Lexington Park in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Grumman F-9J Cougar
A Capable Cat The F9F was unquestionably the most successful of the Navy's early jets. From the subsonic, straight-winged Panther of the Korean War, the F9F series evolved into supersonic swept-wing F9F-6 and F9F-8 Cougars. F9F-8Bs (redesignated F-9Js in 1962), like the one before you, were the first swept-wing Navy fighters equipped to deliver nuclear weapons. NAS Patuxent River's Naval Air Test Center conducted flight testing of the new Cougar beginning in 1952. Although just missing the Korean War, Cougars operated in early in the Vietnam War as Marine Corps Forward Air Control aircraft. The versatile Cougar series included some 170 reconnaissance-configured versions. The Cougar was also produced in a two-seat TF-9J trainer version, with the last of 399 such aircraft serving the Navy until 1974. The Cougar also flew with the Navy's Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team from 1955 into 1957.
Our Display Aircraft Bureau Number 144275 was delivered to the Navy as an F9F-8 and converted by the Navy into an F9F-8B. Our Cougar was later converted into a QF-9J target done for the Pacific Missile Test Center at
this page online
Primary Mission: Fighter/Attack
Crew: One Pilot
U.S. Service Timeline (F-9 Series): 1948 - 1974
Max. Gross Weight: 24,763 lb
Dimensions: 42.1 ft length, 34.5 ft wing span
Propulsion: One Pratt & Whitney J48-P-8 turbojet
Max. Operating Speed: 645 MPH (sea level); Mach 1.2 at altitude
Armament: Four internal 20mm Cannons; up to 2000 lb of air-to-surface bombs, rockets, missiles
Erected by Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military • War, Korean • War, Vietnam. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1966.
Location. 38° 16.544′ N, 76° 27.746′ W. Marker is in Lexington Park, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. Marker can be reached from Three Notch Road (Maryland Route 235) north of Buse Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The F9F-8B Cougar (here, next to this marker); Douglas NA-4M Skyhawk (a few steps from this marker); LTV NA-7A Corsair II (a few steps from this marker); Douglas F-6A (F4D) Skyray (a few steps from this marker); AIM-9H Sidewinder Missile (a few steps from this marker); McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II (a few steps from this marker); TA-75A Tow Tractor (within shouting distance of this marker); Grumman A-6E Intruder (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lexington Park.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 150 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 31, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
