Modelling the F4F Wildcat

A brief history of the Grumman Wildcat

The Wildcat is one of those historically significant aircraft that almost never came to be. In fact, it was through the misfortune of others that it became the Navy's frontline fighter for the first year and a half of World War II.

The Wildcat's development paralleled that of the Brewster Buffalo, and it was the Buffalo that the Navy chose over the Wildcat as its first operational monoplane fighter in 1938. However, hedging its bets, the Navy continued development of the Wildcat. When the Buffalo proved itself not up to the task in the hands of Allied pilots in the Pacific, the Navy turned to the Wildcat.

The F4F-3 was the first version of the Wildcat to enter service with the US Navy in December 1940. The -3 was noteworthy in having only four wing machine guns and non-folding wings. The -3 went through a series of engine and cowling modifications during its service.

The F4F-3A used the Pratt & Whitney R1830-90 engine with the single-stage, two-speed supercharger. This version is distinguished by the lack of the two intercooler intakes inside the cowling. In its quest for fighter aircraft, Greece purchased 30 F4F-3As, which were shipped off in March 1941. However, before the shipment could arrive, the Germans overran Greece and the aircraft were turned over to the Royal Navy, who promptly christened them the Martlet III. These aircraft were assigned to No. 805 Squadron and were put into service in North Africa.

Next in the series was the F4F-4. The two major differences from the -3 series were the addition of two machine guns, for a total of six, and the installation of manually folding wings. The folding wings were a welcome change, lessening the aircraft's footprint so more could be stored on an aircraft carrier. The Wildcat's pilots did not receive the additional armament so warmly. The two additional guns made the aircraft heavier than the -3, with a consequential reduction in performance. Firing time was also now reduced, as each gun had less ammunition than before. Pilots generally preferred the longer firing time of four guns over the increased firepower of six. It was the F4F-3 and -4 that held the line in the Pacific against faster and more agile Japanese opposition.

The Wildcatfish was a prototype floatplane converted from a late-production F4F-3 Wildcat. Naval military planners were concerned about a possible shortage of carriers and airbases in the Pacific from which to operate aircraft, so the idea of fitting the Wildcat with Edo floats was conceived. It is also said that the Navy was impressed with the Japanese Imperial Navy's A6M2-N “Rufe” floatplane and hoped to emulate its performance. The prototype was first flown in February 1943, but its performance was disappointing. As it turned out, America was able to build aircraft carriers and airfields faster than anticipated and the Wildcatfish program became irrelevant.