US Grumman F9 ''Panther'' Fighter Jet

By Crusader1307

Considered the first truly ''successful'' Aircraft Carrier Based Fighter Jets, The US Grumman F-9 (later redesignated EF-10) ''Panther'' was first deployed with The US Navy in 1947. It was an ideal platform during The Korean War, capable of multi-purpose Air and Ground Support Missions. (10) Variants were produced until the Model was decommissioned in 1958. Over 1,300 Production Models were developed for deployment by The Grumman Aircraft Company, to satisfy the US Navy need for a viable Carrier Based Fighter (in the early ''Jet Age'' development Era). Highly controllable, it was The ''Panther'' that would be chosen by The US Navy as it's first Air Demonstrator for The ''Blue Angels'' Aerobatics Team. Crewed by (1), The ''Panther'' was 40-feet long with a wingspan of 38-feet. It was powered a single Pratt and Whitney J42 Turbojet, capable of 6,250-IBF Thrust. The F-9 could achieve 580-mph and range 1,300 nautical miles. It could achieve an operational ceiling of 43,000-feet. Armament packages were fixed at (4) 20mm Cannon with ''light'' Ordnance packages of 500-pounds. Despite this, The F-9 steep drop made it an ideal Ground Support weapon. The ''Panther'' did enage Soviet made Yak Fighters over Korea during The 1950-1953 War with relative success. Later famed NASA Astronaut Neil Armstrong, exclusively flew The F-9 Fighter during his Korean War service. The F-9 was replaced by more technologically advanced Fighters in 1958, with most being sold to The Argentine Air Force. They would remain a staple of that Force until 1969. Many ''air worthy'' Models still survive in Museums in both The United states and Argentina.