version, fitted with an AN/APS-6 radar. Some were armed with two20 mm (0.79 in) AN/M2 cannon in the inner wing bays and four 0.50 in (12.7 mm)M2 Browning machine guns in the outer.
F6F-5P Hellcat
Small numbers of F6F-5s were converted into photo-reconnaissance aircraft, withthe camera equipment being fitted in the rear fuselage.
Hellcat FR. Mk. II
This designation was given to British Hellcats fitted with camera equipment.
FV-1
Proposed designation for Hellcats to be built by Canadian Vickers; cancelledbefore any built. (Wikipedia)

‍

(USN Photo)

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter of fighting squadron VF-15 being catapulted from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet via the hangar catapult, 25 February 1944.

(USN Photo)

Crash landing of a U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (Number 30) of Fighting Squadron 2 (VF-2) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), into the carrier's port side 20mm gun gallery, 10 November 1943. Lieutenant Walter L. Chewning, Jr., USNR, the Catapult Officer, is seen climbing up the plane's side to assist the pilot from the burning aircraft. The pilot, Ensign Byron M. Johnson, escaped without significant injury. Enterprise was then en route to support the Gilberts Operation. Note the plane's ruptured belly fuel tank.

(Bill Larkins Photos)

Grumman F6F Hellcat.

(tormentor4555 Photo)

Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter in preparation for take off from a training escort carrier, circa mid-1943.

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy crewmen aboard the Independence-class light aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26) pushing a Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter to the flight deck elevator in June 1944. The Hellcat belonged to Fighter Squadron 28 (VF-28), Carrier Air Group 28 (CVG-28).

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighters on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3), 1943-1944. Note the open elevator well in the foreground and the flight deck crewmen chocking wheels of the F6Fs.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter makes condensation rings as it awaits the take-off flag aboard USS Yorktown (CV-10), 20 November 1943. The plane is from Fighting Squadron Five (VF-5). Yorktown was then hitting targets in the Marshall Islands to cover the landings in the Gilberts.

(USN Photo)

Grumman F6F-3 "Hellcat" fighters of fighter squadron VF-10 Grim Reapers, Carrier Air Group 10 (CVG-10), landing on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) after strikes on the Japanese base at Truk, 17-18 February 1944. Flight deck crewmen are folding planes' wings and guiding them forward to the parking area.

(USN Photo)

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11) operating in the Philippine Sea in November 1944. Note the Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter parked on an outrigger forward of her island.

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy ordnancemen working on bombs amid Grumman F6F-3 "Hellcat" fighters parked on the hangar deck of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), circa October-December 1943. Other crewmen are watching a movie in the background. Bombs appear to include two 1000-pounders and one 500-pounder.

(USN Photo)

Aircraft of Carrier Air Group Five (CVG-5) in December 1943. In the center and to the left Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighters are visible, in the background Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless bomber and Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bombers. The F6F in the center ("00") identifies this aircraft as the Hellcat of the Air Group Commander (CAG) of CVG-5, LtCdr. Jimmy Flatley. CVG-5 was operating flying from the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) at that time.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat of Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1) in flight over California (USA), in early 1943. VF-1 was redesignated VF-5 in July 1943.

(NMUSN Photo)

Occupation of Japan, 1945. When US Marines of Marine Air Group 31, flew up from Okinawa to occupy Yokosuka Naval Air Base 30 miles from Tokyo, they discovered this wrecked Grumman Hellcat with Japanese insignia painted over the American star on the fuselage,

Hellcats preserved

(CJ Machado Photo)

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (BuNo. 25910), National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida.

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (BuNo. 40467), being restored to airworthy status by the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Grumman F6F-3N Hellcat (BuNo. 41476), being restored to airworthy status by the Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts.

(Ad Meskens Photo)

Grumman F6F-3K Hellcat (BuNo. 41834), last used as a drone during "Operation Crossroads", July 1946.  This aircraft is preserved in the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Washington Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia.

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (BuNo. 419300), Comanche Warbirds Inc. in Houston, Texas. Airworthy.

(NACA Photo)

The U.S. Navy Grumman XF6F-4 Hellcat prototype (BuNo. 02981) at the NACA Langley Research Center on 5 May 1944. The XF6F-4 was fitted with four 20 mm cannons and a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-27 engine.

(PH2 L. D. Brown Photo)

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (BuNo. 42874), operated by the NACA from 1945 until 1960 (Serial No. NACA 158).  San Diego Aerospace Museum in San Diego, California.

(Valder137 Photo)

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (BuNo. 43041), in storage at the Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.

(Tomás Del Coro Photo)

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (BuNo. 66237), c/n A-1257, 21, National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida.

(Airwolfhound Photo)

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 70222),  C/N A-5634, "Minsi III", Reg. No. N1078Z, Commemorative Air Force (Southern California Wing) at Camarillo Airport (former Oxnard AFB) in Camarillo, California. Airworthy.

(ZLEA Photo)

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 78645), C/N A-9790, Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California. Airworthy.

(Ken Fielding Photo)

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 79863), Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington. Airworthy.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Grumman F6F-5N Hellcat (BuNo. 94204), C/N A-11956, 17, painted as Reg. No. N17VF, actual Reg. No. N4998F, F6F Hellcat LLC in Beaverton, Oregon.  Airworthy.

(Edward O'Connor Photo)

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 94473), Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California. Airworthy.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 70185), previously on display at the Quonset Air Museum at Quonset State Airport (former NAS Quonset Point) in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The Quonset Air Museum closed in December 2016 and the current location of this aircraft is unknown.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 77722), Naval Air Facility Washington at Joint Base Andrews (former Andrews AFB) in Maryland.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 79192), New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 79593), USS Yorktown, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

(Michael Barera Photo)

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 79683), Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 80141), being restored to airworthy status by Spitfire Aircraft LLC in San Antonio, Texas.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 94203), National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida.

(Ad Meskens Photos)

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 94263), Cradle of Aviation Museum in New York.  It is on loan from the USMC Museum in Quantico, Virginia.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (BuNo. 94385), being restored to airworthy status American Aircraft Sales LLC in Hayward, California.

‍Grumman F6F Hellcat