Specialty Press' Grumman F9F Panther/Cougar

Continuing with their fine aviation history books, this latest one from Specialty Press is on Grumman's F9F Panther/Cougar series of aircraft. Development started with the introduction of the jet turbine engine and went through the usual myriad of changes before the final design was chosen. Interestingly, it was a twin engine design that Grumman was pushing  to the Navy due to the increased safety of two engines in a nautical environment, but the Navy decided on the single engine aircraft to reduce maintenance and spares inventory.

As swept wings were still a bit of an unknown, and the Navy has always been a bit conservative in its aircraft choices, the Panther was developed with straight wings. This would increase maneuverability and provide a lower landing speed, something that is always desired for carrier landings. As the design progressed, it was seen that more fuel was needed so the Panther was equipped with wing tip fuel tanks. It was rarely seen without them. One of the real bonuses of the Panther over other types was that the wings and wing fold mechanism were quite strong. This meant that the aircraft could be armed with bombs and rocket and then have the wings folded with the ordnance still attached. As the Navy's primary fighter bomber of the Korean War, this proved to be a real boon.

The Panther was developed through the -5 version, and when it came time for a new airframe, the Navy did the same as the USAF did with the F-84, and developed what was a nearly new airframe with swept wings. Yet due to funding, it kept the same basic designation as the older airframe. The Cougar was a successful aircraft and much liked by its pilots, yet such was the progress of aircraft development that it spent little time in fleet units. A two seat version of the Cougar was developed with most going to training units and some being used as Fast FAC aircraft by the Marines in the early years of the Vietnam War.

Author Brad Elward takes us through the design, development and operational usage of the Panther/Cougar series from beginning to end. This includes it use with the Blue Angels and foreign sales. All of this is superbly illustrated with quality black & white and some color images. I did find a few image misidentified, but it only because I'm well versed in aircraft and unit ID and most will not notice them. The appendices provides information on designations, squadrons, production and Korean War deployments. Throughout the book are small sections that provide some additional interest in telling the F9F story.

In all, it is another superb book from Specialty Press, adding to their already excellent library of titles. It is one that I have no problem at all recommending to you.