Designed by Beisel and Sikorsky, the F4U is regarded by many as one of the greatest combat aircraft in history, and was in production for a longer period of time than any US fighter other than the F4 Phantom. As conceived it was intended to mount the most powerful engine, and biggest propeller, of any fighter in existence, and the prototype was the first US combat aircraft to exceed 400mph.

However, early experience suggested that the design was in fact a disastrous failure, especially for carrier operations. The extraordinarily long nose interfered with visibility ahead in a way which particularly caused problems during landing and take-off. The undercarriage had a tendency to break, and the aircraft also had an inclination to bounce alarmingly on landing. As a result the US Navy at first rejected it for shipboard operation. Nonetheless the F4U was adopted by the Marine Corps and quickly demonstrated its effectiveness. Although its low rate-of-turn made it a very limited dogfighter its merits more than compensated for this and its other faults. Its great power, speed and rate of climb, its capacity to roll very rapidly, combined with a powerful armament - and large ammunition supply - and a quite exceptional resistance to battle damage, meant that in early 1943 ( in the Solomons) it quickly demonstrated its great superiority over the enemy fighters. By the end of hostilities in the Pacific War it had established an 11:1 "kill" ratio against Japanese aircraft.

The US Navy finally adopted the F4U as a shipboard fighter-bomber in November 1944, and by early 1945 large numbers were operating from the fast carriers of the Pacific Fleet - although the longer-established and very capable Grumman F6F Hellcat remained somewhat more numerous aboard the carriers right up to the war's end.

However, while the F6F was phased out shortly after World War Two the Corsair continued in service, and new versions were developed. The F4U was used extensively in the Korean War, and production continued until December 1952, by which time 12,571 had been built.

 

Chance Vought Division of United Aircraft Corporation (also built by Brewster and Goodyear)

Type

Single-seat carrier-based fighter-bomber

Dimensions

Span 41' (12.48 metres) British version 39' 7"

Length 33' 8" - 34' 6" according to version

Weight

(F4U-1A) 8,873 lb (4,025 kg)

Engine

(F4U-1) 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8 (B) Double Wasp 18-cylinder two-row radial

(F4U-1A) 2,250 hp R-2800-8 (W) with water injection

(F4U-4) 2,450 hp R-2800-18 (W) with water-methanol

(F4U-5) 2,850 hp R-2800-32 (E) with water-methanol

 

Maximum Speed (F4U-1A) 395 mph (F4U-5) 462 mph

Initial Climb (F4U-1A) 2,890 feet per minute (F4U-5) 4,800 feet per minute

Service Ceiling F4U-1A) 37,000 feet (F4U-5) 44,000 feet

Range (on internal fuel): 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometres)

 

Armament - Guns

(early versions) 6 x 0.5" Browning MG53-2 machine-guns in outer wings, with 390 rounds per gun

(F4U-1C onwards) 4 x 20mm. cannon in wings

 

Armament - Bombs/Rockets

(F4U-1D and most subsequent versions) 2 x 1,000 lb bombs or 8 x 5-inch rockets under wings