American fighter aircraft Grumman F4F Wildcat COBI 5731 - World War II

You know that:

• The aircraft was designed by engineer and company founder Leroy Grumman in 1935. It was initially rejected by the U.S. Navy and the favorite to arm aircraft carriers was the competing Buffalo project.
• During tests, the L. Grumman-designed self-locking tank and armouring solution proved to be much more suitable, and so the US Navy ordered the first 77 units.
• Over time the machine became indispensable to the war effort in the Pacific, and so until the arrival of the Hellcat, 200 were produced per month.
• The Wildcat was an often and unfairly underrated fighter compared to the Japanese Zere, but it actually excelled in acceleration, maneuverability, and horizontal flight speed. Well-trained pilots were equal opponents to the modern Zeros.
• The French Air Force also bought more than 80 of them. After the occupation of France, the machines were adopted by the British Army under the Marlet designation.
• Wildcats took part in all major naval operations from the Battle of the Coral Sea, O midway and Guadalcanal to the landings in Africa.
• With the advent of more modern Hellcats and Corsairs, the aircraft were assigned less demanding missions.
• 7,885 were produced in various versions.
• The last Wildcat machines were retired from Navy service in late 1945.

Technical parameters:

• span 11.58 m, length 9.09 m, height 3.58 m
• empty weight 2 471 kg
• maximum take-off weight 3 617 kg
• powerplant Pratt & Whitney R-1830-86 895 hp radial engine
• cruising speed 441 km/h
• maximum speed 515 km/h
• climb rate 9,9 m/s
• tank capacity 545 l + possibly 2x 220 l in additional tanks
• maximum flight level 10 637 m
• maximum range 2 051 km
• landing on the ship's deck by means of braking ropes
• armament 6x 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine gun (1440 rounds) + 2x 45 kg air bomb
• crew 1 person