[ARC5] Radio Equipment installed in Grumman F6F-3 at NMNA

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 8 Jun 2010 at 12:34, Bob Macklin wrote:

> During the Korean War the F4U was used extensively for close ground
> support. It was better for that mission than the F9F.

The F9F was the Grumman "Panther", a jet engined job.

I was speaking of the F6F, the piston-engined Hellcat.

> And the F9F was not suited for air to air combat during the Korean
> WAR.

I would really like to hear your ideas on this, and why that was so. 
Maybe it was too heavy? Not maneuverable enough? 
Underpowered? What?

But neither was the F4U against Migs.

I do know that at least one F-82 ("Twin Mustang") shot down a Mig 
15, and I THINK an F-51 or two did also.

Also, the F-82s were pretty much used up in Korea. I don't think 
there are any flying ones left in existence.

Did the F-82 carry ARC-5 VHF gear?
 
> A point of interest. At the beginning of the Korean War (July 1950)
> the 4th FIW was flying F-80s in Japan. They were found to not have
> sufficient range so the 4th FIW went back to F-51s until the first
> F-86s arrived.

Interesting. The Shooting Star looked somewhat like an F9F. I am 
surprised it was a better dog-fighter than the F9F.

> I believe the smaller airplanes of that period had the VHF ARC-5
> radios. When I got there in 53 the F-84s and F-86s had ARC-3s.

Well, the ARC-3 was a good, reliable radio. If I remember 
correctly, a least one later version was the ARC-77 which had at 
least double the channels of the ARC-3, but was othewise 
identical.

I really wish A.R.C. had developed their VHF rigs further. :-(

Later,

Ken Gordon W7EKB