Grumman F3F
The Grumman F3F was a single-seat, carrier-based biplane fighter built by Grumman for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the mid-1930s. First flown in 1935 and entering service in 1936, it was the last biplane fighter to serve with the U.S. military, bridging the gap between fabric-and-wire biplanes and the monoplane fighters of World War II. Developed from the earlier F2F, it featured a stubby fuselage and retractable landing gear that earned it the nickname 'Flying Barrel.' The definitive F3F-2 and F3F-3 were powered by the Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial.
The type equipped front-line Navy and Marine fighter squadrons until being withdrawn from combat units at the end of 1941, after which surviving aircraft served as trainers. Note that the existing label 'Gruman' is a typo for 'Grumman.'
Specifications
- Manufacturer
- Grumman
- Type
- Carrier-based fighter biplane
- Crew
- 1
- First Flight
- 1935
- Powerplant
- 1 x Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial, 950 hp (F3F-2/-3)
- Max Speed
- 264 mph (F3F-2/-3)
- Range
- 980 mi (F3F-3)
- Service Ceiling
- 33,200 ft (F3F-3)
- Length
- 23 ft 3 in
- Wingspan
- 32 ft
- Loaded Weight
- ~4,116 lb gross
- Armament
- 1 x .30 cal and 1 x .50 cal machine guns; light bomb load