Proposed by Grumman though not taken up by the United States Navy, the Sapphire Cougar undoubtedly influenced the upcoming F11F Tiger swept-wing fighter for the company.
As the age of the jet fighter was getting its feet underneath, longtime fighter supplier Grumman approached the United States Navy (USN) with a concept for a new carrier-based solution which came to be known as the "Sapphire Cougar" for its lineage related to the earlier F9F "Cougar" and its choice of engine, the British Armstrong-Siddeley "Sapphire" turbojet. The engine was a local-license model from Curtiss-Wright which tagged it the "J65". The fighter was intended as a compact product to serve from the decks of the space-strapped Essex-class aircraft carriers then in USN service. As such it would have featured carrier-operation qualities like wing-folding, a reinforced under-structure, and arrestor hook equipment.
The aircraft certainly mimicked aspects of the F9F and the subsequent F11F "Tiger" developments put forth by the same company. A swept-back, high-mounted mainplane form was used as were side-mounted intakes. The pilot's position was well-forward in the design, positioned just over the nose. The tail section featured a single fin with a pair of horizontal planes - all featuring sweepback. A tricycle undercarriage rounded out the list of modern features.
The USN eventually showed little interest in the Sapphire Cougar concept and the design fell away to military aviation history in time. At least a wind tunnel model was completed for testing to go along with design drawings and this marked the Sapphire Cougar as a stepping point towards the upcoming F11F Tiger - which was adopted by the USN in useful numbers (200).
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
✓X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
Length
41.2 ft (12.57 m)
Width/Span
31.7 ft (9.65 m)
Height
13.1 ft (4.00 m)
Empty Wgt
12,787 lb (5,800 kg)
MTOW
15,807 lb (7,170 kg)
Wgt Diff
+3,020 lb (+1,370 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Grumman Sapphire Cougar production variant)
Installed:
1 x Wright J65-W-3 (Armstrong-Siddeley "Sapphire") afterburning turbojet engine developing an estimated 7,000lb dry thrust and 10,000lb with reheat.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Grumman Sapphire Cougar production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
PROPOSED:
4 x 20mm Colt Mk 12 cannons under the nose section.
Optional:
4 x AIM-9 "Sidewinder" short-ranged Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) OR Aerial rocket packs OR 2 x Jettisonable fuel stores.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 4
"Sapphire Cougar" - Named Proposal; not selected by the United States Navy for development.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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