[ARC5] RU, GF, and What Else?

[Robert Eleazer]

The F4F probably did carry the RU and GF for its entire life.  But that was a pretty short life. Grumman quit building the F4F in May 1943 and only produced 100 of them that year.  Production switched to General Motors with the FM-1, a copy of the F4F, and then switched to the redesigned FM-2 in Sept 1943.  According to the FM-2 pilot's manual, dated June 1945:

FM-2 Serial no 15952 to 46942 had GF-12.RU-17, ZB-3 (AN/ARR-1), provision for ABD/ABE Navigation equipment and provisions for ABA-1 or ABK IFF.  I would presume the FM-1 was similarly equipped.

FM-2 Serial no 46943 to 57043 had ARC-4, ARR-2, BC-1206, APX-1 IFF and provision for ABA-1 IFF

FM-2 Serial no 57044 and subsequent had ARC-1, ARR-2a, BC-1206, APX-1 and provisions for ABA-1 IFF.

So I presume all the F4F's had GF/RU, as did all of the FM-1's and the initial production of the FM-1.

And hey!  This means the Wildcat never had the ATA/ARA or ARC-5.  And also that the USN used the BC-1206!  Never would have guessed.    

A friend of mine owned what I presume was an FM-2 for a bit after WWII and he described the radio as being one where you had to change coils, so that must have been a GF/RU installation.

Wayne