Grumman F9F Cougar

The Grumman F9F Cougar, redesignated F-9 in 1962, was a carrier-based jet fighter developed in the early 1950s for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, which wanted a swept-wing naval fighter quickly. Grumman adapted its earlier Panther by fitting a new swept wing and a more powerful engine, though the aircraft stayed subsonic. The first prototype, a modified Panther, flew on 20 September 1951, and the F9F-6 entered service in December 1952 with squadron VF-32. The Navy treated it as an updated Panther. Later versions included photo-reconnaissance models and one able to carry Sidewinder missiles, and front-line service ended in the late 1950s as the Tiger and Crusader replaced it.