Grumman F-9J Cougar

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 NAS Point Mugu, CA. After being retired in September 1966, our aircraft was displayed in Richmond, VA (with the wrong Bureau Number) before being transferred to PRNAM.,

. 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 and 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

, This aircraft is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola, Florida.