F7F-3P Tigercat

"Here Kitty, Kitty!"

F7F-3P Tigercat

  • Manufacturer: Grumman

  • Model: F7F-3P Tigercat

  • Name: "Here Kitty, Kitty"

  • Tail Number: N700F

It took a bigger aircraft carrier than the Navy had at the time to accommodate their first twin-engine fighter. The F7 Tigercat just wouldnʼt fit on the deck, and was supposed to fly from the larger Midway-class carriers, but never got the chance to prove itself in combat before the war ended. The Tigercat would get a shot in Korea, but still had a short lifespan, serving only until 1954. Even so, the F7 was fast and heavily armed, outracing the single-engine F6F Hellcat by more than 70 mph. Sadly, high landing speed and weight, among other problems, kept all but a handful of F7s off of carrier service. Here Kitty, Kitty here is configured as a photo-recon aircraft, one of five flyable models in the world, and the first ever to race at the National Championship Air Races in Reno.

SPECIFICATIONS

  • Wing Span: 51' 6"

  • Length: 45' 4.5"

  • Height: 16' 7"

  • Max Speed: 435 mph

  • Gross Weight: 25,720 lbs

  • Power Plant: 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp 18 cyl radial piston engines

  • Horsepower: 2,100 ea

ARMAMENT

  • Guns:

    • 4 x 20 mm cannons in wing roots

    • 4 x .50 cal machine guns in nose

    • One torpedo under fuselage

  • Bombs: 2,000 lbs

  • Avionics: AN/APS-19 radar