The
F4U Corsair is regarded by many as one of the greatest
combat aircraft in
history, and was in production for a longer period of time than any US fighter
other than the
F4 Phantom. It was designed to use the most powerful
engine
and biggest
propeller of any
fighter in existence, and the
prototype was
the first US combat aircraft to exceed 400mph.
Early experience suggested that the design was in fact a disastrous
failure, especially for carrier operations. The extraordinarily long nose
interfered with visibility ahead in a way which caused problems during landing
and take-off. The undercarriage had a tendency to break, and
the aircraft also had an inclination to bounce alarmingly on landing. As
a result the US Navy at first rejected it for shipboard operation.
Nonetheless the F4U was adopted by the Marine Corps and quickly demonstrated
its effectiveness. Although its low rate-of-turn made it a very
limited dogfighter, its merits more than compensated for this and its
other faults. Its great power, speed, rate of climb, capacity to roll
very rapidly, powerful armament, large ammunition supply, and exceptional
resistance to battle damage allowed it to quickly demonstrated its great
superiority over the enemy fighters in the Pacific theater. By the end of
hostilities in the Pacific War it had established an 11:1 "kill"
ratio against Japanese aircraft.
Origin: Chance Vought Division of United
Aircraft Corporation (also built by Brewster and Goodyear)
Type: Single-seat carrier-based fighter-bomber
Dimensions: Span 41' (12.48 meters) Britishversion
39' 7"
Length 33' 8" - 34' 6" according to version
Weight: (F4U-1A) 8,873 lb (4,025 kg)
Engine: (F4U-1) 2,000 hp
Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8 (B) Double Wasp 18-cylinder two-row radial
(F4U-1A) 2,250 hp R-2800-8 (W) with water injection
(F4U-4) 2,450 hp R-2800-18 (W) with water-methanol
(F4U-5) 2,850 hp R-2800-32 (E) with water-methanol
Maximum Speed: (F4U-1A) 395 mph
(F4U-5) 462 mph
Initial Climb: (F4U-1A)
2,890 feet per minute
(F4U-5) 4,800 feet per minute
Service Ceiling: (F4U-1A) 37,000 feet
(F4U-5) 44,000 feet
Range (on internal fuel): 1,000 miles
(1,609 kilometers)
Armament:
Guns:
(early versions) 6 x 0.5" Browning MG53-2 machine-guns in
outer wings, with 390 rounds per gun
(F4U-1C onwards) 4 x 20mm. cannon in wings
Bombs/Rockets:
(F4U-1D and most subsequent versions) 2 x 1,000 lb bombs or 8 x
5-inch rockets under wings