Article 7994 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: Grumman F-11 Tiger (2 of 2)
Message-ID: <D0F684.6I7@ssbunews.ih.att.com>
Summary: F11F-1F Super Tiger
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Date: Wed, 7 Dec 1994 02:43:15 GMT
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The F11F-1F was the designation assigned to a more advanced version of 
the Tiger that was powered by the General Electric J79 turbojet.  

Even before the first flight of the XF9F-9 prototype took place, the 
Grumman company was already looking into ways in which the performance 
of the basic design could be improved.  One proposal was the G-98A, 
which involved the use of an afterburning General Electric J73 
turbojet.  In January of 1954, Grumman considered increasing the wing 
sweep from 35 degrees to 45 degrees, and redesignated the study as 
G-98D.  Neither aircraft was deemed sufficiently promising to warrant 
further development.  

The G-98J study of January 1955 involved the use of the then-new 
General Electric J79 turbojet, and this project proved to be more 
promising, so much so that in September of 1955 the Navy authorized 
the completion of the last two aircraft in the initial F11F-1 contract 
(BuNos 138646 and 138647) as F11F-2, in which the J65-WE-18 would be 
replaced by a General Electric YJ79-GE-3 turbojet rated at 9600 
lb.s.t.  dry and 15,000 lb.s.t.  with afterburning.  In order to 
accommodate the increased engine thrust that was now available, the 
air intakes were extended forward somewhat and were increased in area.  
This increased engine power promised a significant improvement in 
performance, so much so that the aircraft came to be known as *Super 
Tiger*.  

The first flight of the F11F-2 took place on May 25, 1956.  Ten days 
later, 138646 achieved a speed of Mach 1.44, even though it was still 
fitted with a lower-rated J79 engine.  Several changes were introduced 
during flight test, including a 13 1/2 inch extension in the rear 
fuselage, the addition of 60-degree wing root fillets, and the 
introduction of a fully-rated J79 engine.  On May 2, 1957, Grumman 
test pilot John Norris took 138647 to a maximum speed of Mach 2.04 and 
a maximum altitude of 80,250 feet.  On April 16, 1958, LtCdr George 
Watkins set an official world altitude record of 76,831 feet with 
138647.  

Impressive though the performance was, the Navy concluded that the 
Super Tiger was too heavy for service aboard aircraft carriers and 
decided not to order the Super Tiger into production.  The designation 
of the F11F-2 was then changed to F11F-1F, the "F" suffix indicating 
that the aircraft were F11F-1s with special powerplant modifications.  

Even though the Super Tiger was not ordered by the Navy, Grumman made 
a considerable effort to interest foreign air forces in the aircraft.  
Between May of 1956 and October of 1959, pilots from seven different 
nations flew the two F11F-1Fs for evaluation.  Unfortunately, 138646 
was damaged beyond repair in a takeoff accident on June 23, 1958.  The 
remaining aircraft, however, continued to fly.  The F11F-1F became a 
serious competitor for the Luftwaffe contract for a new fighter, but 
in October of 1958 the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter was declared the 
winner of the contest and went on to become the "fighter of the 
century", being built under license in Germany, Belgium, Holland, and 
Italy for NATO.  Grumman then tried to interest the Japanese Air Self 
Defense Force (JASDF) in the F11F-1F to replace its F-86D and F Sabre 
fighters.  For a while, Japan seemed to be genuinely interested in the 
Super Tiger, indicating that they preferred it to the Lockheed F-104A 
and F-104C, the North American F-100J, and the Northrop N-156F.  At 
one time, Japan actually seemed on the verge of signing on the dotted 
line, with the proposed agreement calling for Grumman to build the 
first few aircraft powered by the J79-GE-7 and equipped with 
retractable ventral fins to improve stability, and the remainder to be 
built by a Japanese consortium.  However, in November of 1960, Japan 
announced that they were opting instead for the F-104J Starfighter.  
All hopes being dashed, Grumman abandoned further work on the F11F-1F.  

Some sources indicate that the F11F-1F was redesignated F-11B when the 
new Tri-Service designation scheme was introduced in September of 
1962.  However, this appears unlikely, since the surviving F11F-1F had 
by that time been grounded.  

Specification of the Grumman F11F-1F Super Tiger:  

One General Electric YJ79-GE-3 turbojet rated at 9600 lb.s.t. dry and 
15,000 lb.s.t. with afterburning.  
Performance:  Maximum speed 836 mph at sea level, 1325 mph at 35,000 
feet, 1400 mph at 40,000 feet..  Cruising speed 580 mph.  Initial 
climb rate 8950 feet per minute.  Service ceiling 50,300 feet.  Normal 
range 1136 miles.  
Weights:  16,457 pounds empty, 23,630 pounds loaded, 26,086 pounds 
maximum.  
Dimensions:  wingspan 31 feet 7 1/2 inches, length 40 feet 10 inches 
48 feet 9 inches, height 14 feet 4 3/4 inches, wing area 250 square 
feet.  
Fuel capacity:  Maximum internal fuel capacity of 914 US gallons.  Two 
150-US gallon drop tanks could be carried, bringing total fuel 
capacity to 1214 US gallons.  
Armament:  four 20-mm cannon in the lower edges of the air intakes.  
Four underwing pylons for external stores.  Four AIM-9 Sidewinder 
infrared-homing air-to-air missiles or two Sidewinders and two 150-US 
gallon drop tanks could be carried on underwing racks.  

Sources:

   Grumman Aircraft Since 1929, Rene J. Francillon, Naval Institute
   Press, 1989.

   United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, Gordon Swanborough and
   Peter M. Bowers, Naval Institute Press, 1990.

   The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion,
   1987.

Joe Baugher			  **************************************
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