Aircraft Gallery
F4U Corsair
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Crew: One
- Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.26 m)
- Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
- Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
- Empty weight: 9,205 lb (4,175 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine, 2,380 hp (1,770 kW)
- Maximum speed: 446 mph (718 km/h; 388 kn)
- Range: 1,005 mi (873 nmi; 1,617 km)
- Ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,600 m)
- Guns:6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns
- Rockets: 8 × 5 in (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets and/or
- Bombs: 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg)
The F4U Corsair was the top U. S. carrier fighter by the end of World War II. The Corsair used the distinctive bent wing feature to allow short but strong landing gear and clearance for its large propeller. Able to exceed 400 mph in level flight and armed with an impressive array of rockets, bombs, and heavy machine guns, the F4U was beloved by Marines fighting on Pacific islands, who named it the “Angel of Okinawa”. Corsairs carried on as well in the Korean War where its precise close air support was valued by Army and Marine forces alike.
