HELLCAT Illustrated Kindle Edition

The Grumman F6F Hellcat is remarkable for many reasons. Foremost among these is its effectivenss for the mission it was designed to perfomr.....that of a “Zero Killer”. It excelled in that mission, racking up a kill to loss ratio of 19 to 1 in the Paciific. Right from the outset of its operational life, the Hellcat was so good that it did not need major alterations during its combat career. There were just two major production versions of the Hellcat and that meant that production could proceed at an amazing pace. 12,275 were built in just over two years.At the outset of the Pacific war, the Japanese Zero was the dominant air superiority fighter. The Hellcat was designed specifically to counter the Zero. The F6F made its combat debut in September 1943, and it quickly outperformed the A6M Zero and established air superiority over the Pacific theater. Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while serving with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. This total was more than any other Allied naval aircraft. After the war, Hellcats were phased out of front-line service in the US, but radar-equipped F6F-5Ns remained in service as late as 1954 as night fighters. They served with the French Navy at the beginning of the Vietnam War from 1950-1952. Hellcat drones were used to attack targets in Korea, guided by Skyraider control aircraft. Read more