Chance-Vought F4U-4 Corsair

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 4

Speed: 9

Maneuverability: 6

Firepower: 5

Climb Rate: 9

Ground Attack: 4

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	370	387	395	422	439@ 26247'	190 mph	0:54	2:35	5:22
mph WEP	380	388	406	431	446@ 26247'
kph	595	622	635	679	706@ 8000m	305 kph
kph WEP	611	624	654	693	718@ 8000m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: November 1944

Primary Guns: 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 375 rpg in wings

Secondary Guns: 4x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 400 rpg in wings

Ordnance: 2x 250 lb (113 kg) or 2x 500 lb (227 kg) or 2x 1000 lb (454 kg) bombs or 2x 924 lb (419 kg) drop tanks on inner wing pylons, plus 8x 138 lb 5" HVAR rockets under outer wing

Engine(s): 1x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial rated for 2,450 hp at sea level (2,645 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 1,422 lbs (645 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 1,848 lbs (838 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 381 mph (613 kph) at sea level, 446 mph (718 kph) at 26,200 ft (7,986 m)

Ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,649 m)

Loaded Weight: 12,420 lbs (5,634 kg)

Wing Area: 314 sq ft (29.2 sq m)

Wing Loading: 39.6 lbs/sq ft (192.1 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Speed: With a top speed of nearly 450 mph, the F4U-4 can compete with the best late-war prop fighters.

Durability: Like all US Navy fighters, the Corsair could absorb a considerable amount of damage.

Guns: The standard US machine gun armament of six .50 caliber machine guns in the wings gives the Corsair pilot a good combination of hitting power and firing time.

Ordnance: Able to carry up to 2,000 lbs. of bombs and eight 5" rockets the F4U-4 is a capable and deadly "ground-pounder".

Weaknesses

Carrier Landings: The long nose of the Corsair makes carrier landings difficult for novice pilots.

History

Accepted by the Navy in October 1944, the F4U-4 was the last production model of the Corsair to see combat in WWII. The principle difference from earlier versions was the installation of an even more powerful Pratt & Whitney Double-Wasp engine, the R-2800-18W, and later the R-2800-42W. This new power plant was capable of producing 2,100 hp and with water injection could produce 2,450 hp! Attached to the new engine was a 4-blade, thirteen-foot propeller. When all was said and done, the F4U-4 was capable of reaching 450 mph in level flight, could climb at almost 4000 feet per minute, and could reach an altitude of 41,500 feet.

In addition to the new prop the F4U-4 could be distinguished from the F4U-1 by the addition of a small air scoop at the bottom of the engine cowling. Like the F4U-1D, the F4U-4 was equipped with a pair of ordnance pylons at the wing roots and four "zero-length" HVAR rocket launch stubs under each wing. Each wing root pylon could hold a 154-gallon drop tank or a 500 lb. or 1,000 lb. bomb, which allowed the Corsair to assume the close support role for the Navy and Marines. The F4U-4 was equipped with the standard US armament of six .50 caliber machine guns in the wings with an ammunition load of 400 rpg.

Sources

Green, William; War Planes Of The Second World War: Fighters Volume Four; Macdonald & Co., London; 1961.

Sullivan, Jim; F4U Corsair In Action, Aircraft Number 145; Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas; 1994.

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Chance Vought Aircraft Division of the United Aircraft Corporation

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II