Academy 1:48 USN F3F-2 VF-6 "Fighting Six"

Academy 1:48 USN F3F-2 VF-6 "Fighting Six"

The Grumman F3F is a single-seater in-flight fighter that was the last Grumman biplane fighter and the last US Navy biplane. The prototype flew on March 20, 1935, and in January of the following year, deliveries of 54 series F3F-1 aircraft began. In 1937, a contract was signed for the supply of a new version of the F3F-2 with a more powerful engine. Deliveries began in July 1937, 81 copies of this version were built. The following year, a version of the F3F-3 with a slightly changed fuselage was created, this variant entered production in December 1938. A total of 165 aircraft of all versions were built. The F3Fs became the staple of the US Navy's onboard fighter squadrons by the early 1940s. The F3F entered the equipment of 8 fighter squadrons (used, among others, on the USS Ranger and USS Saratoga aircraft carriers). The last aircraft decommissioned by the US Navy in the summer of 1941. Technical data (version F3F-3): Maximum speed: 425 km / h, speed of climb: 14 m / s, maximum ceiling 10 120 m, maximum range: 1600 km, armament: fixed - 1 M1919 7.62 mm machine gun and 1 M2 machine gun cal.12.7mm, underslung - up to 104 kg of bombs.