F6F-5N Hellcat nightfighter in flight, 1943-45. Based at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Note radome on starboard wing.

Caption     F6F-5N Hellcat nightfighter in flight, 1943-45. Based at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Note radome on starboard wing. ww2dbase
Photographer    Unknown
Source    ww2dbaseUnited States Navy
More on...   
F6F Hellcat   Main article  Photos  
Photo Size 2,100 x 1,662 pixels
Added By David Stubblebine
Licensing  Public Domain. According to the United States copyright law (United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105), in part, "[c]opyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government".

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Colorized By WW2DB     Colorized with Adobe Photoshop



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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
12 May 2013 11:02:09 AM

CATS EYES:

The F6F was also used as a night fighter called the F6F-SN. Carrying the AN/APS-6 Radar that had a range of five miles, and weighed about 250lbs.
1,500 F6F-SNs were built. Armed w/2x20mm cannons w/220rpg and 4x.50 caliber machine guns w/400rpg or 1600 total. Did you know that the F6F-SN continued to serve with the US Navy until 1954.

During WWII the F6F Hellcat shot down 5,163 Japanese aircraft, for a loss of 270 Hellcats that's about a 19-to-1 ratio.
The Hellcat also claimed a 13-to-1 ratio against the famous A6M Zero alone! 305 pilots became aces 2,462 Hellcats were lost to all causes, 270 in air-to-air combat, 550 to anti-aircraft, ground and ship-board fire, 341 lost to operational causes and 1,298 lost in training and ferry mishaps.

BUILT TOUGH:

The F6F unlike the A6M Zero had 212lbs of cockpit armor, bullet-resistant windshield, armor around the engine and oil cooler, cO2 fire extinguisher system, self-sealing fuel tanks and carried 1x150gal drop tank it was built tough could take battle-damage and bring its pilot home...
Total production of the F6F Hellcat was 12,275 with 11,000 built in two-years.
The last F6F Hellcat was built in November 1945.

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