Article 3912 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: Grumman F-9 Panther/Cougar (7 of 13)
Message-ID: <CxwFoD.4J6@ssbunews.ih.att.com>
Summary: Panther with US Navy, US Marine Corps, and Argentine Navy
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Organization: AT&T
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 1994 02:45:49 GMT
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The F9F-2 and -3 initial production versions of the Panther were 
declared service-ready in the spring of 1949.  However, because of 
initially-slow deliveries of the Pratt & Whitney J42, the Allison 
J33-powered F9F-3 was actually the first to enter service.  F9F-3s 
were first delivered to VF-51 at NAS San Diego on May 8, 1949.  The 
F9F-2s first went to the *Blue Angels* flight demonstration team based 
at NAS Pensacola on August 20, 1949, and a few days later F9F-2s went 
to VMF-115 at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina.  The first Navy 
squadron to get the F9F-2 was VF-11 at NAS San Diego, which first 
received the machines in the early autumn of 1949.  

When war came to Korea on June 25, 1950, VF-51 and VF-52 loaded their 
F9F-3 Panthers aboard the USS *Valley Forge* (CV-45) and put to sea.  
Panthers from VF-51 were first in action on July 3, 1950, providing 
escort for a strike against an airfield at Pyongyang.  Ens E. W.  
Brown and Lt(jg) L. H. Plog shared credit for downing a Yak-9, 
scoring the first kill credited to a Navy jet fighter.  

In November of 1950, the swept-wing MiG-15 began to appear over 
northern Korea.  Although powered by derivatives of the same 
Rolls-Royce Nene as was the F9F-2, the MiG-15 had a much better 
performance because of its swept wings and lighter weight.  
Nevertheless, the Panther was able to defeat the MiGs in the few 
air-to-air encounters that did take place.  The first MiG-kill by a 
F9F Panther was by Cdr W. T. Amen of VF-111 on November 9, 1950.  
Four more MiG-15s were downed by Panthers before the Korean War ended, 
with no Panthers being lost in air-to-air combat.  

The first Marine Corps Panthers appeared in combat in Korea in 
December of 1950.  These were F9F-2Bs serving with VMF-311, helping to 
support the withdrawal of troops from the Chosin Reservoir.  

Most Panthers serving in Korea flew air-to-ground close-support 
missions, air-to-air action being quite rare.  The first Navy F9F-2Bs 
appeared in combat on April 2, 1951, when VF-191 flew an attack on 
railway bridges near Songjin.  

The more capable F9F-5 first appeared in Korea in October of 1952, 
flown initially by VF-781 and VF-783 operating off the USS *Oriskany* 
(CVA-34).  F9F-5s also served with VF-51, VF-52, VF-53, VF-111, 
VF-153, and VF-154.  

The Marine Corps flew F9F-2Bs, F9F-4s and F9F-5s in Korea, exclusively 
in the ground support role.  Active and reserve Marine Corps squadrons 
that flew the Panther included VMF-115, VMF-122, VMF-211, VMF-213, 
VMF-214, VMF-223, VMF-224, VMF-232, VMF-234, VMF-235, VMF-311, 
VMF-312, VMF-314, VMF-324, VMF-334, and VMF-451, plus the training 
squadrons VMFT-10 and VMFT-20.  

F9F-2P unarmed reconnaissance aircraft were deployed by VC-62 aboard 
the USS +Princeton* in December of 1950.  Two years later, they were 
replaced by F9F-5Ps.  Two Marine Corps reconnaissance (VMJ-1 and 
VMJ-3) squadrons flew F9F-5Ps.  VMJ-3 was still flying F9F-5Ps when 
the squadron was redesignated VMCJ-3.  

Throughout the early 1950s, Panthers served extensively with active 
and reserve units of both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets.  They 
provided the mainstay of the Navy's jet-powered carrier-based 
air-to-ground capability.  The Panthers were phased out of active 
service with the Navy in 1956, but they remained with training units 
until 1958.  The last Marine Panther units were the two reserve 
squadrons VMF-213 and VMF-234, which were based at Minneapolis.  These 
Panthers were retired in 1958.  

Many of the surplus Panthers were used as drones or as drone directors 
under the designation F9F-5K or F9F-5KD.  In 1962, the Defense 
Department eliminated separate designations for Navy aircraft, and 
ordered that all Navy planes be redesignated under the new Tri-Service 
unified designation scheme.  The Panther/Cougar was assigned the 
designation F-9 under the new system.  By this time, the only Panthers 
left in service were the F9F-5KD drone directors.  These were 
redesignated DF-9E.  The last of these DF-9Es was stuck off charge in 
the mid-1960s.  

The only foreign air arm to receive Panthers was Argentina's Servicio 
de Aviacion Naval, which received 24 refurbished F9F-2s in 1958.  They 
were assigned military serials 0416/0427 and 0447/0458.  The planes 
were assigned to the 1a Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Ataque as part of the 
2a Escuadra Aeronaval based at BAN Commandante Espora in Puerto 
Belgrano.  They were strictly land-based aircraft, since the catapult 
of the ARA *Independencia* light carrier was not considered to be 
powerful enough to launch the F9F-2.  The 1a Escuadrilla Aeronaval de 
Ataque was later transferred to BAN Punta del Indio.  During a 
military coup in April of 1963 which pitted naval forces against 
elements of the Army and the Air Force, four Panthers were destroyed 
on the ground.  Shortly after the coup, the 1a Escuadrilla Aeronaval 
de Ataque was transferred to 3a Escuadra Aeronaval at BAN Commandante 
Espora.  Argentine Panthers were briefly in action in 1965 when they 
flew patrols during a border clash between Argentina and Chile.  Lack 
of spares forced the Argentine Navy to ground its F9F-2s in 1969.  

Sources:

    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.

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

    American Combat Planes, 3rd Enlarged Edition, Ray Wagner,
    Doubleday, 1982.

    E-mail from Ben Marselis


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