The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. [2]

Dec 4, 2021 · GM FM-1 wildcat was Wright engine F4F-4, with just four HMGs but added wing racks to carry two 250 lb (110 kg) bombs, or rails for six rockets. Production swapped later in 1943 FM-2 derived from the XF4F-8 prototype, fully optimized for small-carrier operations.

After war erupted in the Pacific, the Grumman F4F Wildcat was the primary fighter aircraft operated by the United States Navy and the Marine Corps. By 1942 every American Navy fighter squadron flew the F4F.

Jan 22, 2021 · Foss answered the call of duty piloting the F4F Wildcat, a very capable carrier-based aircraft that saw service from the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941 to the Japanese surrender aboard...

The F4F-4 was the first version produced in substantial numbers and made its inaugural flight on April 14, 1941. Along with the Sto-Wing, it had an increased fuel capacity of 117 gallons, a 27 gallons reserve tank, with provisions for 50 or 58 gallon drop tanks beneath the …

Grumman proposed a manual wing-folding scheme to cut weight, and the Navy authorized production of the variant with this feature as the "F4F-4", which reached line service after the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942.

The Museum’s F4F-4 wildcat was attached to the USS Wolverine for carrier training when it crashed into Lake Michigan and sank on November 23, 1942. Its wreckage was recovered by the Navy in 1995, and loaned to the Museum in 1996 for restoration.

Jun 12, 2006 · The F4F’s small size, ruggedness and range–enhanced by two 58-gallon drop tanks–continued to make it ideal for use off small escort carrier decks. The little warrior–in both U.S. and Royal Navy markings–contributed to eliminating the U-boat menace in the Atlantic.

Jan 14, 2013 · The US Navy’s first folding Wildcat was Twin Wasp-engined F4F-4, Grumman building one thousand three hundred and eighty-nine, including two hundred and twenty F4F-4B s with Cyclone engines as Martlet IV s for the fleet Air Arm.

Six Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters of Fighting Squadron (VF) 3 were the sole protection for the USS Yorktown’s 12 torpedo planes and 17 dive bombers that attacked the Japanese First Carrier Striking Force early on 4 June 1942.