F9F-8

F9F-8

F9F-5

F3H-2

F9F-8

F9F-5

F3H-2

USA

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.3	8.3	8.3

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:61 000

Purchase:340 000

Show in game

This page is about the American naval jet fighter F9F-8. For other uses, see F9F (Family).

Description

The F9F-8 Cougar is a rank V American naval jet fighter with a battle rating of 8.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters".

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 610 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
1,019	988	12500	33.7	34.3	17.4	15.9	500
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 610 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
?	?	12500	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	500

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	✓	✓	✓

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
1127	410	620	~??	~?

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 950	< 790	< 510	> ???

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
0 m	3120 kgf	No WEP

Survivability and armour

• 9.5 mm steel - in front of cockpit
• 8.5 mm steel - behind pilot
• 60 mm steel - armoured windscreen

Armaments

Offensive armament

The F9F-8 is armed with:

• 4 x AN/M3 20 mm cannon (190 RPG = 760 total)

Suspended armament

The F9F-8 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 4 х 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
• 2 х 1000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bombs (2,000 lb total)
• 4 х AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missiles

Usage in battles

First of your objective when you purchase this plane is to research as fast as you can the 20 mm cannons modifications. The F9F-8 default cannons get jammed in a quick burst.

This said don’t expect to defeat MiG-15 and MiG-17A very easily. The F9F-8 performs great defensing maneuvers and can keep up in turns with the MiGs (beware that doesn’t have the great acceleration that MiGs have).

This is not an air superiority aircraft, its main purpose is to support ground vehicles and planes.

The best tactics if you are new to this plane is to fly it like a F9F-2 or F9F-5 so stay near some allies and give them support.

• Never roll too hard over 750 km\h (466 mph) or the wings will explode
• Never execute maneuvers over –2 G or the wings will explode

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Compressor
II	New boosters		Airframe	Offensive 20 mm	FLBC mk.1
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 20 mm cannons
IV	G-suit		Cover		AIM-9B

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good bombload options
• Four 20 mm cannons can shred enemy aircraft and light ground targets
• Slightly better top speed than on the F9F Panther
• Can equip with AIM-9 Sidewinder guided missiles
• Good roll rate over 800 kph (497 mph)
• Faster than its predecessors

Cons:

• Bad turn time overall; even the Hawker Hunter can turn tighter in some scenarios
• Top speed is not great but is not terrible either
• Can't equip rockets
• Cannot turn over -2G
• Rips very very easily in turns and rolls
• Not good at retaining energy, have to be very strict in order to keep it
• Poor acceleration
• Guns tend to jam quickly without New 20 mm upgrade

History

It was Grumman's engineers who first thought of developing their successful F9F Panther fighter into a swept-wing variant. The resulting Cougar was a very new design in many ways bucking post-war design trends. The fuselage, fin and rudder remained the same, however, the wings were completely new with a 35-degree sweep and lacking the distinctive wingtip tanks of the Panther. The engine was also an upgrade, a Pratt and Whitney J48 with an extra 1,000 kg of thrust over the previous J42. First flight was 20 September 1951, with operational trials starting three months later. Squadron deliveries began in November 1952. 706 F9F-6s with the original engine were produced, and 168 of the F9F-7 which used the Allison J33 turbojet instead.

The F9F-8 was the final version. Its prototype's first flight was December 1953. In this model, the fuselage was lengthened 30 cm to increase the space for fuel tanks. It had the J48-P-8 engines installed that gave it a total of 3,447kg of Thrust, the wings were also modified slightly to add an in-air refuelling probe plus the capability of mounting four Aim-9 sidewinders and a nose radar was fitted. In total, 601 F9F-8s were built.

The F9F-8 was too late to see combat in Korea, however, there were four trainer versions of the F9F-8 (F9F-8T) deployed to Vietnam and was used in airstrike directing for incoming allied aircraft.

The Argentine Navy was the only other nation to operate the F9F-8 and was the first jet aircraft that they ever had capable of breaking the sound barrier (In a dive).

It is also worth noting that the F9F-8 was redesignated, as part of the United States Tri-Service Designation System, to the F-9J in 1962.

Media

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See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] F9F-8 Cougar - A Perfect Predator