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Grumman F-11 Tiger

May 03, 2024

The Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger is a supersonic, single-seat carrier-based fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Grumman. For a time, it held the world altitude record of 76,939 feet (23,451 m), as well as being the first supersonic fighter to be produced by Grumman.[2]

F11F/F-11 Tiger
VF-21 F11F-1 Tigers in left echelon formation
Role Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer Grumman
First flight 30 July 1954
Introduction 1956
Retired 1961 (Carrier)
1967 (Training)
1969 (Blue Angels)
Status Retired
Primary user United States Navy
Produced 1954–1959
Number built 199[1]
Variants Grumman F11F-1F Super Tiger

Work on what would become the Tiger commenced in 1952 as a design study, internally designated G-98, to improve the F9F-6/7 Cougar. However, the resulting design produced had little association with the Cougar by the end of the project. The U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics placed order for two prototypes, initially designated XF9F-8. On 30 July 1954, the first prototype performed its maiden flight, during which it almost achieved Mach 1; the second prototype became the second U.S. Navy aircraft to exceed the speed of sound. On 21 September 1956, the Tiger became the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down. Originally designated the F11F Tiger in April 1955 under the pre-1962 Navy designation system, the aircraft was redesignated as F-11 Tiger under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system. A total of 199 Tigers were produced for the United States Navy, with the last aircraft being delivered to the service on 23 January 1959.

The Tiger entered service with the U.S. Navy during 1956, and was flown from the carriers Intrepid, Lexington, Hancock, Bon Homme Richard, Shangri-La, Forrestal, Saratoga and Ranger. Frontline use of the Tiger was relatively brief, largely due to its performance being inferior to the competing Vought F-8 Crusader, such as its limited endurance, while its Wright J65 turbojet engine had also proved to be somewhat unreliable. Through to the late 1960s, the aircraft used flown by the Naval Air Training Command in South Texas at NAS Chase Field and NAS Kingsville, to give students experience of supersonic flight. Between 1957 and 1969, the Tiger was used by the Blue Angels flight team, being eventually replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The last examples were withdrawn from U.S. Navy service during 1969, although a handful of aircraft remained operational and were conducting test flights as late as 1975.

Design and development edit

Background edit

 
XF9F-9 prototype
 
An F11F-1 Tiger on USS Independence (CVA-62), with downward-folded wingtips
 
An early production "short nose" F11F and a later "long nose" from VT-23

The origins of the F11F (F-11) Tiger can be traced back to a privately funded 1952 Grumman concept to modernize and improve the F9F-6/7 Cougar, a popular early jet-powered carrier aircraft.[2][3] The design team opted to implement the area rule along with several other advances into the project, which was internally designated G-98. Design objectives included the minimisation of the aircraft's size.[2][4] By the time that the design process was concluded during 1953, it had become a complete departure from the Cougar, bearing little more than a vague resemblance to the preceding aircraft.

It features a new wing equipped with both full-span leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps with roll control being achieved using spoilers rather than traditional ailerons. For storage on aircraft carriers, these wings could be manually folded downwards. Anticipating supersonic performance, the tailplane was all-moving. The aircraft was designed to be powered by the Wright J65 turbojet, a license-built version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire.[2]

The design's potential for supersonic performance and reduced transonic drag drew the attention of several officials, including those within the United States Navy. During early 1953, the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics decided to commit itself to the project's full development, placing an initial order for two prototypes, which were designated XF9F-8 (even though the new fighter was clearly a new design).[5] To add to the confusion, the prototypes were then redesignated XF9F-9 while the XF9F-8 designation was assigned to a different, more straightforward, derivative of the Cougar.

Flight testing edit

Since the afterburning version of the J65 was not ready, the first prototype made its maiden flight on 30 July 1954 powered by a non-afterburning engine. In spite of this, the aircraft nearly reached Mach 1 during this first flight. The second prototype, equipped with the afterburning engine, became the second supersonic U.S. Navy aircraft, the first being the Douglas F4D Skyray. During April 1955, the aircraft received the new designation F11F-1 (F-11A after adoption of the unified Tri-Service naming system in 1962).[6] On 4 April 1956, carrier trials started when an F11F-1 Tiger landed on and launched from USS Forrestal.[7]

The Tiger gained the dubious distinction of being the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down.[8][9] On 21 September 1956, during a test-firing of its 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons, pilot Tom Attridge fired two bursts midway through a shallow dive. As the trajectory of the cannon rounds decayed, they ultimately crossed paths with the Tiger as it continued its descent, disabling the aircraft and forcing Attridge to crash-land the aircraft; he survived with a broken leg and multiple broken vertebrae.[10][11]

Grumman proposed several models of the Tiger, beyond the F-11A (F11F-1) fighter, including aerial reconnaissance and dedicated trainer versions. The more advanced version of the airframe to be proposed by the company was the F11F-1F Super Tiger.[12] It was the result of a 1955 study to install the new General Electric J79 engine into the F11F-1 airframe. When evaluated by Switzerland for a potential procurement, it was assessed as having exceeded all competing aircraft in terms of overall technical performance.[13][14] Grumman also proposed to produce a variant powered by the proven, and even more powerful, Rolls-Royce Avon engine in place of the J79.[15]

Operational history edit

 
F11F-1 of VF-21 landing on Ranger in 1957
 
F-11A Tiger advanced trainer of VT-26 Squadron wearing the distinctive color scheme used by that variant

Seven U.S. Navy squadrons flew the Tiger, these included VF-21 and VF-33 in the Atlantic Fleet and VA-156 (redesignated VF-111 in January 1959), VF-24 (redesignated VF-211 in March 1959), VF-51, VF-121, and VF-191 in the Pacific Fleet.[16] The aircraft was operated from the carriers Intrepid, Lexington, Hancock, Bon Homme Richard, Shangri-La, Forrestal, Saratoga and Ranger. The F11F's career as a frontline fighter lasted only four years, largely as a result of its performance being inferior to the competing and considerably faster Vought F-8 Crusader;[2][17] further factors included the unreliability of its J65 powerplant,[16] and the inadequacy of both its range and endurance.[citation needed] At no point was the Tiger ever capable of sustained supersonic flight in an operational configuration.[18] The Navy opted to cancel its orders for the F11F-1P reconnaissance version, thus only 199 F11F-1 (F-11A) fighters were ever built.

By 1961, the Tiger had been permanently withdrawn from carrier operations. Nevertheless, it continued to be operated by the Naval Air Training Command in South Texas at NAS Chase Field and NAS Kingsville, through to the late 1960s. Typically, students performed advanced jet training in the TF-9J Cougar, and upon completing that syllabus, were given a brief taste of supersonic capability with the F-11 before transitioning to active fleet fighters.[19] The Tiger's flight characteristics leant itself well to the training role.[2]

While the Tiger's career as a fighter was relatively short, the Blue Angels performed in the aircraft between 1957 and 1968, at which point the Tiger was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.[20][2]

Prior to the 1962 code unification, the Tiger was designated as the F11F; after unification, it was redesignated F-11.

During 1973, two former Blue Angels F-11As were taken from storage at Davis-Monthan AFB and modified by Grumman as testbeds to evaluate in-flight thrust control systems. BuNo 141853 was fitted with a Rohr Industries thrust reverser and BuNo 141824 was kept in standard configuration as a chase plane. Tests of the inflight thrust reversal were carried out by Grumman at Calverton beginning in March 1974 and continued at NATC Patuxent River, Maryland until 1975. Following the completion of these tests, both planes were returned to storage at Davis Monthan AFB. These were the last Tigers to fly.[2][21]

Variants edit

 
VF-33 Tigers from USS Intrepid in 1959
F9F-9
Original designation.[19]
F11F-1
Single-seat fighter version for the U.S. Navy, redesignated F-11A in 1962. 199 built and later production aircraft had a longer nose. One was used for static tests with a further production of 231 aircraft cancelled.
F11F-1P
Designation of a Navy photo reconnaissance version, 85 were cancelled.[19]
F11F-1F Super Tiger (G-98J)
F11F-1 fitted with the J79-GE-3A engine, two built.[22]
F11F-1T
Proposed tandem-seat trainer variant; unbuilt.[23]

Operators edit

 
The Blue Angels flew the F11F from 1957 to 1969.
  United States

Aircraft on display edit

F11F-1
 
Former Blue Angels F-11 Tiger at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona
 
F11F on display at the Air Zoo
 
Grumman Tiger on display at the Aviation Historical Park in NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach

Specifications (F11F-1/F-11A) edit

 
3-view line drawing of the Grumman F-11F-1 Tiger
 
F11F-1 of the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida

Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911[40] Standard Aircraft Characteristics: F-11A[41]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 45 ft 10.5 in (13.983 m)
  • Wingspan: 31 ft 7.5 in (9.639 m)
  • Width: 27 ft 4 in (8.33 m) wing-tips folded
  • Height: 13 ft 2.75 in (4.0323 m)
  • Wing area: 250 sq ft (23 m2)
  • Empty weight: 13,810 lb (6,264 kg)
  • Gross weight: 21,035 lb (9,541 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 23,459 lb (10,641 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Wright J65-W-18 afterburning turbojet engine, 7,450 lbf (33.1 kN) thrust at 8,300 rpm, military power dry, 10,500 lbf (47 kN) with afterburner

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 631 kn (726 mph, 1,169 km/h) / M1.1 at 35,000 ft (10,668 m)
654 kn (753 mph; 1,211 km/h) at sea level
  • Cruise speed: 501 kn (577 mph, 928 km/h)
  • Range: 1,110 nmi (1,280 mi, 2,060 km)
  • Service ceiling: 49,000 ft (15,000 m)
  • Rate of climb: 16,300 ft/min (83 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 84 lb/sq ft (410 kg/m2)
  • Thrust/weight: 0.5

Armament

  • Guns: 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Colt Mk 12 cannon, 125 rounds per gun
  • Hardpoints: 4 with a capacity of –, with provisions to carry combinations of:
    • Rockets: Aero 6A or Aero 7A "Rocket Package"
    • Missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder
    • Other: 150 US gal (570 L) drop tank

Avionics

  • AN/ARC-27A UHF COMMS
  • AN/ARA-25 UHF
  • AN/ARR-40 UHF
  • AN/ARN-14E VHF Nav
  • AN/APX-6B IFF
  • AN/APA-89 video coder
  • AN/APG-30A ranging radar

See also edit

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ Green 2015, p. 116.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h (PDF). Naval Aviation News (U.S. Navy). September 1973. pp. 20–21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2004.
  3. ^ Thomason 2008, p. 211.
  4. ^ Harper 2016, p. 15.
  5. ^ Lorell, Levaux and Giddens 1998, p. 73.
  6. ^ Thomason 2008, p. 267.
  7. ^ Bowers 1990, p. 256.
  8. ^ Mizokami, Kyle (28 December 2020). "The Fighter Plane That Shot Itself Down". Popular Mechanics.
  9. ^ Kocis, Desiree (4 October 2021). "Did A Grumman F11 Tiger Shoot Itself Down?". planeandpilotmag.com.
  10. ^ "A Tiger Bites Its Tail." Aerofiles. Retrieved: 1 April 2007.
  11. ^ "Unlucky First – The Shootdown of Tiger #620." Check-Six.com. Retrieved: 1 April 2007.
  12. ^ Thomason 2008, p. 248.
  13. ^ "Die Besten: Supertiger und Mirage III (The Best Ones: Supertiger and Mirage III) (in German)." 25 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Schweizer Luftwaffe. Retrieved: 1 July 2010.
  14. ^ "Le Supertiger et le Mirage III surclassent leurs concurrents (Supertiger and the Mirage III outclass their competitors) (in French)." 30 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine Forces Aériennes Suisses. Retrieved: 1 July 2010.
  15. ^ "P.1 German Demonstration." Flight, 31 January 1958, p. 130.
  16. ^ a b Spick Air International June 1991, p. 318.
  17. ^ Thomason 2008, p. 213.
  18. ^ Lorell, Levaux and Giddens 1998, pp. 73-74.
  19. ^ a b c Baugher, Joe. "Grumman F11F-1/F-11A Tiger." Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of American Military Aircraft, 30 January 2000. Retrieved: 26 July 2010.
  20. ^ . blueangels.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  21. ^ "Grumman F11F-1/F-11A Tiger". joebaugher.com.
  22. ^ Buttler 2008, pp. 114–115.
  23. ^ Bridgman 1958, pp. 307–308.
  24. ^ "F11F Tiger/141735" 2015-09-21 at the Wayback Machine Yanks Air Museum Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  25. ^ "F11F Tiger/141783." 2014-03-31 at the Wayback Machine MAPS Air Museum. Retrieved: 26 October 2012.
  26. ^ "F11F Tiger/141790" Grissom Air Museum. Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  27. ^ "F11F Tiger/141802." 2014-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation. Retrieved: 26 February 2014.
  28. ^ "F11F Tiger/141803 Blueangels.org. Retrieved: 12 March 2024.
  29. ^ "F11F Tiger/141811." Combat Air Museum. Retrieved: 4 March 2013.
  30. ^ "F11F Tiger/141824." Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  31. ^ "F11F Tiger/141828" National Museum of Naval Aviation Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  32. ^ "F11F Tiger/141832." 2015-01-05 at the Wayback Machine Cradle of Aviation Museum. Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  33. ^ "F11F Tiger/141851." aerialvisuals.ca Retrieved: 26 October 2012.
  34. ^ "F11F Tiger/141853." 2015-12-18 at the Wayback Machine Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  35. ^ "F11F Tiger/141859" aerialvisuals.ca Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  36. ^ "F11F Tiger/141864." aerialvisuals.ca Retrieved: 26 October 2012.
  37. ^ "F11F Tiger/141868" 2017-08-06 at the Wayback Machine Planes of Fame Air Museum Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  38. ^ "F11F Tiger/141872." Air Zoo. Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
  39. ^ "F11F Tiger/141882." aerialvisuals.ca Retrieved: 8 April 2015.
  40. ^ Bowers 1990, p. 257.
  41. ^ NAVAIR 00-110AF11-1. Annapolis, United States: Naval Air systems Command. 1 July 1967. Retrieved 9 April 2020.

Bibliography edit

  • Bowers, Peter M. (1990). United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. Annapolis, Maryland, United States: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-792-5.
  • Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1958). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59. London, United Kingdom: Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd.
  • Buttler, Tony (2008). American Secret Projects: Fighters & Interceptors 1945–1978 (First ed.). Hinckley, Leicestershire, United Kingdom: Midland Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-264-1.
  • Green, Michael (2015). United States Naval Aviation 1911-2014. Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-473-82225-2.
  • Lorell, Mark A.; Levaux, Hugh P.; Giddens, Elizabeth (1998). The Cutting Edge: A Half Century of U.S. Fighter Aircraft R&D. RAND Corporation. ISBN 0-833-04860-0.
  • NAVAIR 00-110AF11-1: Standard Aircraft Characteristics, Navy Model F-11A Aircraft. Pax River, Maryland: Naval Air Systems, United States Navy Command.
  • Spick, Mike (June 1991). "The Iron Tigers". Air International. 40 (6): 313–320. ISSN 0306-5634.
  • Thomason, Tommy H. (2008). U.S. Naval Air Superiority: Development of Shipborne Jet Fighters, 1943-1962. Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1-580-07110-9.
  • Harper, Jules (2016). Flying Warrior: My Life as a Naval Aviator During the Vietnam War. Morgan James Publishing. ISBN 978-1-683-50067-4.

Further reading edit

  • Andrade, John (1979). U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Hinckley, Leicestershire, United Kingdom: Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
  • Crosby, Francis (2002). Fighter Aircraft. London, United Kingdom: Lorenz Books. ISBN 0-7548-0990-0.
  • Gunston, Bill (1981). Fighters of the Fifties. North Branch, Minnesota, United States: Specialty Press. ISBN 0-933424-32-9.
  • Thruelsen, Richard (1976). The Grumman Story. Westport, Connecticut, United States: Praeger Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-275-54260-2.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grumman F11F Tiger.
  • USNavy BuNo. 141811 on display at Combat Air Museum
  • Artifacts from Blue Angels F-11 crash found fifty years later
  • US Navy Standard Aircraft Characteristics pamphlet for F-11A (F11F-1) Tiger

May 03, 2024
grumman, tiger, grumman, f11f, tiger, supersonic, single, seat, carrier, based, fighter, aircraft, designed, produced, american, aircraft, manufacturer, grumman, time, held, world, altitude, record, feet, well, being, first, supersonic, fighter, produced, grum. The Grumman F11F F 11 Tiger is a supersonic single seat carrier based fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Grumman For a time it held the world altitude record of 76 939 feet 23 451 m as well as being the first supersonic fighter to be produced by Grumman 2 F11F F 11 Tiger VF 21 F11F 1 Tigers in left echelon formation Role Fighter aircraft Manufacturer Grumman First flight 30 July 1954 Introduction 1956 Retired 1961 Carrier 1967 Training 1969 Blue Angels Status Retired Primary user United States Navy Produced 1954 1959 Number built 199 1 Variants Grumman F11F 1F Super Tiger Work on what would become the Tiger commenced in 1952 as a design study internally designated G 98 to improve the F9F 6 7 Cougar However the resulting design produced had little association with the Cougar by the end of the project The U S Navy Bureau of Aeronautics placed order for two prototypes initially designated XF9F 8 On 30 July 1954 the first prototype performed its maiden flight during which it almost achieved Mach 1 the second prototype became the second U S Navy aircraft to exceed the speed of sound On 21 September 1956 the Tiger became the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down Originally designated the F11F Tiger in April 1955 under the pre 1962 Navy designation system the aircraft was redesignated as F 11 Tiger under the 1962 United States Tri Service aircraft designation system A total of 199 Tigers were produced for the United States Navy with the last aircraft being delivered to the service on 23 January 1959 The Tiger entered service with the U S Navy during 1956 and was flown from the carriers Intrepid Lexington Hancock Bon Homme Richard Shangri La Forrestal Saratoga and Ranger Frontline use of the Tiger was relatively brief largely due to its performance being inferior to the competing Vought F 8 Crusader such as its limited endurance while its Wright J65 turbojet engine had also proved to be somewhat unreliable Through to the late 1960s the aircraft used flown by the Naval Air Training Command in South Texas at NAS Chase Field and NAS Kingsville to give students experience of supersonic flight Between 1957 and 1969 the Tiger was used by the Blue Angels flight team being eventually replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II The last examples were withdrawn from U S Navy service during 1969 although a handful of aircraft remained operational and were conducting test flights as late as 1975 Contents 1 Design and development 1 1 Background 1 2 Flight testing 2 Operational history 3 Variants 4 Operators 5 Aircraft on display 6 Specifications F11F 1 F 11A 7 See also 8 References 8 1 Citations 8 2 Bibliography 9 Further reading 10 External linksDesign and development editBackground edit nbsp XF9F 9 prototype nbsp An F11F 1 Tiger on USS Independence CVA 62 with downward folded wingtips nbsp An early production short nose F11F and a later long nose from VT 23 The origins of the F11F F 11 Tiger can be traced back to a privately funded 1952 Grumman concept to modernize and improve the F9F 6 7 Cougar a popular early jet powered carrier aircraft 2 3 The design team opted to implement the area rule along with several other advances into the project which was internally designated G 98 Design objectives included the minimisation of the aircraft s size 2 4 By the time that the design process was concluded during 1953 it had become a complete departure from the Cougar bearing little more than a vague resemblance to the preceding aircraft It features a new wing equipped with both full span leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps with roll control being achieved using spoilers rather than traditional ailerons For storage on aircraft carriers these wings could be manually folded downwards Anticipating supersonic performance the tailplane was all moving The aircraft was designed to be powered by the Wright J65 turbojet a license built version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire 2 The design s potential for supersonic performance and reduced transonic drag drew the attention of several officials including those within the United States Navy During early 1953 the U S Navy Bureau of Aeronautics decided to commit itself to the project s full development placing an initial order for two prototypes which were designated XF9F 8 even though the new fighter was clearly a new design 5 To add to the confusion the prototypes were then redesignated XF9F 9 while the XF9F 8 designation was assigned to a different more straightforward derivative of the Cougar Flight testing edit Since the afterburning version of the J65 was not ready the first prototype made its maiden flight on 30 July 1954 powered by a non afterburning engine In spite of this the aircraft nearly reached Mach 1 during this first flight The second prototype equipped with the afterburning engine became the second supersonic U S Navy aircraft the first being the Douglas F4D Skyray During April 1955 the aircraft received the new designation F11F 1 F 11A after adoption of the unified Tri Service naming system in 1962 6 On 4 April 1956 carrier trials started when an F11F 1 Tiger landed on and launched from USS Forrestal 7 The Tiger gained the dubious distinction of being the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down 8 9 On 21 September 1956 during a test firing of its 20 mm 0 79 in cannons pilot Tom Attridge fired two bursts midway through a shallow dive As the trajectory of the cannon rounds decayed they ultimately crossed paths with the Tiger as it continued its descent disabling the aircraft and forcing Attridge to crash land the aircraft he survived with a broken leg and multiple broken vertebrae 10 11 Grumman proposed several models of the Tiger beyond the F 11A F11F 1 fighter including aerial reconnaissance and dedicated trainer versions The more advanced version of the airframe to be proposed by the company was the F11F 1F Super Tiger 12 It was the result of a 1955 study to install the new General Electric J79 engine into the F11F 1 airframe When evaluated by Switzerland for a potential procurement it was assessed as having exceeded all competing aircraft in terms of overall technical performance 13 14 Grumman also proposed to produce a variant powered by the proven and even more powerful Rolls Royce Avon engine in place of the J79 15 Operational history edit nbsp F11F 1 of VF 21 landing on Ranger in 1957 nbsp F 11A Tiger advanced trainer of VT 26 Squadron wearing the distinctive color scheme used by that variant Seven U S Navy squadrons flew the Tiger these included VF 21 and VF 33 in the Atlantic Fleet and VA 156 redesignated VF 111 in January 1959 VF 24 redesignated VF 211 in March 1959 VF 51 VF 121 and VF 191 in the Pacific Fleet 16 The aircraft was operated from the carriers Intrepid Lexington Hancock Bon Homme Richard Shangri La Forrestal Saratoga and Ranger The F11F s career as a frontline fighter lasted only four years largely as a result of its performance being inferior to the competing and considerably faster Vought F 8 Crusader 2 17 further factors included the unreliability of its J65 powerplant 16 and the inadequacy of both its range and endurance citation needed At no point was the Tiger ever capable of sustained supersonic flight in an operational configuration 18 The Navy opted to cancel its orders for the F11F 1P reconnaissance version thus only 199 F11F 1 F 11A fighters were ever built By 1961 the Tiger had been permanently withdrawn from carrier operations Nevertheless it continued to be operated by the Naval Air Training Command in South Texas at NAS Chase Field and NAS Kingsville through to the late 1960s Typically students performed advanced jet training in the TF 9J Cougar and upon completing that syllabus were given a brief taste of supersonic capability with the F 11 before transitioning to active fleet fighters 19 The Tiger s flight characteristics leant itself well to the training role 2 While the Tiger s career as a fighter was relatively short the Blue Angels performed in the aircraft between 1957 and 1968 at which point the Tiger was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II 20 2 Prior to the 1962 code unification the Tiger was designated as the F11F after unification it was redesignated F 11 During 1973 two former Blue Angels F 11As were taken from storage at Davis Monthan AFB and modified by Grumman as testbeds to evaluate in flight thrust control systems BuNo 141853 was fitted with a Rohr Industries thrust reverser and BuNo 141824 was kept in standard configuration as a chase plane Tests of the inflight thrust reversal were carried out by Grumman at Calverton beginning in March 1974 and continued at NATC Patuxent River Maryland until 1975 Following the completion of these tests both planes were returned to storage at Davis Monthan AFB These were the last Tigers to fly 2 21 Variants edit nbsp VF 33 Tigers from USS Intrepid in 1959 F9F 9 Original designation 19 F11F 1 Single seat fighter version for the U S Navy redesignated F 11A in 1962 199 built and later production aircraft had a longer nose One was used for static tests with a further production of 231 aircraft cancelled F11F 1P Designation of a Navy photo reconnaissance version 85 were cancelled 19 F11F 1F Super Tiger G 98J F11F 1 fitted with the J79 GE 3A engine two built 22 F11F 1T Proposed tandem seat trainer variant unbuilt 23 Operators edit nbsp The Blue Angels flew the F11F from 1957 to 1969 nbsp United States United States Navy VF 21 Atlantic Fleet VF 24 Pacific Fleet VF 33 Atlantic Fleet VF 51 Pacific Fleet VF 121 Pacific Fleet VA 156 Pacific Fleet VF 191 Pacific Fleet ATU 203 redesignated VT 23 ATU 223 redesignated VT 26 Blue Angels 1957 1969 Aircraft on display editF11F 1 nbsp Former Blue Angels F 11 Tiger at the Pima Air amp Space Museum in Tucson Arizona nbsp F11F on display at the Air Zoo nbsp Grumman Tiger on display at the Aviation Historical Park in NAS Oceana Virginia Beach 138619 Stricklands Surplus in Wilmington North Carolina 138645 NAF El Centro in Imperial County California 141735 Yanks Air Museum in Chino California 24 141783 MAPS Air Museum in Canton Ohio 25 141790 Grissom Air Museum at Grissom Air Reserve Base near Peru Indiana 26 141802 Lawson Creek Park in New Bern North Carolina 27 141803 Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport in Reserve Louisiana 28 141811 Combat Air Museum in Topeka Kansas 29 141824 Pima Air amp Space Museum in Tucson Arizona 30 141828 National Museum of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station Pensacola Florida 31 141832 Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City New York 32 141851 NAES Lakehurst New Jersey 33 141853 Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo Colorado 34 141859 Veteran s Memorial Park in Tishomingo Oklahoma 35 141864 NAS Oceana Aviation Historical Park Virginia 36 141868 Planes of Fame Air Museum in Valle Arizona 37 141872 Air Zoo in Kalamazoo Michigan 38 141882 Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville Florida 39 141869 Discovery Park of America in Union City Tennessee Specifications F11F 1 F 11A edit nbsp 3 view line drawing of the Grumman F 11F 1 Tiger nbsp F11F 1 of the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola Florida Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 40 Standard Aircraft Characteristics F 11A 41 General characteristicsCrew 1 Length 45 ft 10 5 in 13 983 m Wingspan 31 ft 7 5 in 9 639 m Width 27 ft 4 in 8 33 m wing tips folded Height 13 ft 2 75 in 4 0323 m Wing area 250 sq ft 23 m2 Empty weight 13 810 lb 6 264 kg Gross weight 21 035 lb 9 541 kg Max takeoff weight 23 459 lb 10 641 kg Powerplant 1 Wright J65 W 18 afterburning turbojet engine 7 450 lbf 33 1 kN thrust at 8 300 rpm military power dry 10 500 lbf 47 kN with afterburner Performance Maximum speed 631 kn 726 mph 1 169 km h M1 1 at 35 000 ft 10 668 m 654 kn 753 mph 1 211 km h at sea level dd dd dd Cruise speed 501 kn 577 mph 928 km h Range 1 110 nmi 1 280 mi 2 060 km Service ceiling 49 000 ft 15 000 m Rate of climb 16 300 ft min 83 m s Wing loading 84 lb sq ft 410 kg m2 Thrust weight 0 5 Armament Guns 4 20 mm 79 in Colt Mk 12 cannon 125 rounds per gun Hardpoints 4 with a capacity of with provisions to carry combinations of Rockets Aero 6A or Aero 7A Rocket Package Missiles AIM 9 Sidewinder Other 150 US gal 570 L drop tank Avionics AN ARC 27A UHF COMMS AN ARA 25 UHF AN ARR 40 UHF AN ARN 14E VHF Nav AN APX 6B IFF AN APA 89 video coder AN APG 30A ranging radarSee also editRelated development Grumman F 9 Cougar Grumman F11F 1F Super Tiger Grumman G 118 Aircraft of comparable role configuration and era Douglas F5D Skylancer Supermarine Scimitar Vought F 8 Crusader Related lists List of fighter aircraft List of military aircraft of the United StatesReferences editCitations edit Green 2015 p 116 a b c d e f g h Naval Aircraft Tiger PDF Naval Aviation News U S Navy September 1973 pp 20 21 Archived from the original PDF on 19 March 2004 Thomason 2008 p 211 Harper 2016 p 15 Lorell Levaux and Giddens 1998 p 73 Thomason 2008 p 267 Bowers 1990 p 256 Mizokami Kyle 28 December 2020 The Fighter Plane That Shot Itself Down Popular Mechanics Kocis Desiree 4 October 2021 Did A Grumman F11 Tiger Shoot Itself Down planeandpilotmag com A Tiger Bites Its Tail Aerofiles Retrieved 1 April 2007 Unlucky First The Shootdown of Tiger 620 Check Six com Retrieved 1 April 2007 Thomason 2008 p 248 Die Besten Supertiger und Mirage III The Best Ones Supertiger and Mirage III in German Archived 25 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Schweizer Luftwaffe Retrieved 1 July 2010 Le Supertiger et le Mirage III surclassent leurs concurrents Supertiger and the Mirage III outclass their competitors in French Archived 30 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine Forces Aeriennes Suisses Retrieved 1 July 2010 P 1 German Demonstration Flight 31 January 1958 p 130 a b Spick Air International June 1991 p 318 Thomason 2008 p 213 Lorell Levaux and Giddens 1998 pp 73 74 a b c Baugher Joe Grumman F11F 1 F 11A Tiger Joe Baugher s Encyclopedia of American Military Aircraft 30 January 2000 Retrieved 26 July 2010 Historical Aircraft of the Blue Angels blueangels navy mil Archived from the original on 19 April 2012 Retrieved 30 August 2012 Grumman F11F 1 F 11A Tiger joebaugher com Buttler 2008 pp 114 115 Bridgman 1958 pp 307 308 F11F Tiger 141735 Archived 2015 09 21 at the Wayback Machine Yanks Air Museum Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141783 Archived 2014 03 31 at the Wayback Machine MAPS Air Museum Retrieved 26 October 2012 F11F Tiger 141790 Grissom Air Museum Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141802 Archived 2014 03 03 at the Wayback Machine Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation Retrieved 26 February 2014 F11F Tiger 141803 Blueangels org Retrieved 12 March 2024 F11F Tiger 141811 Combat Air Museum Retrieved 4 March 2013 F11F Tiger 141824 Pima Air amp Space Museum Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141828 National Museum of Naval Aviation Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141832 Archived 2015 01 05 at the Wayback Machine Cradle of Aviation Museum Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141851 aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 26 October 2012 F11F Tiger 141853 Archived 2015 12 18 at the Wayback Machine Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141859 aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141864 aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 26 October 2012 F11F Tiger 141868 Archived 2017 08 06 at the Wayback Machine Planes of Fame Air Museum Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141872 Air Zoo Retrieved 15 January 2015 F11F Tiger 141882 aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 8 April 2015 Bowers 1990 p 257 NAVAIR 00 110AF11 1 Annapolis United States Naval Air systems Command 1 July 1967 Retrieved 9 April 2020 Bibliography edit Bowers Peter M 1990 United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 Annapolis Maryland United States Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 792 5 Bridgman Leonard ed 1958 Jane s All the World s Aircraft 1958 59 London United Kingdom Jane s All the World s Aircraft Publishing Co Ltd Buttler Tony 2008 American Secret Projects Fighters amp Interceptors 1945 1978 First ed Hinckley Leicestershire United Kingdom Midland Publishing ISBN 978 1 85780 264 1 Green Michael 2015 United States Naval Aviation 1911 2014 Pen amp Sword Aviation ISBN 978 1 473 82225 2 Lorell Mark A Levaux Hugh P Giddens Elizabeth 1998 The Cutting Edge A Half Century of U S Fighter Aircraft R amp D RAND Corporation ISBN 0 833 04860 0 NAVAIR 00 110AF11 1 Standard Aircraft Characteristics Navy Model F 11A Aircraft Pax River Maryland Naval Air Systems United States Navy Command Spick Mike June 1991 The Iron Tigers Air International 40 6 313 320 ISSN 0306 5634 Thomason Tommy H 2008 U S Naval Air Superiority Development of Shipborne Jet Fighters 1943 1962 Specialty Press ISBN 978 1 580 07110 9 Harper Jules 2016 Flying Warrior My Life as a Naval Aviator During the Vietnam War Morgan James Publishing ISBN 978 1 683 50067 4 Further reading editAndrade John 1979 U S Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909 Hinckley Leicestershire United Kingdom Midland Counties Publications ISBN 0 904597 22 9 Crosby Francis 2002 Fighter Aircraft London United Kingdom Lorenz Books ISBN 0 7548 0990 0 Gunston Bill 1981 Fighters of the Fifties North Branch Minnesota United States Specialty Press ISBN 0 933424 32 9 Thruelsen Richard 1976 The Grumman Story Westport Connecticut United States Praeger Publishers Inc ISBN 0 275 54260 2 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grumman F11F Tiger USNavy BuNo 141811 on display at Combat Air Museum Artifacts from Blue Angels F 11 crash found fifty years later US Navy Standard Aircraft Characteristics pamphlet for F 11A F11F 1 Tiger Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Grumman F 11 Tiger amp oldid 1216456404, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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