F-11 Tiger

Infobox Aircraft
name= F11F/F-11 Tiger
type=Fighter aircraft
manufacturer=Grumman


caption=VF-21 F11F-1 Tigers in left echelon formation.
designer=
first flight=30 July 1954
introduced=1956
retired=1961 (Carrier) 1967 (Training) 1969 (Blue Angels)
status=
primary user=United States Navy
more users=
produced=1954-1959
number built=200
unit cost=
developed from =
variants with their own articles=

The Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger was a single-seat carrier-based United States Navy fighter aircraft in operation during the 1950s and 1960s. Originally designated the F11F Tiger in April 1955 under the pre-1962 Navy designation system, it was redesignated as F-11 Tiger under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system.

The F11F/F-11 was used by the Blue Angels flight team from 1957 to 1969. Grumman Aircraft Corporation made about 200 Tigers, with last delivered 23 January 1959.

Design and development

The F11F (F-11) Tiger origins can be traced back to a privately funded 1952 Grumman concept to modernize the F9F-6/7 Cougar by implementing the area rule and other advances. This Grumman company project was known as the G-98, and by the end had departed totally from the Cougar.

The design's potential for supersonic performance and reduced transonic drag stirred interest in the Navy. By 1953, redesigns led to a completely new aircraft bearing no more than a familial resemblance to the Cougar. The new wing had full-span leading edge slats and trailing edge flap with roll control achieved using spoilers rather than traditional ailerons. For storage on aircraft carriers, the F-11 Tiger's wings manually folded downwards. Anticipating supersonic performance, the tailplane was all-moving. The aircraft was designed for the Wright J65 turbojet, a license-built version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire.

The Navy Bureau of Aeronautics was sufficiently impressed to order two prototypes, designated XF9F-8 even though the new fighter was clearly a new design. To add to the confusion, the prototypes were then redesignated XF9F-9 with the XF9F-8 designation going to another more straightforward Cougar derivative. Since the afterburning version of the J65 was not ready, the first prototype flew on 30 July 1954 with a non-afterburning engine. In spite of this, the aircraft nearly reached Mach 1 in its maiden flight. The second prototype, equipped with the afterburning engine, became the second supersonic Navy airplane, first honor going to the Douglas F4D Skyray. In April 1955, the aircraft received the new designation F11F-1 (F-11A after adoption of the unified Tri-Service naming system in 1962). Carrier trials started on 4 April 1956 when an F11F-1 Tiger landed on and launched from USS|Forrestal|CV-59|6.

The F-11 Tiger is noted for being the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down. On 21 September 1956, during a test firing of its 20 mm cannons, pilot Tom Attridge fired two bursts mid-way through a shallow dive. As the velocity and trajectory of the cannon rounds decayed, they ultimately crossed paths with the Tiger as it continued its descent, disabling it and forcing Attridge to crash land the aircraft. The pilot survived. ["A Tiger Bites Its Tail". "Aerofiles". [http://www.aerofiles.com/tiger-tail.html Tiger tail] Access date: 1 April 2007.] ["An Unlucky First - The Shootdown of Tiger #620" "Check-Six.com". [http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Tiger138260.htm] Access date: 1 April 2007.]

F11F-1F Super Tiger

In addition to the F-11A (F11F-1) fighter, Grumman also proposed a more advanced version of the airframe known as the F11F-1F Super Tiger. This was the result of a 1955 study to fit the new General Electric J79 engine into the F-11 airframe. The Navy was sufficiently interested to authorize modification of two production F11F-1 with enlarged air intakes and YJ79-GE-3 turbojet, with the result being designated the F11F-2. The aircraft first flew on 25 May 1956, reaching Mach 1.44 in one of the flights. After addition of 60° wing root fillets, a 13.5 in (35 cm) fuselage extension, and an uprated J79 engine, F11F-2 reached an impressive Mach 2.04 and an altitude of 80,250 ft (24,466 m). Unfortunately, the U.S. Navy did not order it into production. F11F-2 was then redesignated F11F-1F, indicating production F11F-1 with a special engine fit. Failing to secure the Navy contract, Grumman marketed the Super Tiger to foreign customers. The German Luftwaffe, Japan Air Self Defence Force and Royal Canadian Air Force showed considerable interest but eventually the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was chosen. This outcome, however, was skewed by the Lockheed bribery scandals, in which huge sums were paid to influential politicians in those countries to ensure the adoption of the Starfighter.

Operational history

Seven U.S. Navy squadrons flew the F11F-1: 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. In service, the Tiger operated from the carriers USS|Ranger|CV-61|6, USS|Intrepid|CV-11|6, USS|Bon Homme Richard|CV-31|2, USS|Forrestal|CV-59|6, and USS|Saratoga|CV-60|6. The F11F's career only lasted four years because its performance was inferior to the Vought F-8 Crusader and the J65 engine proved unreliable. Thus, the Navy cancelled all orders for the F11F-1P reconnaissance version and only 199 F11F-1 (F-11A) fighters were built. The aircraft was withdrawn from carrier service by 1961. However it was used in the training command in south Texas, Beeville and Kingsville, until the late 1960s. Students performed advanced jet training in the F-9 Cougar, and upon completing that syllabus, were given a brief taste of supersonic capability before transitioning to fleet fighters.

While the F-11's fighter career was short, the Blue Angels performed in these aircraft from 1957 until 1969, when the Tiger was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.

Variants

;YF9F-9: Original designation.;F-11F-1: Single-seat fighter version for the U.S. Navy. later redesignated F-11A in 1962.;F11F-1P: designation of cancelled Navy reconnaissance version.;F-11F-1F Super Tiger: F11F-1 fitted with the J-79-GE-3A engine.;F-11F-2: Alternate designation of the F11F-1F.

Operators

;USA
*United States Navy
**VF-21, Atlantic Fleet
**VF-24 (redesignated VF-211 in March 1959), Pacific Fleet
**VF-33, Atlantic Fleet
**VF-51, Pacific Fleet
**VF-121, Pacific Fleet
**VA-156 (redesignated VF-111 in January 1959), Pacific Fleet
**VF-191, Pacific Fleet
**ft 11 in
length alt=14.3 m
span main=31 ft 7.5 in
span alt=9.6 m
height main=13 ft 3 in
height alt=4.0 m
area main=250 ft²
area alt=23 m²
empty weight main=14,330 lb
empty weight alt=6,500 kg
loaded weight main=21,280 lb
loaded weight alt=9,650 kg
max takeoff weight main=24,000 lb
max takeoff weight alt=10,900 kg

engine (jet)=Wright J65-W-18
type of jet=turbojet
number of jets=1
thrust main=7,400 lbf
thrust alt=32.9 kN
afterburning thrust main=10,500 lbf
afterburning thrust alt=46.7 kN

max speed main=Mach 1.1
max speed alt=727 mph, 1,170 km/h
max speed more=at 35,000 ft (11,000 m)
cruise speed main=577 mph
cruise speed alt=929 km/h
range main=1,275 mi
range alt=1,110 NM, 2,050 km
ceiling main=42,000 ft
ceiling alt=12,800 m
climb rate main=5,315 ft/min
climb rate alt=27 m/s
loading main=85 lb/ft²
loading alt=420 kg/m²
thrust/weight=0.49

guns=4× 20 mm Colt Mk 12 cannon, 125 rounds/gun
hardpoints=4
hardpoint missiles=AIM-9 Sidewinder
other=
* Fuel tanks: 150 US gal (577 L)
* General purpose bombs
* Unguided rockets

ee also

aircontent
related=
* F-9 Cougar

similar aircraft=
* F5D Skylancer
* F-8 Crusader
* Supermarine Scimitar

lists=
* List of fighter aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the United States

see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Crosby, Francis. "Fighter Aircraft". London: Lorenz Books, 2002. ISBN 0-7548-0990-0.
* Gunston, Bill. "Fighters of the Fifties". Oscela, Wisconsin: Specialty Press, 1981. ISBN 0-93342-432-9.
* Thruelsen, Richard. "The Grumman Story". New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1976. ISBN 0-275-54260-2.

External links

* [http://www.military.cz/usa/air/post_war/f11/f11_en.htm Jirka Wagner's American postwar aircraft:Grumman F11F-1 Tiger]
* [http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f11_1.html Grumman F11F-1 Tiger, Joe Baugher]