Grumman F6F Hellcat
Bob Hart
September 10, 2006
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This article is part of a continuing series by Bob Hart on the Best Fighter Aircraft of WWII. Feedback and discussion is welcome.
 | | Total Built (F-5 model): | 6,436 | | Max Speed: | 376 mph | | Climb rate: | 3,240 ft per minute | | Ceiling: | 37,400 ft | | Range: | 1,305 miles with drop tank | | Loaded weight: | 11,380 lbs | | Armament: | 6 x .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns, 2,000 lb bomb load | | Top Aces: | David McCampbell
Cecil E. Harris
Eugene Valencia
Alexander Vraciu | | ** All stats for F6F-5 model ** |
With the arrival of the Hellcat in the Pacific theatre in 1943 US forces at last had a fighter capable of besting the Mitsubishi Zero in combat. Leroy Grumman and his design engineers created a carrier fighter unlike any seen before it. Large, powerful the Hellcat boasted 334 square feet of wing, an unheard of figure for carrier aircraft. In combat the Hellcat soon gained it's spurs, destroying 22 Zeros for the loss of 12 of their (6 lost to flak) own number in an attack on Wake Island.
Powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-2800-10w radial engine developing 2,175 horsepower, the Hellcat was over 70 mph faster than the Zero at 20,000 feet. This advantage was further enhanced by the fact for it's size the Hellcat was a surprisingly agile aircraft and could easily dogfight the smaller Japanese fighters.
Another outstanding quality of the Hellcat was the ability to absorb battle damage and bring its pilot home safely. It was no co-incidence Japanese airpower declined after the introduction of the Hellcat to service and of the 6,477 Japanese aircraft destroyed in air combat by the US navy nearly five thousand were claimed by Hellcat pilots, a remarkable achievement.
Also used as a night fighter, the Hellcat served with many foreign powers. A truly remarkable aircraft and for the role it played in destroying Japanese airpower, certainly a candidate for the best fighter of the war.
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