Designed as the successor to the F9F Panther, introduced in 1953, the F-9 Cougar was too late to enter the Korean War
During the Vietnam War she participated in the fast-Forward Air Control and the airborne command role
directing airstrikes against enemy positions in South Vietnam between 1966 and 1968
The Navy considered the Cougar an updated version of the Panther, despite having a different official name, the F9F-6
Built as a carrier-based fighter aircraft for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps
the Cougar had several design differences from its predecessor
The Panther's straight wing was replaced by a more modern swept wing
The arrival of the Soviet MiG-15 swept-wing fighter spurred the US military's interest in similar swept-wing fighters
famously the North American F-86 "Sabre" series
The F9F-6 had a length of 12.47 m, a wingspan of 10.52 m, a width of 4.32 m, a height of 3.747 m
an empty weight of 5.2 tons, and a maximum takeoff weight of 9.5 tons
The Cougar had 35-degree swept wings and unlike the original Panthers, the aircraft did not have a wingtip fuel tank
The aircraft only retained the main-forward portion of the Panther's fuselage
while the wings and some of the empennage were of largely new design
Wing roots were lengthened though retaining similar triangular intakes as on the Panther
Retractable undercarriage with two single-wheel main legs and a single-wheeled nose leg
As an aircraft carrier-based fighter, a hook was fitted under the tail
Compared with its predecessor, thrust was also increased with the installation of a newer, more powerful engine
Cougar was powered by a Pratt & Whitney J48-P-8 centrifugal-flow turbojet engine, with 32.2 kN of thrust
The fighter could reach a top speed of 654 mph (1,053 km/h, 568 kn) at sea level
with a cruising speed of 541 mph
Combat range was 293 mi (472 km), service ceiling was 44,500 ft (13,600 m), Rate of climb was 6,750 ft/min (34.3 m/s).
Armament was four 20 mm cannons in the nose and provisions for two 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs or 150 US gal (570 l) drop tanks under the wings
Most were fitted with a UHF homing antenna under the nose, and some were fitted with probes for inflight refuelling
The F9F-6 used an Aero 5D-1 weapons sight with an APG-30A gun-ranging radar
The F9F-6 was later designated F-9F in 1962.
Sixty were built as F9F-6P reconnaissance aircraft with cameras instead of the nose cannon
Either way, Cougar was an outstanding product of Grumman
On April 1, 1954, the F9F-6 made its first intercontinental flight in less than 4 hours, and training variants of this aircraft remained in service until 1974
After withdrawal from active service, many F9F-6s were used as unmanned drones for combat training
designated F9F-6D, or as drone controllers, designated F9F-6K