Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat

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: 3

Speed: 5

Maneuverability: 8

Firepower: 5

Climb Rate: 4

Ground Attack: 1

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	275	285	293	319	320@ 18701'	152 mph	1:52	5:36	11:38
kph	442	459	472	513	515@ 5700m	245 kph

Historical Statistics

Service Date: June 1942

Primary Guns: 2x Browning 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 240 rpg in wings

Secondary Guns: 4x Browning 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 240 rpg in wings

Ordnance: 2x 100 lb (45 kg) bombs or 2x 348 lb (158 kg) drop tanks

Engine(s): 1x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-86 radial rated for 1,200 hp at sea level

Int Fuel Capacity: 864 lbs (392 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 696 lbs (316 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 275 mph (443 kph) at sea level, 318 mph (512 kph) at 19,400 ft (5,913 m)

Ceiling: 39,400 ft (12,009 m)

Loaded Weight: 7,406 lbs (3,359 kg)

Wing Area: 260.0 sq ft (24.2 sq m)

Wing Loading: 28.5 lbs/sq ft (138.8 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Maneuverability: Although less maneuverable than the F4F-3 model, the F4F-4 is still more nimble than most of its contemporaries.

Guns: Six .50 caliber machine guns with an average of 250 rounds per gun give the Wildcat pilot a good combination of hitting power and firing time.

Weaknesses

Speed: The F4F-4 Wildcat is slightly slower than the -3 model due to its extra weight and thus is in even worse straits against its contemporaries.

History

During the middle of the initial F4F-3 production cycle Grumman made several changes to the basic design, which resulted in the F4F-4 variant. The primary change from the -3 model was the addition of manually folding wings, allowing more planes to be stowed in carrier hanger decks. An additional .50 caliber machine gun was also mounted in each wing, outboard of the wing hinge, giving the Wildcat the same 6-gun punch found on most late-war US fighters. These changes gave the plane an additional 400 lbs. to carry around, which somewhat reduced its maneuverability and speed.

The F4F-4 model was just reaching service units at the time of Pearl Harbor. It was the principle carrier-based fighter in service throughout the first year of the war, helping to turn the tide against the Japanese at Coral Sea, Midway and the Solomons. The Lend-Lease version of the -4, known as the Martlet IV, saw combat with the Fleet Air Arm against Vichy French forces at the landings in Madagascar and alongside American Wildcats during the landings in French North Africa in late 1942.

Grumman produced 1,445 Wildcats and Martlets in 1942 and a further 100 in 1943 before production was assumed by General Motors to allow Grumman to produce the next model in its "Cat" line, the F6F Hellcat. General Motors continued to produce the Wildcat throughout the rest of the war as the FM-1 and FM-2 models. Being smaller than subsequent fighters, the Wildcat served throughout the war as the principal fighter on escort carriers.

Sources

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

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II