Originally posted by storch
y just read that the FM-2 was the Grumman XF4F-8 and was pretty much a lighter redesign of the wildcat. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/ac-usn22/f-types/fm2.htm
Yes, the FM-2 was the F4F-8, but Grumman did not want to take any production capacity away from the F6F so they did not build any, General Motors built them all as FM-2's. 4777 FM-2's were built, making it by far the most numerous Wildcat variant. The Wright Cyclone was chosen because it was a bit more powerful, a bit lighter, but more importantly it was tuned for low alt performance. Since the FM-2 was going to be on CVE's doing anti-submarine duty for the most part, they did not want the P&W R-1830, which even though rated at 1200HP, it was much better performing at high alt.
Here are some specs on the B-239
Brewster B-239 specifications
Wingspan: 10.67 m
Length: 8.03 m
Height: 3.66 m
Wing area: 19.4 m2
Empty weight: 2020 kg
Typical takeoff weight: 2415 kg (with 300kg fuel)
Engine: 950 HP Wright Cyclone R-1820-G5.
1000 HP with War Emergency Power (for 5 mins max).
Armament: 3 x 0.50 cal + 1 x 0.30 cal.
Later 4 x 0.50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns.
Max speed: 480 kmph at 4750 meters. 428 kmph at sea level.
Service ceiling: 9900 meters. Climb to 3000 meters 4 minutes 12 seconds, 5000 meters 7 minutes 10 seconds.
Range: 1350 km with 390 kmph cruise speed (full 600 liter fuel load), flight time 3 hours 30 minutes. Max flight time over 4 hours with lower speeds.480kph is 298mph top speed, 428kph is 266mph on the deck. Climb 3000m is 4:12 which averages to 2160 fpm but I would guess initial climb rate is close to 2500fpm. Most if not all specs you can find on the Brewster are not for the Finn plane, but for the US version, the FA2-1 which had a more powerful engine, but had not yet had all the pilot armor and junk added to it. The Finns actually added pilot armor to thier planes. The F2A-1's top speed was 311mph with deck speed being 271mph. Initial climb rate was 3060 fpm, but remember that the original Navy F2A-1 was more powerful than the B-239 and was not heavier.
Actually, the best match to the performance numbers and firepower of the B-239 is the P-40b. The Brewster no doubt turned and rolled far better than the P-40b, but in every other respect they are very close. Since the P-40b is an inline engine and looks nothing like the Brewster, and even though the F4F-4 has too much firepower and does not perform quite as well as the Brewster, the F4F-4 is still the best match to the performance of the plane the Finn's actually flew.