F9F Panther/Couger (Family)
F9F may refer to:
Rank V - Aircraft
Rank VI - Aircraft
F9F Panther
Service
The Panther was the main US Navy and Marine Corps fighter aircraft during the Korean War; it flew a total of 78,000 sorties during the war. Panthers of the -2, -3, and -5 versions were able to carry out ground attack missions, even despite heavy anti-aircraft fire. In comparison to earlier propeller-driven planes, pilots saw the air conditioned cockpit as a huge improvement, which were often hot and humid during flight.
Lieutenant, Jr. Grade Leonard H. Plog of VF-51 was the first US Navy pilot to score an air-to-air victory during the Korean War. He shot down a Soviet-built Yak-9 propeller-driven fighter in his F9F-3 Panther on 3 July 1950. In comparison to the MiG-15, the F9F Panther was relatively slow. Despite this, the F9F was able to achieve seven MiG-15 kills during the war, while only losing 2 Panthers. During a UN attack on the Sinuiju bridges (near the mouth of the Yalu River) on 9 November 1950, an F9F-2B Panther flown by Lieutenant Commander William Amen of VF-111 achieved the first MiG-15 kill by a Panther. On 18 November 1950, two more MiG-15 fighters were shot down. During a series of strikes on the port of Hoeryong,North Korea, Lt Royce Williams of VF-781 shot down four MiG-15 jet fighters on 18 November 1952 while flying an F9F Panther. At the time VF-781 was operating off of the USS Oriskany. The MiG-15s were intercepted because of intelligence from the US National Security Agency (NSA). The encounter lasted only 35 minutes, as Williams had lost track of his wingman and ended up in a dogfight with six enemy MiGs. He shot down four of them - all four of which were piloted by Soviet Naval Aviation pilots - and then returned to the USS Oriskany. Once Williams landed it was found that his Panther had been hit by 263 cannon rounds and was unable to be repaired.
Neil Armstrong, who would later become the first man to walk on the Moon, flew an F9F Panther during the Korean War. In 1951, Neil Armstrong's Panther struck a wire that had been strung across a valley by the North Korean military, and he had to eject from the aircraft. Red Sox player Ted Williams flew an F9F during the Korean War as well, and so did John Glenn - a future astronaut who would become the first American to orbit the Earth.
