FIREPOWER |
|
5 |
---|---|---|
MANEUVERABILITY |
|
8 |
CLIMB RATE |
|
4 |
DURABILITY |
|
5 |
SPEED |
|
5 |
GROUND ATTACK |
|
2 |
Crew
1
|
Primary Guns
2 x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 430 rpg in wings.
|
Secondary Guns
2 x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 430 rpg in wings.
|
Defensive Guns
–
|
Ordnance
2 x 100 lb (45 kg) bombs or 2 x 348 lb (158 kg) drop tanks under wings.
|
Engine(s)
1 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-76 14-cylinder two-row radial rated for 1,200 hp at sea level.
|
Int Fuel Capacity
864 lbs (392 kg).
|
Ext Fuel Capacity
696 lbs (316 kg), in 2 drop tanks under wings.
|
Maximum Speeds
281 mph (452 kph) at sea level, 328 mph (528 kph) at 21,000 ft (6400 m).
|
Climb Rate
2,050 ft.per minute (625 m/min).
|
Service Ceiling
37,500 ft (11278 m).
|
Range
830 – 1350 miles (1335 – 2173 km).
|
Wingspan
32 ft 0 in (11.58 m).
|
Length
28 ft 9 in (8.76 m).
|
Height
9 ft 2.5 in (2.81 m).
|
Loaded Weight
7,002 lbs. (3176 kg).
|
Wing Area
260.0 sq ft (24.15 sq m).
|
Wing Loading
26.9 lbs/sq ft (131.2 kg/sq m).
|
History
The new plane, designated XF4F-2, was first flown on September 2, 1937 and proved inferior to Brewster’s XF2A-1 Buffalo, which won the contract in June 1938 for the new Navy fighter. However, three months later, Grumman received permission to begin work on a second prototype, the XF4F-3, which was redesigned around the new Pratt & Whitney 14-cylinder “Double Wasp” radial engine equipped with a two-speed supercharger. The first flight proved the superiority of the reworked Wildcat fighter over the Buffalo and after extensive evaluation, the Navy finally awarded Grumman a contract for 54 Wildcats.
Prior to delivery of the first batch of Wildcats to the US Navy in December 1940, the British Royal Navy took over a French Navy order for 81 of the new planes. Designated the Martlet, they were put into action over Scapa Flow on Christmas Day 1940, downing a Junkers Ju-88. By the time of the Pearl Harbor attack a year later, the US Navy and Marine Corps had a total of 248 F4F-3s in service.
The Wildcat’s main claim to fame was earned on Wake Island, when four VMF-211 F4F-3s repulsed Japanese air attacks for two weeks – and even managed to sink a cruiser and a submarine with 100 lb. bombs. The last two Wildcats were destroyed on December 22, 1941, the day the Japanese finally managed to land on the island and overcome its meager defenses.
Strengths
- Maneuverability — Of the planes in the game, only Ki-43 and I-16 are somewhat superior to the F4F-3 Wildcat in terms of maneuverability.
Weakness
- Speed — Although not as slow as the I-16, the F4F-3 Wildcat is not going to run away from or catch contemporary planes like the Bf-109F, Yak-1b and P-40C.