Last of the line of piston engined carrier based fighters which Grumman initiated with the FF of 1931, the Grumman FBF Bearcat was designed to be capable of operation from aircraft carriers of all sizes and to serve primarily as an interceptor fighter, a role which demanded excellent manoeuvrability, good low-level performance and a high rate of climb. To achieve these capabilities for the two XF8F-1 prototypes ordered on 27 November 1943, Grumman adopted the big R-2800 Double Wasp that had been used to power the F6F and F7F, but ensured that the smallest and lightest possible airframe was designed toaccommodate the specified armament, armour and fuel.

First flown on 21 August 1944, the XF8F-1 was not only smaller than the US Navy's superb Hellcat, but was also some 20 per cent lighter, resulting in a rate of climb about 30 per cent greater than that of its predecessor. Grumman had more than achieved the specification requirements, but also crowned this by starting delivery of production aircraft in February 1945, only six months after the first flight of the prototype.

A cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, the initial F8F-1 had wings which folded at about two thirds span for carrier stowage, retractable tailwheel landing gear, armour, self-sealing fuel tanks and by comparison with prototypes, a very small dorsal fin had been added. Powerplant of these production aircraft was the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W and armament comprised four 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns.

Shortly after initiation of the prototype's test programme in 1944, the US Navy placed a contract for 2,023 production F8F-1s, and the first of these began to equip US Navy Squadron VF-19 on 21 May 1945. This squadron, and other early recipients of Bearcats, were still in the process of familiarisation with their new fighters when VJ-Day put an end to World War II. it also cut 1,258 aircraft from Grumman's contract and brought complete cancellation of an additional 1,876 F8M-1 Bearcat fighters contracted from General Motors.

When production ended in May 1949, Grumman had built 1,266 Bearcats: 765 of the F8F-1; 100 of the F8F-1B, which differed by having the four standard machine guns replaced by 20 mm cannon; 36 of the F8F-1N variant equipped as night-fighters; 293 of the FBF-2 with redesigned engine cowling, taller fin and rudder, plus some changes in detail design, and adoption of the 20 mm cannon as standard armament; 12 of the night-fighter F8F-2N; and 60 photo-reconnaissance F8F-2P aircraft, this last version carrying only two 20 mm cannon. In late post-war service, some aireraft were modified to serve in a drone control capacity under the designations F8F-1D or F8F-2D.

By the time production ended, Bearcats were serving with some 24 US Navy squadrons, but all had been withdrawn by late 1952. Some of these, with a modified fuel system, were supplied to the French Armde de l'Air for service in Indo-China under the designation FSF-ID. One-hundred similar F8F-IDs and 29 F8F-1Bs were also supplied to the Thai air force.

A total of 1,265 Bearcats were delivered, including two civilian G.58's. Although too late for wartime service, F8F's served the USN until 1956. The Blue Angels operated Bearcats between 1946 and 1949. France, Thailand and South Vietnam operated surplus USN F8F's.

By late 1943, the Grumman F6F Hellcat had entered service with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific and had proved itself more than a match for Japan's Mitsubishi A6M Zero. The Navy realized, however, that an even higher performance design would eventually be needed to replace the Hellcat.

Curtiss and Boeing each submitted designs, designated the XF14C and XF7B respectively, both of which were much larger and heavier than the Hellcat. The Curtiss design was to be powered by a new Lycoming XH-2740-4 24-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine, initially rated at 2,200 hp, but the engine was not produced. A Wright R-3350-16 of 2,300 hp with turbo-supercharger was then fitted in the XF14C-2. Empty weight of the Curtiss was over 10,500 pounds. The Boeing XF8B-1 was powered by a Pratt & Whitney XR-4360-10 28-cylinder, four-row radial of 3,000 hp, then the world's largest aircraft engine, and was even heavier, with an empty weight of over 14,000 lbs.

Grumman, however, favored a lighter and more maneuverable design more like the German Focke Wulf Fw 190, of which a captured example was flown by Grumman test pilot Bob Hall in England. The resulting Grumman design, the XF8F-1, weighed only 7,017 pounds empty and was sometimes described as the smallest airframe built around the most powerful, fully-developed engine, a real "hot rod."

Powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-22W engine, the first Bearcat prototype flew in late August 1944. Besides the P&W R-2800 engine, the design also retained the Hellcat's successful NACA 230 airfoil for the wings. After minor modifications, including the addition of a dorsal fin, the first production F8F-1s began armament tests and carrier qualification trials in early 1945. By May of 1945, the Bearcat was cleared for operational service, with very few flight restrictions over its wide speed range. A total of 654 F8F-1s were delivered, all fitted with the 2,100 hp (1566 kw) R-2800-34W engine.

The Bearcat was the first U.S. Navy fighter to feature a full "bubble" canopy, giving excellent all around vision. It was also fitted with so called "safety wing tips," the outer 40 inches of which were designed to break off cleanly if the wing was overstressed in a dive or other maneuver. After several non-combat incidents where one or both wing tips tore off and the aircraft landed safely, this feature was eliminated from later production Bearcats.

As soon as enough of the new fighters had been produced, two squadrons, VF-18 and VF-19, were equipped with F8F-ls. Their training was expedited in order to get the new fighter into service against Japanese 'kamikaze' suicide attacks in the Pacific. The Bearcat-equipped VF-19 was onboard the carrier USS Langley, enroute across the Pacific, when the war ended on Aug.16, 1945. There is little doubt that if the war had continued, the Bearcat's fantastic climb and acceleration would have been invaluable in combating the kamikaze menace.

The final production Bearcat was the F8F-2, introduced in 1947 with a more powerful R-2800-30W engine of 2,250 hp (1678 kW) and an automatic variable speed supercharger. The greater power required an extra foot to be added to the vertical fin, and F8F-2s carried a heavier armament of four 20 mm cannons. The F8F-2P was a photo-reconnaissance version, fitted with up to three cameras in the fuselage. By 1956, the last Bearcats were taken out of service and stored or scrapped, having been replaced by jets, including Grumman's own F9F Panthers and Cougars.

As a final demonstration of the Bearcat's fantastic climbing ability, an F8F is reported to have set the record for a climb to 10,000 feet from a standing start in 91 seconds. It is said to have held this record for almost three decades, until finally beaten by an F-16 Fighting Falcon. The author witnessed a maximum performance takeoff by a civilian Bearcat in the late 1960s, and the airplane went straight up and out of sight.

The Bearcat was the last, and perhaps the best, piston-engine fighter produced for the U.S Navy, and was a fitting culmination to Grumman's World War II line of splendid "Cats". Even today the Grumman F8F Bearcat is a favourite amongst the Nevada Air Racers owing to its outstanding speed and performance.

Manufacturer: Grumman

Powerplant: One Pratt & Whitney R-2800-30W Engine Twin-row 18 cylinder Air-cooled Radial 2250 hp

Length: 27' 6"

Height: 13' 10"

Wingspan: 35' 6"

Max. Speed: 455 mph @ 28,000 feet

Cruise Speed: 185-220 mph

Landing Speed: 105 mph

Max. Weight: 13,460 lbs

Empty Weight: 7,650 lbs

Normal Range: 865 miles

Max. Range: 1,435 miles

Initial rate of climb: 6,300 ft/min

Ceiling: 40,800 ft

Armament: Four 20mm cannons, up to 2,000 lbs of bombs or four 5-inch rockets