Vought F4U Corsair Fighter - History, Specs and Pictures

Authored By Staff Writer | Last Updated: 11/9/2010

The F4U Corsair series was the first Allied aircraft capable of going up against the Japanese Zero.

Follow Military Factory on Facebook:

Trending on Military Factory:

Compare Aircraft
You Know You Want To

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles of the World Listing

UAVs
Eyes in the Skies

Top 10 Fighters
The Best of the Best

World War 2 Aircraft
Age of the Metal Monoplane

World War 1 Aircraft
Of Canvas and Wood

Vietnam War Aircraft
Last of the Gunfighters

Korean War Aircraft
Dance of the Jets

Recent Articles:

The EX 41 from Naval Ordnance Station Louisville became an abandoned multi-shot grenade launcher project

Whether known as the Blooper, Bloop Tube, Thumper or Thump-Gun, the M79 grenade launcher proved its worth

Temporarily unable to net itself F-16s or F-20s, Taiwan moved on to develop its own F-CK-1 "Ching-Kuo" fighter

When losses to IEDs started to mount, the US military turned to such MRAPs as the Navistar MaxxPro

A post-war rebuilding France adopted the Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 49 self-loading, semi-automatic service rifle

Some 80 nations have adopted the excellent Fabrique Nationale FN MAG General Purpose Machine Gun

The Kulsprutegevar KG m/21 was nothing more than the American BAR modified to suit Swedish Army tastes

Under threat from invasion during World War 2, the Swedes adopted the gas-operated Automatgevar m/42 rifle

The F4U Corsair series of aircraft was one of the finer fighter developments of the Second World War, primarily seeing combat in the Pacific Theater of War. The uniquely designed bent-wings and ever-improving powerplant assured the system success over any enemy it encountered. The F4U would become the first Allied aircraft to even be able to contend with the might A6M Zero's fielded by the Empire of Japan.

Though initially rejected by the United States Navy for carrier duty, the F4U was accepted and utilized to great success by the United States Marines. As a land-based fighter, the 400mph fighter could contend with most any other enemy fighter, utilizing its maneuverability, turning radius and sheer speed to outperform adversaries. With the Marine success, the system was then utilized (albeit slightly modified for stowage on the smaller British carriers) by the British Fleet Air Arm and performed well. Upon these revelations, the United States Navy then reassessed the system and put it into service aboard its carrier groups.

Success for the F4U Corsair series did not end with the finality of World War Two. Instead, the system was put to good use against Communist forces in the Korean War, accounting for over 80 percent of all ground attack missions flown by Marine and Navy units combined. The piston-engine Corsairs would also be credited for the downing of the Soviet-produced jet-powered MiG-15 aircraft debuted in the conflict. The system was also fielded by French forces against the Viet Minh during the early and mid-fifties.

In the end, various manufacturers would produce various model types capable of nightfighting, ground attack and dogfighting. The success of the system solidified the position of the F4U Corsair as one of the best fighters in the war and was the subject of the television series "Black Sheep Squadron". The system would later be considered a classic warbird along with the P-51 Mustangs, P-38 Lightnings and the Supermarine Spitfires among others. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.

View All Images (30)

Specifications for the
Vought F4U Corsair
Fighter

Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: Vought - USA
Initial Year of Service: 1942
Production: 12,500

Focus Model: Vought F4U Corsair
Crew: 1

Length: 33.30ft (10.15m)
Width: 41.01ft (12.50m)
Height: 16.08ft (4.90m)
Weight (Empty): 8,982lbs (4,074kg)
Weight (MTOW): 13,999lbs (6,350kg)

Powerplant: 1 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8 18-cylinder Double Wasp two-row air-cooled radial engine generating 2,000hp.

Maximum Speed: 417mph (671kmh; 362kts)
Maximum Range: 1,015miles (1,633km)
Service Ceiling: 36,900ft (11,247m; 7.0miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 3,120 feet per minute (951m/min)

Hardpoints: 2
Armament Suite:
6 x 12.7mm machine guns

4 x 20mm cannons (F4U-1C)

Mission-specific armament added up to a maximum of 2,000lbs including air-to-surface rockets and bombs.

Variants:
V.166A - Prototype Model Designation; fitted with Pratt & Whitney 2,000hp XR-2800 Double Wasp radial engine.

V.166B - Second Prototype Development Model

XF4U-1 Designation of the V.166B prototype model for US Navy consideration.

F4U-1 - Production Model designation initially provided to Britain's Fleet Arm Arm (FAA); 758 aircraft constructed.

F4U-1A - Frameless canopy version of which 2,066 produced.

F4U-1C - Fitted with 4 x 20mm cannons in place of the 6 x 12.7mm machine guns; 200 produced.

F4U-1D - Fighter-Bomber Variant of which 1,375 were produced.

F4U-1P - Photographic Reconnaissance Conversion Model based on the F4U-1 model.

FG-1 - Goodyear-produced variant of which 1,704 were constructed.

FG-1D - Goodyear-produced variant.

FG-1E - Goodyear-produced Nightfighter variant.

F3A-1 - Brewster-produced sub-variant.