F8F Bearcat

[Randall172]

I mean hey we've got the Ta152 and Me163, why not a F8F technically it entered service Feburary of 1945. This plane would be awesome! 

[Zacherof]

+1 Yes it would. Would really love to have her as that's a lot of firepower.
Now I can bet 5 bucks someone's going to come along and say either the 152 shouldn't even be here, and why the F7 shouldn't be added

[Saxman]

-1

The war ended before the F8F even deployed in the combat zone.

And Zach, the Bearcat had the same armament as the FM-2. So while decent, that's not a lot of firepower.

[MrKrabs]

-1

The war ended before the F8F even deployed in the combat zone.

And Zach, the Bearcat had the same armament as the FM-2. So while decent, that's not a lot of firepower.

He was probably referring to the F8F-1B with the 20mm cannons

[Saxman]

He was probably referring to the F8F-1B with the 20mm cannons

Oh, you mean the one that I don't think even FLEW until after the war?

[Zacherof]

I actually misread the op by referring to the F7 which had quad 50's and 20mm guns.

F8 had small armament. Same as 51b and fm2.

[Oldman731]

-1

The war ended before the F8F even deployed in the combat zone.

Agreed.  They had P-80s operational in Italy before they had Bearcats operational anywhere.

- oldman

[Karnak]

Agreed.  They had P-80s operational in Italy before they had Bearcats operational anywhere.

- oldman

No they didn't.  Two YP-80s were sent to the UK and two to Italy for service pilots to give feedback on.  They were not operational at all and were not used in combat.  They were in the UK and Italy because that is where the pilots were, not to be in proximity to the Germans.

[Randall172]

The Bearcat had 4 m3 20mm in addition to the armament of 4 .50 cals

[Karnak]

The Bearcat had 4 m3 20mm in addition to the armament of 4 .50 cals

Not the one that almost made it into WWII.  That one had four M2 .50s and nothing else.

[Lusche]

The Bearcat had 4 m3 20mm in addition to the armament of 4 .50 cals

That's the F7F Tigercat, different plane.

[Zacherof]

That's the F7F Tigercat, different plane.

A more sexy plane IMO

[Randall172]

That's the F7F Tigercat, different plane.

well maybe wikipedia isn't the best source but the 1b and 2 models featured 4 20mm cannons as apposed to the 50 cals

[Saxman]

well maybe wikipedia isn't the best source but the 1b and 2 models featured 4 20mm cannons as apposed to the 50 cals

Moot point, anyway, because it was F8F-1s en route to the theater when the war ended. Operative part of that phrase being EN ROUTE. Meaning not in-theater.

[Arlo]

well maybe wikipedia isn't the best source but the 1b and 2 models featured 4 20mm cannons as apposed to the 50 cals

You mean the Wiki article that says:

"The F8F prototypes were ordered in November 1943 and first flew on 21 August 1944, a mere nine months later.[N 1] The first production aircraft was delivered in February 1945 and the first squadron, Fighter Squadron 19 (VF-19) [equipped with F8F-1s - Arlo], was operational by 21 May 1945, but World War II was over before the aircraft saw combat service."

And:

"First combat

The first combat for the F8F Bearcat was during the French Indochina War (aka First Indochina War 1946-1954) when nearly 200 Bearcats were delivered to the French forces in 1951. When the war ended in 1954, 28 surviving Bearcats were supplied to the new South Vietnamese Air Force and entered service in 1956.[15] The SVAF retired their F8Fs in 1959 which were replaced by North American T-28 Trojans, then later Douglas A-1 Skyraiders as the Vietnam War (aka Second Indochina War 1957–1975) continued through the 1960s. F8Fs were also supplied to Thailand during the same time period.[16][17][18]"

And:

"F8F-1 Bearcat

    Single-seat fighter aircraft, equipped with folding wings, a retractable tailwheel, self-sealing fuel tanks, a very small dorsal fin, powered by a 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp radial piston engine, armed with four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, 658 built. "

... that Wiki article?