Vought Corsair

Development

Entwicklung

The Vought F4U Corsair is an American carrier-fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts were given to Goodyear, whose Corsairs were designated FG-, and Brewster, designated F3A-.

In February 1938 the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics published a requests for proposal single-engined fighters.In June 1938, the U.S. Navy signed a contract with Vought for a prototype bearing the factory designation V-166B. The construction of the XF4U-1 was powered by an Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp twin-row, 18-cylinder radial engine, rated at 1,805 hp. When the prototype was completed it had the biggest and most powerful engine, largest propeller, and probably the largest wing on any naval fighter to date. The first flight of the XF4U-1 was made on 29 May 1940.

From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U- Corsairs were manufactured in 16 separate models. Its 1942–1953 production run was the longest of any U.S. piston-engined fighter.

Die Vought F4U Corsair ist ein amerikanisches Träger-Kampfflugzeug, das hauptsächlich im Zweiten Weltkrieg und im Koreakrieg eingesetzt wurde. Der von Chance Vought entworfene und hergestellte Corsair war bald sehr gefragt; Zusätzliche Produktionsverträge wurden an Goodyear vergeben, dessen Corsairs als FG- bezeichnet wurden, und Brewster, als F3A- bezeichnet.
Im Februar 1938 veröffentlichte das U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics eine Aufforderung zur Einreichung von Vorschlägen für einmotorige Jäger.Im Juni 1938 unterzeichnete die U.S. Navy mit Vought einen Vertrag über einen Prototyp mit der Werksbezeichnung V-166B. Die Konstruktion des XF4U-1 wurde von einem zweireihigen 18-Zylinder-Sternmotor Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp mit 1.805 PS angetrieben. Als der Prototyp fertiggestellt war, hatte er den grössten und leistungsstärksten Motor, den grössten Propeller und wahrscheinlich den grössten Flügel aller bisherigen Marinejäger. Der Erstflug des XF4U-1 fand am 29. Mai 1940 statt.
Vom der ersten Prototypen an die U.S. Navy im Jahr 1940 bis zur endgültigen Auslieferung an die Franzosen im Jahr 1953 wurden 12.571 F4U- Corsairs in 16 verschiedenen Modellen hergestellt. Der Produktionslauf von 1942 bis 1953 war der längste aller US-Jäger mit Kolbenmotor.

FAA Variants

FAA Versionen

Mk. I

FAA designation of F4U-1

Mk. I

FAA Bezeichnung für die F4U-1

Mk. II

FAA designation of F4U-1A with new, taller and wider clearview canopy with only two frames

Mk. II

FAA Bezeichnung für die F4U-1A mit grösserer Cockpithaube mit zwei Streben

Mk. III

FAA designation of F3A-1D, F4U-1D bult by Brewster

Mk. III

FAA Bezeichnung für die F3A-1D, F4U-1D gebaut von Brewster

Mk. IV

Fleet Air Arm designation of FG-1D, F4U-1D build by Goodyear

Mk. IV

FAA Bezeichnung für die FG-1D, F4U-1D gebaut von Goodyear

Operational history

Einsatzgeschichte

Several marks of Corsair saw service with the Fleet Air Arm both during World War II and during the post-war period. The Royal Navy Corsairs all had 41cm clipped from their wing-tips which enabled below-deck storage on the Royal Navy carriers which were smaller than the American carriers for which the Corsair was originally  designed. The first Corsair provided to the Fleet Air Arm was the Corsair I, or the F4U-1 'Birdcage' Corsair. The subsequent versions were the Corsair II (F4U-1A), then the Corsair IV (FG-1D), and finally the Corsair III (F3A-1D).
In all, the Fleet Air Arm received 2, 012 Corsairs from the USA, initially under Lend-Lease, and which equipped 19 squadrons.
200 aircraft were delivered as the F4U-1Cs, with four 20mm M2 cannons replacing the 12.7mm guns. The F4U-1D variant again had thed original guns but have twin wing pylons added to the centre section to allow drop tanks or bombs.
Production of the F4U-1D began in April 1944 being built at Brewster as the F3A-1D, whilst Goodyear built the FG-1D. 430 Brewster-built F3A-1Ds supplied to the UK became Corsair III whilst 977 Goodyear-built FG-1Ds became Corsair IVs. Under the Lend-Lease agreement, the UK took delivery of 95 F4U-1s (designated Corsair Is) and 510 F4U-1As (as Corsair IIs) which commenced in June 1943, after delivery of the first aircraft in May 1943 to the British Admiralty Delegation at US Floyd Bennet Field, New York, USA (JT102). The first unit to receive the Corsair was 1835 squadron at Quonset Point, USA in August 1943.

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Drawings

Zeichnungen

1830 NAS (1943)

1830 NAS (1943)

1830 NAS (1944)

1837 NAS

1838 NAS

last update 1. May 2022

written 1. March 2011

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